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.
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 Old Westbury’s Black Studies Program enrich the liberal arts tradition and social justice mission of the College, recognizing the varied histories, perspectives, identities, activism, and cultural productions of African-descended peoples.
Devoted to the breadth of experiences in the African Diaspora, the degree provides students with the critical tools to examine the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, class, health, nation, art, literature, ethnography, and politics. Through varied methodologies, it can assist students in developing new methods for analyzing constructed narratives of the African Diaspora. The program can prepare students for graduate programs in a variety of fields in the arts, humanities and social sciences and lead to a wide array of career paths in education, public health, international relations, law, urban planning, archives, libraries, politics, and business.
The 120-credit degree program includes three required courses and seven electives in the following categories: Humanities and Social Science. Requirements include introductory courses in African American Studies and African American history; a lower-division course in Black Studies Humanities OR Black Studies Social Science; upper-division electives in humanities and social sciences; and a directed study senior seminar capstone course. Students will have considerable flexibility to drive the thematic focus of the degree through elective course selection and they will be encouraged to meet with an advisor to plan their full program according to their personal interest
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.
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.