Social MediaBlack World Studies
This major is only offered in conjunction with other majors.
Students learn to:
- Understand and mutually respect multiple ethnicities
- Interpret the historical, cultural, political and socioeconomic experiences of peoples of African descent
- Study the linkages and relationships between Africans on the continent and those in Diaspora
- Understand the experiences and contributions of peoples of “black” ancestry to the rest of the world
Black World Studies is the study of "blackness" both within and without geographic, temporal spatial, political, and/or ethnic boundaries. Blackness is defined as an evolving set of constructs that elucidate key elements of African Diasporic history and culture through utilization of wide-ranging academic disciplines. This approach moves in concert with contemporary scholarly trends that seek to situate black world studies in a broader international scope. Dominican's International Relations and Diplomacy program and the civic mandate exemplified in Dominican's commitment to service learning link to Black World Studies in a variety of significant ways. For example, the global examples of blackness brought to the forefront of black world studies parallel the unique challenge of black identity in a global environment. Thus students who elect this major or choose selected course are prepared to engage in a number of post-graduate options that contribute to enhancing global cultures and identities, not unlike other university programs. The choice of the name "Black World Studies" over Africana, African, or African-American studies is a reflective one that embodies its global parameters. It is designed to engage themes like Atlantic history or culture; a revision of themes of culture; and contact between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Black World Studies also seeks to engage blackness in other distinct contexts such as the Pacific Rim and/or the Middle East examples of blackness, or evolving methodological questions around the validity of Afro-centricity and interpretations of blackness relative to subaltern and post-colonial themes, all of which coalesce in a well-developed Black World Studies program.
