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.
Major Requirements
The Black Studies major consists of a minimum of 40 units, or ten 4-unit courses.
There are two core required courses for the major, BLST 101 and BLST 490.
There are three Interdisciplinary clusters: expressive forms, historical perspectives, and politics and theory. Students are expected to complete six of these, with a minimum of two in each of the three interdisciplinary clusters.
Students must take two additional electives in consultation with the faculty advisor and selected from a list of approved electives or any of the interdisciplinary clusters.
Of the ten required courses, no more than two courses can be at the 100-level, and at least three must be at the 300-level.
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. Prior approval by the adviser and chair is required.
COURSEWORK
Core Courses
| BLST 101 | Introduction to Black Studies | 4 units |
| BLST 490 | Black Studies Senior Seminar | 4 units |
Interdisciplinary Electives
There are three Interdisciplinary clusters: expressive forms, historical perspectives, and politics and theory. Students are expected to complete six courses (24 units) across these interdisciplinary clusters, with a minimum of two courses (8 units) in each of the three interdisciplinary clusters.
Expressive Forms
Students may also apply CTSJ 295 to the expressive forms cluster if they have enrolled in the "Black Popular Culture // The Black Digital Age" section of the course.
Students may also apply THEA 201 to the expressive forms cluster if they have enrolled in "The Black Arts Movement" section of the course.
Historical Perspectives
Politics and Theory
Students may apply CTSJ 295 to the politics and theory cluster if they have enrolled in the "Blackness, Gender, & Sexuality" section of the course.
Students may also apply CTSJ 395 to the politics and theory cluster if they have enrolled in the "Chattel Slavery and Its Afterlives" section of the course.
Additional Electives
Students must take two additional electives chosen from the list of approved electives below, or any of the interdisciplinary clusters.
Second-Stage Writing Requirement
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.
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.
College Honors
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 Requirements
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.
Coursework
Required Core Course
| BLST 101 | Introduction to Black Studies | 4 units |
Expressive Forms
One course from this category.
Students may also apply CTSJ 295 to the expressive forms cluster if they have enrolled in the "Black Popular Culture // The Black Digital Age" section of the course.
Students may also apply THEA 201 to the expressive forms cluster if they have enrolled in "The Black Arts Movement" section of the course.
Historical Perspectives
One course from this category.
Politics and Theory
One course from this category.
Students may apply CTSJ 295 to the politics and theory cluster if they have enrolled in the "Blackness, Gender, & Sexuality" section of the course.
Students may also apply CTSJ 395 to the politics and theory cluster if they have enrolled in the "Chattel Slavery and Its Afterlives" section of the course.
Additional Electives
One course either from this category or the above categories.
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
Regular Faculty
Erica Ball, 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
Associate Professor, English
B.A., Morehouse College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
Affiliated Faculty
Arthur Saint-Aubin
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Black Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., Swarthmore College; M.A., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University