In the context of Ferguson, Charleston, and other national crises, this course responds to the call of students from our campus community to raise questions about and critically reflect upon the failures of democracy to recognize the value of Black Life. This course employs collective thinking, teaching, and research to focus on questions surrounding race, structural inequality, and violence. It examines the historical, geographical, cultural, social, and political ways in which race has been configured and deployed in the United States. Various faculty will bring to bear their respective scholarly lenses so that students understand race and racism across intellectual disciplines.

Upon request and by agreement with a professor in the program, a Black Studies minor may conduct a one-semester independent study on a defined research topic or field of study.