Black Women's Studies Minor (BSOS)
Joint Minor in Black Women's Studies
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
College of Arts and Humanities
3121 Susquehanna Hall
Phone: 301-405-6877
http://wgss.umd.edu
African American Studies
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
1119 Taliaferro Hall
Phone: 301-405-1158
https://aasd.umd.edu/
WGSS Department Chair: Neda Atanasoski, Ph.D.
AASD Department Chair: Sangeetha Madhavan, Ph.D.
The joint minor in Black Women's Studies focuses on the lives and experiences of women of Africa and the African Diaspora. As a specialty in the fields of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and African American Studies, it will provide students with tools for understanding the social and cultural contexts in which race, gender, class, sexuality, ethnicity, nation and other dimensions of difference intersect to influence the lives and experiences of Black women.
See the African American and Africana Studies Department and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department for faculty rosters.
To make an appointment to explore or declare the minor, go to http://arhu.umd.edu/undergraduate/academics/minors/.
Students may enroll in the Black Women's Studies Minor through either African American and Africana Studies or the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Students with a major in the College of Arts and Humanities are advised to enroll through the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Students with a major in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences are advised to enroll through the Department of African American and Africana Studies.
Fifteen (15) credits of coursework are required, distributed below. No course with a grade less than "C-" may be used to satisfy the minor. An overall GPA of 2.0 in the minor is required for graduation. Students will design their program in consultation with the advisor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or African American Studies. No more than two courses may count toward a major in African American Studies or Women's Studies. Course lists can be found here: https://wgss.umd.edu/academic-programs/courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Black Women's Studies | ||
| Constructions of Manhood and Womanhood in the Black Community | ||
| Quare/Queer Contentions: Exploration of Sexualities in the Black Community | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Black Women in United States History | ||
| Women and the Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Selected Topics in the African Diaspora (AASP389G: Gender, Labor, and Racial Identity in Diasporic Communities) | ||
| Electives | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
- At least two electives must be at the 300 or 400 level.
- One 300 or 400 level course must be Comparative or non-U.S.
- See program for approved electives.