2023-2024 Catalog

Black Studies

Overview

Black Studies at Occidental College is a transnational and interdisciplinary study of the history, scholarship, arts and culture of people of the African diaspora. As a heterogeneous and diverse discipline, Black Studies encourages rigorous critical contemplation and debate. It engages with and expands upon the vibrant intellectual tradition of critical engagement already established at the college. Students of Black Studies learn to examine the world and their local communities with an eye to black people's important and sometimes overlooked contributions, and to understand the ways the experiences of people of African descent have shaped and continue to inform campaigns for human rights.

Courses draw from faculty expertise in the fields of Politics, International Relations, English, American Studies, History, Philosophy, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, and others. The program explores the conditions and experiences of race in the twenty-first century through a historical study of the enduring traditions of scholarship, activism, and community throughout the African diaspora. Students participate in intersectional analysis of black populations, paying close attention to how class, location, gender, sexuality, have shaped black identities, cultural productions and forms of political engagement both past and present.

Students who major in Black Studies will:

  • Learn about the history and contemporary culture of people in African descent across the diaspora, including the development of foundational ideas and documents for our contemporary understanding of social justice and human rights;
  • Engage in interdisciplinary and intersectional analysis of black communities in the U.S. and abroad, both past and present;
  • Contribute to longstanding discussions about the enduring effects of slavery and colonization, the place of race in conceptions of citizenship and justice, the centrality of people of African descent to major developments (social, artistic, political, and scientific) throughout the world;
  • Experience black communities outside the United States through study abroad;
  • Have the opportunity to get involved in the local community through community-based partnerships in Los Angeles and surrounding communities;
  • Graduate prepared for careers in law, medicine, education, entertainment, international business, and several others that involve communicating with and understanding people across difference and within specific communities.

Requirements

Major

Core Courses

BLST 101Introduction to Black Studies

4 units

BLST 490Black Studies Senior Seminar

4 units

Interdisciplinary Electives

There are three Interdisciplinary clusters: historical perspectives, expressive forms, and politics and theory. Students are expected to complete three courses (12 units) across these interdisciplinary clusters, with a minimum of one course (4 units) in each of the three interdisciplinary clusters.

Historical Perspectives
HIST 207/BLST 207African American History I: Black Americans and the Making of the Nation

4 units

BLST 208/AMST 208African American History II: The Great Migration and the Transformation of American Culture

4 units

BLST 256/AMST 256Race Women: African American Women's Protest Culture

4 units

BLST 268/AMST 268Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History

4 units

BLST 376/AMST 376Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory

4 units

Expressive Forms
BLST 230Black Britain

4 units

BLST 240Black Women Write Social Justice

4 units

BLST 268/AMST 268Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History

4 units

BLST 319Toni Morrison

4 units

BLST 329/AMST 329Black Queer Thought

4 units

BLST 346/ENGL 346Beautiful Democracy: 19th Century African American Literature

4 units

BLST 360/ENGL 360Toni Morrison and U.S. Imaginative Production

4 units

ENGL 142/BLST 142Joyful Noise! On Black Literature and Musicality

4 units

ENGL 267Afro-Surrealism

4 units

ENGL 377/BLST 377Afrofuturism

4 units

Politics and Theory
BLST 218/SOC 218Black Ecological Thought

4 units

BLST 230Black Britain

4 units

BLST 240Black Women Write Social Justice

4 units

BLST 263/SOC 263Du Boisian Social Theory and Analysis

4 units

BLST 315Black Feminist Movements

4 units

BLST 318Waywardness, Fugitivity, and the Anarchism of Blackness

4 units

BLST 329/AMST 329Black Queer Thought

4 units

BLST 343Black Ecology Collaboratory

4 units

Black Studies Seminars

Students are expected to complete two 300 level Black Studies seminars (4 units) from the following list of courses. The completion of one of these research seminars will satisfy the second-stage writing requirement.

BLST 315Black Feminist Movements

4 units

BLST 318Waywardness, Fugitivity, and the Anarchism of Blackness

4 units

BLST 360/ENGL 360Toni Morrison and U.S. Imaginative Production

4 units

BLST 343Black Ecology Collaboratory

4 units

BLST 346/ENGL 346Beautiful Democracy: 19th Century African American Literature

4 units

BLST 376/AMST 376Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory

4 units

BLST 377/ENGL 377Afrofuturism

4 units

Additional Electives

Students must take three additional electives chosen from the list of approved outside electives below, or any of the Black Studies interdisciplinary clusters.

