Black and Latino Studies Major
Department of Black and Latino Studies
Black and Latino Studies (BLS) is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary course of study that centers the knowledge productions by people of the African, Caribbean, and Latin American diasporas in the United States and globally. The major builds on a curriculum that respects Black, Indigenous, Latin American and US Latinx peoples as intellectuals, cultural producers and activists. It maintains a scholarly interest in critical questions about race, identity, and justice that offers connections between academic lessons and real-world concerns.
Requirements for the Major (30 credits)
All BLS majors and minors must complete this capstone course. It will be organized using three key components: (1) Academic coursework, (2) Fieldwork, and (3) Public Knowledge Research Projects. The capstone course themes will be determined by the instructor, such as by offering specialized focus on (1) race, history, culture or, (2) racial and social justice, public policy, and human rights. Upon completion students will have developed advanced skills in research methods, established fieldwork experience, and a public research project.
| Seminar in Black and Latino Studies | 3 credits |
Majors must take two interdisciplinary Core Elective courses, which will establish experience with the foundational methods and themes that inform Black, Latino, and Latinx Studies.
Take one of the following Core Electives in interdisciplinary, intersectional thinking about gender, race, and sexuality:
LTS 3012 Latinas: A Social and Cultural Survey
BLS 3024 Women of Color
Take one of the following interdisciplinary Core Electives to develop complex thinking about empire and racial justice:
LTS 3100 Latino Communities in the U.S.
BLS 3012 Black Revolution and Political Thinking in the U.S.
BLS 3019 / LTS 3019 Afrolatinidades
BLS 3050 / LTS 3050 Race and Global Inequity
The Elective Courses offered to support the major manifest the interdisciplinary practices that define Black, Latinx Studies, and AfroLatinx Studies. They represent a distribution of courses that support well-rounded knowledge within Black, Caribbean, and Latinx areas of interest.
| Black Studies (BLS) Elective Courses Offered by the Department of Black and Latino Studies | ||
| Contemporary Black Literatures | 3 credits | |
| Urban Economic Structure | 3 credits | |
| The Black Child and Adolescent in the United States | 3 credits | |
| The Black Family | 3 credits | |
| Black Revolution and Political Thinking in the U.S. * | 3 credits | |
| Mass Media and the Black America | 3 credits | |
| Civil Rights Legislation and Litigation | 3 credits | |
| Black Economic Development 1860-Present | 3 credits | |
| African Philosophy and Religion | 3 credits | |
|
BLS 3019 |
Afrolatinidades* | 3 credits |
| Women of Color * | 3 credits | |
|
BLS 3040 |
Performing the Caribbean | 3 credits |
| Race and Global Inequality * | 3 credits | |
|
BLS 3053 |
Black Cinemas: Transnational Visuality and the Black Diaspora | 3 credits |
| Special Topics in Black Studies | 3 credits | |
| Independent Study I | 3 credits | |
| Independent Study II | 3 credits | |
| BLS 5100 | Field Work in Racial and Social Justice | 3 credits |
| Honors Thesis I in Black Studies ** | 3 credits | |
| Honors Thesis I in Black Studies ** | 3 credits | |
| Latino Studies (LTS) Elective Courses Offered by the Department of Black and Latino Studies | ||
| The Puerto Rican Community | 3 credits | |
| Puerto Rican Political and Economic Development in the Twentieth Century | 3 credits | |
| Politics and Power in Puerto Rico | 3 credits | |
| Economic History of Puerto Rico | 3 credits | |
| Religions in the Caribbean | 3 credits | |
| Puerto Rican Culture | 3 credits | |
| Dominican Heritage: From Pre-Columbian Times to Present | 3 credits | |
| Latinas: A Social and Cultural Survey * | 3 credits | |
|
LTS 3019 |
Afrolatinidades* | 3 credits |
|
LTS 3040 |
Performing the Caribbean | 3 credits |
| Race and Global Inequality * | 3 credits | |
| Latinx Film and Media | 3 credits | |
|
LTS 3053 |
Black Cinemas: Transnational Visuality and the Black Diaspora | 3 credits |
| Special Topics in Hispanic/Latino Studies | 3 credits | |
| Latino Communities in the U.S. * | 3 credits | |
| Debates in Latin American Social Theory | 3 credits | |
| Independent Study I | 3 credits | |
| Independent Study II | 3 credits | |
|
LTS 5100 |
Field Work in Racial and Social Justice | 3 credits |
| Honors Thesis I in Black Studies ** | 3 credits | |
| Honors Thesis I in Black Studies ** | 3 credits | |
| NOTES:
* These courses satisfy the Core Elective requirement. **The BLS/LTS 5000/5001 and BLS/LTS 6001H/6002H course sequences allow for independent study and advanced work. In these courses students will work on independent projects under mentorship and direction from a faculty advisor. These projects may include experiential learning or social justice work with community organizations. All projects in this course sequence will culminate in an advanced research project. |
||
| BLS and LTS Elective Courses Cross-Listed with Other Weissman Departments | ||
| The Changing Demographics of the City | ||
| Survey of African American Literature | 3 credits | |
| The Remaking of New York: The Immigrant Experience | 3 credits | |
|
BLS 3064 |
Mixed-Race Literature (ENG 4560) | 3 credits |
|
BLS 3570 |
LGBTQ+ U.S. History (HIS 3570, LTS 3570, WSM 3570) | |
| Black Women Writers | 3 credits | |
| Genres of African Literature | 3 credits | |
| Survey of Caribbean Literature in English | 3 credits | |
| African American History | 3 credits | |
| Survey of African History | 3 credits | |
| Women in African History | 3 credits | |
| History of the African Diaspora | 3 credits | |
| People and Culture of Haiti | 3 credits | |
| Theater of Color in the United States | 3 credits | |
| Migration in the Americas | 3 credits | |
| The Sixties in America | 3 credits | |
| The Civil Rights Movement | 3 credits | |
| Race and Ethnic Relations | 3 credits | |
| Central America: A Regional Study | 3 credits | |
| Cuban Culture and Society | 3 credits | |
| The U.S. and Mexican Border | 3 credits | |
| Race, Class, and Gender in Brazil | 3 credits | |
| Latin American Jewish Women Writers | 3 credits | |
| Contemporary Latin American Fiction | 3 credits | |
| Latin American Literature in the U.S. | 3 credits | |
| Colonial Latin America | 3 credits | |
| History of US-Latin American Relations | 3 credits | |
| From Silver to Cocaine: The Economic History of Latin America | 3 credits | |
|
BLS 3200/ LTS 3200/ ENV 3200 |
Climate Justice | 3 credits |
|
POL/LTS 3308 |
Latino/a/e Politics | 3 credits |
Students are expected to complete the major requirements in place at the time they are officially accepted into their programs. Please review the College Bulletin for the relevant academic year.
Contact
Department of Black and Latino Studies
646-312-4440
Shelly Eversley
Interim Chair: shelly.eversley@baruch.cuny.edu