Olutoyosi Aboderin

Dr. Olutoyosi Aboderin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of San Diego (USD), also affiliated with the Africana Studies Program. She holds a PhD in Africology & African American Studies from Temple University, alongside an M.A. from the same program and a B.A. in Communication Studies from Stockton University. Prior to USD, she was the inaugural Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Africana Studies at Bryn Mawr College (2022–2024) and coordinated Stockton University’s Africana Studies Dual Credit Program, teaching African American History courses.

Education:

• PhD in Africology & African American Studies, Temple University
• MA in Africology & African American Studies, Temple University
• BA in Communication Studies, Stockton University

Research Interests: Her work focuses on Black representations in media, gender studies, and African American history. She analyzes intersections of race, gender, and media through Afrocentric lenses, including Black womanhood, family structures, and diasporic narratives in film and television. Her dissertation, “How to Get Away with Feminist Propaganda: An Afrocentric Analysis of Gender Ideology and Relationships in Black Female-Led Television Dramas” (2023), exemplifies this focus.

Awards:

• Stockton University “Ten Within Ten” award
• Adelaide Sanford International Afrocentric Education award
• Stephen P. Couvillion Research and Scholarship award

Teaching & Advising: She teaches courses such as “Race, Gender, and Media” and “African American Women’s History,” blending historical analysis with contemporary media critique. She has advised curricula for dual-credit high school programs.

Labs/Teams: None explicitly mentioned, but her work intersects with USD’s Africana Studies community and media-focused academic networks.