Black Studies
150 Extended Studies Building (XSB)
503-725-3472
www.pdx.edu/blackstudies
- B.A., B.S.—Black Studies
- Minor in Black Studies
- Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Black Studies
The Department of Black Studies is an academic interdisciplinary unit within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The primary focus is in the social sciences and liberal arts. The Department of Black Studies is devoted to the exploration and analysis of the history, politics, and culture of African people in the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. It seeks to objectively explore the black experience, to illuminate the contributions of African people to world culture, and to provide an alternative to traditional approaches to the study of world history that have bypassed the African experience.
The objectives of the Department of Black Studies include providing comprehensive learning programs aimed at greater understanding by all people of the black experience, past, present, and future.
The Department of Black Studies seeks to expose students from all cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds to academic experiences beyond those generally found in traditional college curricula.
The program will provide students with a general historical background of the black experience in Africa and the Western hemisphere, as well as provide detailed examination of cross-cultural and multi-ethnic dynamics in the contemporary social-political context.
In addition, this program will enhance the students ability to function in current job markets that serve multi-cultural and multi-ethnic populations, particularly where the black experience is crucial. It will also give students a competitive advantage in obtaining careers in those areas and within communities that interact with African, African American, and Caribbean cultures.
Black Studies Minor
Requirements
To earn a minor in black studies a student must complete 28 credits (12 credits of which must be taken in residence at PSU), to include the following:
Two courses chosen from: (8)
| BSt 203 | Introduction to African American History | 4 |
| BSt 204 | Introduction to African American History | 4 |
| BSt 206 | Introduction to Caribbean Studies | 4 |
| BSt 211A | Introduction to African Studies | 4 |
| BSt 221 | Introduction to African American Literature | 4 |
Three courses chosen from (12)
| BSt 302 | African American Experience in the 20th Century | 4 |
| BSt 305/Hst 312 | African History, Before 1800 | 4 |
| BSt 306/Hst 313 | African History, 1800-Present | 4 |
| BSt 362/Anth 362 | African Prehistory | 4 |
| BSt 412 | Oregon African American History | 4 |
| BSt 413 | Slavery | 4 |
| BSt 414 | Racism | 4 |
| BSt 419 | African American Women in America | 4 |
| BSt 421 | African American Writers | 4 |
| BSt 424 | African American/African Culture in Cinema | 4 |
| BSt 430 | African American Political Thought | 4 |
| BSt 440 | Caribbean Studies | 4 |
| BSt 470 | African Art | 4 |
| BSt 484 | African American Community Development | 4 |
| | Eight adviser-approved credits chosen from related courses within departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | 8 |
Total Credit Hours: 28