Black Studies Major

A Black Studies major requires a minimum of 36 credit hours or nine courses. Courses required of a major in Black Studies are as follows: 

Three Core Courses:

BLST 101Introduction to Black Studies
BLST 201Blackness in the Modern World: Race, Ethnicity & Diaspora
BLST 400Advanced Seminar in Black Studies

Five additional courses, one from each of the following areas of inquiry. 

1. Women’s and Gender Studies, preferably focusing on Black/Africana women. Examples include: 

BLST 265Black Women and Organizational Leadership
BLST 325African-American Women's Literature
BLST 358Afrofuturism

2. African American, African, or African Diasporic Literature. Examples include:

BLST 255Ethnic Literature
BLST 260Contemporary African Novels in English
BLST 325African-American Women's Literature
BLST 355The Harlem Renaissance
BLST 356The Narrative of Black America
BLST 357Postcolonial Literature and Criticism
BLST 358Afrofuturism

3. African American, African, or African Diasporic History. Examples include: 

BLST 171Pre-Colonial Africa
BLST 172The History of Africa Since 1880
BLST 183African American History to 1865
BLST 332The Fourteenth Amendment and the Meanings of Equality
BLST 334Dancing in the Street: African-American Urban History
BLST 337The History of Black Power: From Marcus Garvey to Chuck D
BLST 391Comparative Slavery in the Americas
BLST 393Race, Identity, & Power in U.S. Sports

4. African American, African, or African Diasporic Visual & Performing arts and Art History. Examples include:

BLST 122African/Diaspora Dance Level I
BLST 133Gospel Choir - Ensemble
BLST 219World Music
BLST 223African/Diasporan Dance II
BLST 234History of Gospel Music

5. African American, African, or African Diasporic Social Sciences or Sciences. Examples include:

BLST 237Global Health and Local Wellbeing
BLST 360History of African American Education
BLST 368Black Political Thought
BLST 372Critical Pedagogies: Gender, Race and Class in U.S. Education
BLST 375Race and Law in US Politics


Students must take five different courses to fulfill these five categories; they cannot use one course to satisfy multiple categories. Other African American, African, or African Diasporic Humanities courses may satisfy either the literature or history area requirement, subject to approval by the Black Studies Program. Students may also use an additional iteration of BLST 400 on a different topic to satisfy an area requirement (depending on topic and subject to BLST program approval) or the elective.

​In addition, one of the five courses must be a course on African or African diaspora studies in which the US is not the central focus. Examples include: 

BLST 171Pre-Colonial Africa
BLST 172The History of Africa Since 1880
BLST 219World Music
BLST 260Contemporary African Novels in English
BLST 357Postcolonial Literature and Criticism
BLST 358Afrofuturism
BLST 391Comparative Slavery in the Americas

6. One additional elective in Black Studies 

Senior Research

Senior Research (BLST 451, BLST 452) is optional and can be used to satisfy the required elective course.

Black Studies Minor

The minor in Black Studies requires a minimum of 24 credit hours or 6 courses. Students who wish to be awarded a minor in Black Studies must complete the required two core courses plus one course from three of the five areas of inquiry listed below and one additional elective in Black Studies. Students may use BLST 400 to satisfy an area requirement or an elective, depending on the course topic.

Two Core Courses:

BLST 101Introduction to Black Studies
BLST 201Blackness in the Modern World: Race, Ethnicity & Diaspora

Three additional courses from three of the following five areas of inquiry (see major requirements for examples).

  1. Women's and Gender Studies, preferably focusing on Black women
  2. African American, African, or African Diasporic Literature
  3. African American, African, or African Diasporic History
  4. African American, African, or African Diasporic Visual and Performing Arts and Art History
  5. African American, African, or African Diasporic Social Sciences or Sciences