CTSJ 280Rastafari

4 units

CTSJ 295Topics in Critical Theory and Social Justice

4 units

DWA 335Junior Seminar: Theories of Revolution from Africa and the African Diaspora

4 units

EDUC 215/BLST 215Educating African America

4 units

EDUC 320/BLST 320Critical Race Theory in Education

4 units

HIST 277/BLST 277Women and Community Health

4 units

POLS 206Race and American Politics

4 units

DWA 233/BLST 233African Political Thought

4 units

DWA 234/BLST 234Southern African Politics

4 units

HIST 21319th Century Black Activism for Abolition and Equality

4 units

HIST 309/BLST 309Slavery in the Antebellum South

4 units

HIST 312/BLST 312Race, Rights, and Revolution in the Atlantic World

4 units

MUSC 104/BLST 104Music of Africa and the Middle East

4 units

MUSC 111/BLST 111Topics in Jazz History

4 units

MUSC 116/BLST 116African American Music: From Slavery to the Present

4 units

PHIL 321Philosophy of James Baldwin

4 units

POLS 206Race and American Politics

4 units

POLS 352/BLST 352Black Political Thought

4 units

RELS 245/BLST 245African American Religious Traditions

4 units

RELS 259/BLST 259Black Magic

4 units

RELS 302/BLST 302Spirit Possession

4 units

THEA 201Voices in American Theater

4 units

Students may also apply CTSJ 295 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Black Popular Culture // The Black Digital Age" section of the course.

Students may also apply CTSJ 295 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Blackness, Gender, & Sexuality" section of the course.

Students may also apply CTSJ 395 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Chattel Slavery and Its Afterlives" section of the course.

Students may also apply THEA 201 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in "The Black Arts Movement" section of the course.

Students may also apply THEA 201 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in "A Critical Exploration Into the Art, Life & Legacy of August Wilson" section of the course.

Honors in the Major

To be eligible for honors, a student must have at least a 3.25 GPA overall and a 3.5 GPA in the major. Additionally, the student will be required to enroll in the senior seminar (currently BLST 490) in their senior year and complete a 40-page paper on a topic relevant to Black Studies. The paper must earn a grade of A- or above which is to be determined by the adviser in consultation with readers and the department chair.

Minor

The Black Studies minor is a five-course, 20-unit program consisting of one required core class (BLST 101); one elective from each interdisciplinary cluster (expressive forms, historical perspectives, and politics and theory (three courses /12 units); and one additional elective chosen from the approved Black Studies courses.

Required Core Course

BLST 101Introduction to Black Studies

4 units

Historical Perspectives

One course from this category.

HIST 207/BLST 207African American History I: Black Americans and the Making of the Nation

4 units

BLST 208/AMST 208African American History II: The Great Migration and the Transformation of American Culture

4 units

BLST 256/AMST 256Race Women: African American Women's Protest Culture

4 units

BLST 268/AMST 268Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History

4 units

BLST 376/AMST 376Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory

4 units

Expressive Forms

One course from this category.

BLST 240Black Women Write Social Justice

4 units

BLST 268/AMST 268Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History

4 units

BLST 360/ENGL 360Toni Morrison and U.S. Imaginative Production

4 units

BLST 346/ENGL 346Beautiful Democracy: 19th Century African American Literature

4 units

BLST 360/ENGL 360Toni Morrison and U.S. Imaginative Production

4 units

BLST 377/ENGL 377Afrofuturism

4 units

ENGL 142/BLST 142Joyful Noise! On Black Literature and Musicality

4 units

ENGL 267Afro-Surrealism

4 units

Politics and Theory

One course from this category.

BLST 218/SOC 218Black Ecological Thought

4 units

BLST 240Black Women Write Social Justice

4 units

BLST 263/SOC 263Du Boisian Social Theory and Analysis

4 units

BLST 315Black Feminist Movements

4 units

BLST 318Waywardness, Fugitivity, and the Anarchism of Blackness

4 units

BLST 343Black Ecology Collaboratory

4 units

Additional Electives

One course either from one of the above categories or from this list of approved outside electives.

CTSJ 280Rastafari

4 units

CTSJ 295Topics in Critical Theory and Social Justice

4 units

EDUC 215/BLST 215Educating African America

4 units

EDUC 320/BLST 320Critical Race Theory in Education

4 units

DWA 233/BLST 233African Political Thought

4 units

DWA 335Junior Seminar: Theories of Revolution from Africa and the African Diaspora

4 units

HIST 21319th Century Black Activism for Abolition and Equality

4 units

HIST 277/BLST 277Women and Community Health

4 units

HIST 309/BLST 309Slavery in the Antebellum South

4 units

HIST 312/BLST 312Race, Rights, and Revolution in the Atlantic World

4 units

MUSC 104/BLST 104Music of Africa and the Middle East

4 units

MUSC 111/BLST 111Topics in Jazz History

4 units

MUSC 116/BLST 116African American Music: From Slavery to the Present

4 units

PHIL 321Philosophy of James Baldwin

4 units

POLS 206Race and American Politics

4 units

POLS 352/BLST 352Black Political Thought

4 units

RELS 245/BLST 245African American Religious Traditions

4 units

RELS 259/BLST 259Black Magic

4 units

RELS 302/BLST 302Spirit Possession

4 units

THEA 201Voices in American Theater

4 units

Students may also apply CTSJ 295 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Black Popular Culture // The Black Digital Age" section of the course.

