Black Studies

Overview

Black Studies at Occidental College provides a transnational and transdisciplinary perspective on the history, scholarship, arts and culture of the African diaspora. 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 justice and human rights.

Emphasizing the enduring traditions of scholarship, activism, and community throughout the African diaspora, the program of study encourages students to examine the ways that class, geographic location, gender and sexuality have shaped Black identities, cultural productions and forms of political engagement across the diaspora in both the past and present, and understand how such considerations are critical for future possibilities.

Students who major in Black Studies will:

• Learn about the history and contemporary cultures of people of 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 transdisciplinary 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 differences and within specific communities.

Requirements

Major

Core Courses

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

Expressive Forms

Politics and Theory

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.

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. Students can also fulfill an additional elective with a 4-unit Directed Research (BLST 293) 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.
- Enroll in the comps sequence of course: BLST 393 in their junior year, as well as BLST 490, and BLST 493 in their senior year.
- By the mid-semester date in the fall semester of the senior year, students must seek permission from the department to submit an honors thesis. The department's decision will be based on the student's progress in their comps project from BLST 393 to the start of BLST 490.
- Students who are approved will complete a 40-page thesis-driven 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. One of the electives has to be a 300 level Black Studies course.

Required Core Course

Historical Perspectives

One course from this category.

Expressive Forms

One course from this category.

Politics and Theory

One course from this category.

Additional Electives

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

Second-Stage Writing Requirement

The second-stage writing requirement is satisfied by completing one of the 300-level seminars as detailed in the Black Studies Seminars section above.

Comprehensive Requirement

The Comprehensive Requirement is a multi-step process. In Spring of their Junior Year, students are expected to enroll in a Junior Directed Research Course (BLST 393), in which they work with a faculty member to do research preparation for their comprehensive project. In Fall of Senior Year, students are expected to enroll in the Senior Seminar (BLST 490) and a Senior Comps Directed Research course (BLST 493). While BLST 490 provides students a cohort experience, BLST 493 provides time to write their comps based on the research began in BLST 393.

Students will complete their comprehensive requirement by submitting a 25-page thesis-driven paper that responds critically to current Black Studies scholarship and primary evidence in the Fall, combined with a Comprehensive Presentation in the Spring.

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.

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

Black Studies Transfer Student Advice

Designated Transfer Adviser

Transfer students should contact the chair of the department prior to registration for transfer specific advising information.

Courses

Black Studies Courses

Faculty

Tenure and Tenure Track Faculty 

James Ford III, chair; designated transfer adviser 

Associate Professor

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

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

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.