The information on this page pertains to program requirements for students who matriculated in the 2024-2025 academic year. View requirements for previous catalog years here.
The minor in Black Diaspora Studies is designed to provide students with the critical tools required, and to expose them to the historical knowledge and current research necessary for an informed understanding of continental Africa and Afro-American experience today. The minor is built around a core of courses that systematically document critical aspects of the Afro-American experience from its antecedents in antiquity to the critical aspects of present day. It provides students with an interdisciplinary study of the historical and contemporary lived experiences of African descendants in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, as well as continental African nations and its peoples. The minor also is designed to effectively prepare students who desire to continue on to graduate work in Black Diaspora Studies.
The minor is available to students who are enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program at Drake University. It will consist of 18 credits in total. Students in the Minor will need to complete one core class, two foundational courses, three elective courses based on interest and a final capstone course.
| Course | Credits |
| Core Course - Select three credits from the following |
|
| BLDS 072/WLC 151 - Introduction to African American / African Diaspora Studies | 3 |
| HIST 060 - Africa in World History | 3 |
| Foundation Courses - Select six credits from the following | |
| ANTH 158 - Representing Race: Life History Research | 3 |
| ENG 064 - African American Lit Before 1920 | 3 |
| ENG 065 - African American Lit After 1920 | 3 |
| HIST 060 - Africa in World History | 3 |
| HIST 065 - African American History to 1877 | 3 |
|
HIST 066 - African American History since 1877 |
3 |
| SOC 167 - Sociology of the African American Experience | 3 |
| Electives - Select nine credits from the following | |
| ANTH 143 - Transracial Adoption | 3 |
| ANTH 145 - Global Reproductive Politics | 3 |
| BLDS 110 - Becoming Black | 3 |
| BLDS 199 - Independent Study | 3 |
| ENG 155 - Representing Detroit | 3 |
| ENG 158 - South African Literature | 3 |
| ENG 164 - Latino/a Literature | 3 |
| ENG 168 - Postcolonial Literature | 3 |
| HIST 068 - Civil Rights Movements | 3 |
| HIST 112 - Civil War and Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 140 - Africa’s Colonial Moment | 3 |
| HIST 161 - Africa, Africans, and Atlantic Slavery | 3 |
| MUS 078 - Jazz History | 3 |
| MUS 160 - Building a Black Music Anthology | 3 |
| POLS 119 - African American Politics | 3 |
| REL 118 - Race, Religion, and Civic Culture | 3 |
| REL 120 - Black Christianity | 3 |
| SOC 076 - Inequality and Public Health | 3 |
| SOC 122 - Making Families Public | 3 |
| SOC 146 - Restorative Justice | 3 |
| SOC 167 - Sociology of the African American Experience | 3 |
| TOTAL | 18 |
The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.