Minor and Cluster Requirements
The Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies offers a minor and seven clusters.
Minor Requirements
A minimum of six courses (24 credit hours) is required, including the following:
- BLST 110: Introduction to Black Studies
- Three divisional courses—Students must choose three BLST courses from either the humanities or social sciences. These courses will determine which of the College’s divisional requirements the BLST major will satisfy. No more than one of these courses can be at the 100-level.
- Two elective courses—Students must choose two BLST courses as electives. No more than one of these courses can be at the 100-level.
The six courses applied to the requirements for the minor must include courses from at least two different disciplines.
For more information about the minor requirements, please contact the director of undergraduate studies.
Clusters
As of fall 2026, the Department of Black Studies offers seven new clusters, three in the humanities division and four in the social sciences division.
Black Arts, Media and Culture [H1AAS004]
Introduces students to the study of Black artforms of different media, focusing on putting film, digital media, performance, visual culture, music, literature, and theater in conversation.
Global Black Cultures [H1AAS002]
Introduces students to Black cultures from across the world (outside the US, or the US in relation to the world), focusing on literature, film, visual culture, and other cultural practices.
Race, Gender and Sexuality [H1AAS003]
Introduces students to the intersecting dynamics of race, gender, and sexuality in relation to understandings of Blackness.
Afro-Latin America [S1AAS007]
Introduces students to the study of Black life in Latin America from interdisciplinary perspectives in history and anthropology.
Black Health, Medicine and the Body [S1AAS010]
Introduces students to the study of Black health and health-related inequities from both American and global perspectives.
Black Lives and Worlds [S1AAS008]
Introduces students to the study of Black lived experience across the world (outside the US, or the US in relation to the world), focusing on interdisciplinary methods in anthropology, history, gender and sexuality studies, public health, and other social science
disciplines.
Politics, Law and Criminalization [S1AAS009]
Introduces students to the study of Black life in relation to the afterlives of slavery in America, featuring interdisciplinary courses that integrate sociology, anthropology, politics, and other social science disciplines.