Black Studies

Course Descriptions

150,150W. Freshman Seminar.
Fall and Spring (3,4;3,4) Staff.

A course designed to introduce freshmen to selected topics in Black Studies.150W satisfies the lower-level writing requirement.

205. Introduction to Black Studies.
(GER 4C,5) Fall (3) Staff.

A course that takes a multidimensional approach to the field of Black Studies through several essential areas of inquiry such as double consciousness, African American identity, freedom and Latin/Caribbean connections.

301. Seminar in Black Studies.
Spring (3-4) Staff.

An in-depth study and discussion of a specific issue in Black Studies. This writing intensive seminar satisfies the concentration writing requirement.

306. Topics in Black Studies.
Fall or Spring (1-3) Staff.
Seminar classes focusing on special topics in Black Studies. (This course may be repeated for credit.)

307. Workshop on Black Expressive Culture.
Spring (3) Staff. Prerequisite: BLS 205 or instructor permission.

An arts oriented workshop that will vary depending upon the specialization of the professor(s) currently teaching the course. With faculty supervision students will create and present individual Black Studies related projects.

407. Senior Colloquium.
Spring (1) Staff. Prerequisites: BLS 205, BLS 301 or instructor permission.

A forum in which student and faculty consolidate the body of knowledge and ideas students have acquired in Black Studies and related courses. For concentrators who have completed most concentration requirements, including BLS 205 and 301, and for non-concentrators with instructor permission.

480. Independent Study.
Fall and Spring (1-3,1-3) Director. Prerequisites: BLS 205 and permission of instructor.

A tutorial agreed upon by the student and instructor and approved in advance by the Black Studies Advisory Committee. Open only to concentrators who have completed at least half of the concentration requirements.

495-496. Senior Honors.
Fall, Spring (3,3) Staff. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Students admitted to Senior Honors in Black Studies will be responsible for (a) formulating a program of study in consultation with a BLS advisor, (b) satisfactory completion by April 15 of an original scholarly essay on a topic approved by the Advisory Committee, and (c) a comprehensive oral examination. For College provisions governing the Admission to Honors, see page 66.

498. Internships.
Fall, Spring, and Summer (1-3,1-3,1-3) Staff. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Qualified juniors and seniors may receive credit for an approved program which provides an opportunity to apply and expand knowledge under expert supervision in an off-campus position. Internships must be approved in advance by the program director, and supervised and evaluated by a faculty member.See program director for details.

Additional Courses Eligible for Concentration or Minor
A sample listing of courses that may be counted toward the concentration or minor appears below. Not all of these courses are offered every semester and additional courses may qualify. Students should consult a program advisor for a list of each semester’s eligible courses.

AMST 445 Southern Literature and Culture

AMST 470 Introduction to African American Culture

AMST 470 African American Material Culture

AMST 470 Blacks and American Cinema

AMST 470 Rebellion and Revolution in Slave Society

ANTH 330 Caribbean Cultures

ANTH 335 Peoples and Cultures of Africa

ANTH 336 African Cultural Economics

ANTH 337 African Ritual and Religious Practice

ANTH 429 Exploring the Afro-American Past

ANTH 432 Maroon Societies

ANTH 482 Arts of the African Diaspora

DANC 230 History of American Vernacular Dance

ENG 365 Early Black American Literature (formerly 460)

ENG 366 Modern Black American Literature (formerly 461)

ENG 462 When Harlem Was in Vogue

ENG 463 Major African American Women Writers

ENG 464 Language, Race and Gender

HIST 306 Race, Culture and Modernization in South Africa

HIST 307,308 African History

HIST 251,252 Introduction to African American History

HIST 405C Disease, Medicine and Society in Africa

HIST 406 Ethnicity and the State in the African Context

HIST 407C Gender and Change in Modern Africa

HIST 432 Maroon Societies (Cross listed as ANTH 432)

HIST 441 The Caribbean

HIST 491C Race and History in Southern Africa

HIST 491C African Americans and Religion

HIST 490 Blacks/Old South

HIST 651 History of Africa

MUS 173 Jazz

REL 348 Afro-American Religion

REL 368 Islam in N. Africa

SOC 328 Blacks in American Society

THEA 151 African-American Theatre on Stage

THEA 461 African-American Theatre