Black Studies Minor Trip

Black Studies (Minor)

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The Black Studies Minor is an 18-credit minor that uses an interdisciplinary approach to analyze historical and current issues of people of African descent in the United States. The minor affords students the opportunity to explore multiple academic disciplines through the lens of the Black experience and consider personal views about race and racism, using anti-Black racism as a framework for understanding.

Degrees & Offerings
  • Minor
Location
  • Bloomsburg
  • Lock Haven
Department
College
Program Contact
Associate Professor of Psychology
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Students will consider ways to promote racial equity and become leaders and social activists within their respective communities. The Black Studies Minor is designed to attract students from all fields of study and complement all majors.

Course Delivery Format

  Bloomsburg

  Face-to-Face
  Online
  Hybrid

  Lock Haven

  Face-to-Face
  Online
  Hybrid

  Mansfield

  Face-to-Face
  Online
  Hybrid

Courses and Curriculum

Black Studies Minor Requirements

  • 18 credits required for minor completion
  • Students should meet with their academic advisor each semester and use Degree Works to monitor their individual progress toward completion of the minor.

Minor Requirements

Students who successfully complete the Black Studies Minor will be able to:

  1. Identify, explain, and critically evaluate examples of anti-Black racism in past and present institutions, policies, cultures, and practice using an interdisciplinary approach.
  2. Identify, explain and critically evaluate how race, culture, and history shape one’s social identity and place in society using an interdisciplinary approach.
  3. Compare, contrast, and synthesize disciplinary approaches to exploring Black Studies.
  4. Identify, explain, and critically evaluate personal, academic, professional, and/or institutional pathways to promote racial equity within one’s sphere of influence.

As a program goal, students should be able to explore courses from at least two disciplines that focus on Black Studies including but not limited to African and African-American art, communication, culture, education, history, literature, music, political science, psychology, sociology, and theatre in order to gain a multi-disciplinary perspective.

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Facilities

Faculty deliver courses in technology-enhanced classrooms with vast multimedia capabilities. Students can access open computer labs and campus wireless network when using personally-owned devices.  Students can request technology resources from their campus library and media services.

Flexible Start Dates & a Diverse Student Population

Scheduling life is demanding. If you're a student who needs to get a degree within the traditional four years, but can't achieve this because of limited course offerings, interdisciplinary studies gives you the freedom and flexibility to select from a wider assortment of options that may uniquely appeal to you, or which provide the flexibility of scheduling courses that, especially for students with family or work obligations, need to accommodate a limited window of availability.

Internships

Commonwealth University allows you to earn up to 15 internship credits and have them count toward your degree at CU. Expectations are negotiated with the faculty sponsor but usually include, at a minimum: a daily log, a reaction paper, an abstract, and a positive evaluation from the site supervisor. In order to be eligible for internship credit, you must have completed 60 credits and have a 2.5 overall GPA. 

Scholarships

From honorariums to full-tuition waivers, scholarships exist to reward your hard work and dedication to the major.

Study Abroad

Traveling to exotic locations such as Madrid or Melbourne can be exciting and life changing, but there is always the concern that study abroad will negatively affect your progress toward graduation. With an interdisciplinary studies major, you can typically study abroad for a semester, or even a full year, without the loss of credits toward the completion of your degree.

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