Assistant Professor, History
- PhD, Temple University, Africology and African American Studies
- MA, Temple University, Africology and African American Studies
- BA, Stockton University, Communication Studies
Dr. Olutoyosi “Toyo” Aboderin, is a first-generation Nigerian from South Jersey. She graduated with her doctorate in Africology and African American History and has educational backgrounds in Communication and Media Studies. In 2022, Dr. Aboderin became the inaugural Andrew W. Mellon fellow for Africana Studies at Bryn Mawr College where she completed both a predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship. She concurrently served as the Africana Studies Dual Credit Program Coordinator at Stockton University for two years where she lectured on the collegiate level and oversaw the curriculum development of local high school dual credit courses on African American History. Dr. Aboderin is the recipient of Stockton University’s “Ten Within Ten” award, the Adelaide Sanford International Afrocentric Education award, and the Stephen P. Couvillion Research and Scholarship award. In 2024, she happily joined USD’s Department of History and Africana Studies Program. Her class offerings include African HIST 385 – African American Women’s History and HIST 300 - Race, Gender, and Media
Areas of Expertise
Black Representations in Film and Television, African American Women’s History, African American History, Pop Culture, Black Womanhood, Black Gender Studies, Africana Womanism, Black Family Structure
Scholarly Work
In May 2023, Dr. Aboderin defended her dissertation, “How to Get Away with Feminist Propaganda: An Afrocentric Analysis of Gender Ideology and Relationships in Black Female-lead Television Dramas.” Her research lies within the intersections of race, gender, and media.
Areas of Interest
Dr. Aboderin’s research interests span Afro-diasporic representations in film and television, racial stereotypes in media, Black womanhood, and Black relationships. She has taught courses such as “Race, Gender, and Media,” “Black History in American Cinema,” “The History of African Americans on Television,” “The Black Family,” and “African Americans and the Shaping of Pop Culture.”