Students may also apply CTSJ 295 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Blackness, Gender, & Sexuality" section of the course.

Students may also apply CTSJ 395 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Chattel Slavery and Its Afterlives" section of the course.

Students may also apply THEA 201 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in "The Black Arts Movement" section of the course.

Students may also apply THEA 201 to the additional electives cluster if they have enrolled in "A Critical Exploration Into the Art, Life & Legacy of August Wilson" section of the course.

Second-Stage Writing

The Second-Stage Writing Requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways:

Option 1

A student may complete the Second-Stage Writing Requirement in Black Studies by taking one of the following courses and receiving a grade of B- or better, determined by the instructor of record, on a 15-page final paper focusing on a topic relevant to Black Studies.

BLST 329/AMST 329Black Queer Thought

4 units

BLST 352/POLS 352Black Political Thought

4 units

BLST 355/POLS 355Critical Fanonism

4 units

BLST 360/ENGL 360Toni Morrison and U.S. Imaginative Production

4 units

BLST 376/AMST 376Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory

4 units

Option 2

A student may complete the Second-Stage Writing Requirement in Black Studies by submitting to the chair a portfolio consisting of fifteen pages of writing submitted as a final assignment in a 300-level Black Studies designated course or a course approved by the adviser in which the student has composed a final assignment addressed specifically to the topic of Black Studies. The portfolio may include more than one essay if a single essay is less than fifteen pages in length. The portfolio will be assessed by the adviser in consultation with the chair.

In order to successfully pass the Second-Stage Writing Requirement, submitted essays must exhibit evidence of the following: 

  • Correct use of the conventions of American academic prose including grammar, punctuation, syntax, and vocabulary
  • Proper citation formatting in MLA or Chicago Manual Style, preferably
  • Construction of a compelling and clear thesis or argument
  • Persuasive use of evidence (secondary sources, data, etc.) to support the thesis and related claims
  • Organization of the essay as a whole into a logical sequence with smooth transitions

Essays submitted as part of a portfolio will be assessed against these criteria and graded Acceptable/Unacceptable.

The course or portfolio must be completed by the end of the spring semester during the student's junior year.

Should a student not successfully complete the writing requirement by the end of their Junior year Spring semester, they will be required to submit a revised essay/portfolio to the adviser no later than the fourth week of their senior year fall semester.

Comprehensive Requirement

Students are expected to enroll in the senior seminar (BLST 490) in their senior year in order to develop the work for their comprehensive project. Students will complete their comprehensive requirement by submitting a 25-page paper on a topic relevant to Black Studies.

Advising Information

Although students are encouraged to take BLST 101 before enrolling in higher-level BLST courses, first-year students are welcome to enroll in any 100- or 200-level BLST course. As an interdisciplinary field, there is no structured path for completion of the Black Studies major or minor. After taking BLST 101, students must complete courses in each of the three clusters that comprise the major/minor: Expressive Forms, Historical Perspectives, and Politics and Theory.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the Black Studies major.

Sample 4-Year Plan


Fall

Spring

Year 1

  • Fall FYS course

  • Foreign Language

  • Core Requirement

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Spring FYS course

  • BLST 101 (CPUD)

  • Core Requirement

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

  • Additional Elective

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Transfer Credit Policies

The Black Studies Program accepts online courses for general elective credit, but will not accept online courses for major or minor credit. No more than two courses taken outside the college (including but not limited to study abroad) may count toward the major. These may only fulfill the elective requirement. No more than one course taken outside the college (including but not limited to study abroad) may count toward the minor. Transfer students should consult with their adviser and the department chair on how work completed prior to matriculating at Occidental may be counted toward the major or minor. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.

Courses

Black Studies Courses

Faculty

Tenure and Tenure Track Faculty

Erica Ball, co-chair
Mary Jane Hewitt Department Chair in Black Studies
B.A., Wesleyan University; M.A., Ph.D., The Graduate Center, City University of New York

James Ford III, co-chair

Associate Professor

B.A., Morehouse College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Michael W. Murphy

Assistant Professor

B.A., University of San Diego; M.A., Ph.D., Brown University

Yumi Pak
Associate Professor
B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, San Diego

Other faculty associated with the Black Studies department can be viewed here.