Majoring in Black Studies at SUNY Old Westbury can prepare you for leadership by developing your understanding of Black histories, cultures, and politics through the examination of Black experiences in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and other areas of the world.
By developing your abilities to conduct penetrating, fact-based analysis of the social, political, and economic forces that shape the world, and coupling them with clear written and verbal communication skills, you’ll develop critical tools for the workforce and life beyond college.
Program Description
The undergraduate degree in Black Studies offers a multi- and interdisciplinary program that encourages students to ask critical questions about the diverse experiences of peoples of African descent and their relationship to the world. Through national, transnational and diasporic perspectives, courses in program enrich the liberal arts tradition and social justice mission of the University, recognizing the varied histories, perspectives, identities, activism, and cultural productions of African-descended peoples.
After the Degree
Students of the B.A. in Black Studies program are prepared for graduate programs in a variety of fields in the arts, humanities and social sciences and can lead to a wide array of career paths, including:
- Education
- Public health
- International relations
- Law
- Urban planning
- Archival or library science
- Politics
- Business
Curriculum
The degree in Black Studies offers a multi- and interdisciplinary program that encourages students to ask critical questions about the diverse experiences of peoples of African descent and their relationship to the world. Through national, transnational and diasporic perspectives, courses in program enrich the liberal arts tradition and social justice mission of the University, recognizing the varied histories, perspectives, identities, activism, and cultural productions of African-descended peoples.
Courses Include:
- AS 1282 Introduction to African-American Studies
- AS 2262 African-American History I
- AS 2263 African-American History II
- AS 3412 African-American Women’s History
- AS 3842 African Americans and Mass Media
- AS 5001 Capstone Seminar in Black Studies
- EL 2211 Africana Perspectives
- EL 3870 Literatures of Africa
- EL 4010 The Harlem Renaissance
- EL 4040 Black Woman Writers
- HI 3091 African Cultures continued on reverse
sojourner truth Black studies Center
The Sojourner Truth Black Studies Center serves as an intellectual disciplinary space, located in the Woodlands Hall I as part of the campus' Social and Environmental Institute. The Black Studies Center advances a culture of academic excellence aligned with the college mission and vision of substantive interaction among students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
The Center brings together faculty, students, alumni, and community members whose research focuses on the experiences of Black people in the United States and throughout the African Diaspora in a common conversation and analyses about the history and contemporary experiences of African-descended people. The Center drives the cross-disciplinary collaboration that has led to success in universities across the world.