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.