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Black Studies

The central mission of the Black Studies Department is to prepare students to critically understand, conduct research, and interpret the complex histories, societies, and cultures of people of African descent in the United States, Africa and the Diaspora. The Program’s interdisciplinary design encourages specialization within the University of Missouri’s broad liberal arts curriculum. As a result, students and faculty may conduct research that develops new or builds upon existing concepts, theories, and approaches to the study of the evolving experiences and contributions of the African Diaspora. In so doing, Black Studies prepares students to competently participate in diverse and competitive global societies where they may contribute viable practical solutions to critical challenges on multiple levels.

Degrees Offered

Minor

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Requirements

A student must complete a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of approved coursework. Please contact our graduate minor advisor Dr. Stephen Graves regarding minor requirements at gravessc@missouri.edu or department chair Dr. April Langley at langleya@missouri.edu for additional information.

Please complete the minor form. https://gradschool.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/minor_app.pdf

**If you encounter problems with the minor form, submit it and contact Shawn Hall at 573-882-6229 hallshaw@missouri.edu.

Black Studies Department Website: https://blackstudies.missouri.edu/

Six Required Credit Hours

  • BL_STU 8001: Graduate Seminar in Black Studies
  • BL_STU 8901: Graduate Topics in Black Studies*

* BL_STU 8000: Independent Readings in Black Studies may be substituted for BL_STU 8901 with approval of graduate advisor

Nine Elective Credit Hours

The remaining credit hours may be satisfied by selected courses below from the Black Studies graduate catalog. The following courses may be substituted in consultation with the Black Studies graduate advisor. (Credit will be given only when offered with appropriate topics):

  • BL_STU 7020: Studies in Black Feminist Thought
  • BL_STU 7270: African-Americans in the Twentieth Century
  • BL_STU 7300: The Black Family: Past, Present and Future
  • BL_STU 7303: Black Studies in Race, Class, Gender, and U.S. Policy
  • BL_STU 7335: The Wire: Race, Urban Inequality, and the “Crisis” of the American City
  • BL_STU 7409: Studies in African Diaspora Literature, 1890 to Present
  • BL_STU 7420: Africana Womanism
  • BL_STU 7480: Major African Diaspora Women Writers
  • BL_STU 7604: Advanced Studies in Black Politics
  • BL_STU 7705: Advanced Studies and Themes in Black Culture
  • BL_STU 7773: Pan Africanism
  • BL_STU 7777: Black Studies in Writing (WI/Honors)
  • BL_STU 7825: Africa from the Slave Trade to Independence
  • BL_STU 7835: Race & Politics in S Africa
  • BL_STU 7975: Black Studies Internship
  • BL_STU 8400: Seminar in African Diaspora Literature
  • BL_STU 8510: Ecology, Conservation, and Environmental Justice