BLST 2150 Introduction to Black Studies (4 Credits)

Black Studies began in 1968 as a discipline dedicated to understanding and improving the lived experience of Africans and African Americans. It started with the intention of providing a safe space for Black students to exercise their intellectual creativity, while engaging in accurate portrayals of the Black experience. Introduction to Black Studies is designed for all students as a cornerstone for the Black Studies minor. This course introduces students to the breadth and depth of Black Studies as a discipline, using primary and secondary sources. Introduction to Black Studies uses historical, interdisciplinary, intersectional, and transnational grounding in the study of Black people. Focused primarily on the U.S., this course examines current theories, methods, and goals in Black Studies while allowing students to delve into some of Black Studies’ most current and exciting scholarship. In this course, students will think about what freedom and democracy have meant to African American people in the United States, and the ways that they have creatively expressed these meanings over time. This interdisciplinary introduction to Black Studies combines the teaching of foundational texts in the field while reinforcing skills in reading and writing learned throughout the quarter. The course will also meet the requirements for AI/SC. This course will also be cross listed with departmental courses from the multiple programs with courses that align with the Black Studies minor ( i.e. ENGL 2xxx, HIST 2xxx, and RLGS 2xxx).