Program type
Minor
Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context (Minor)
Primary campus
Sir George Williams (SGW)
Start term
Fall
Why Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context?
Black histories in Canada have traditionally been underrepresented in school curriculum. The minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context aims to change this, introducing students to the historical and contemporary Black presence in Canada, its challenges and lived experiences. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the program contextualizes Blackness through its local and global histories, cultures, experiences and diasporic connectivity.
Black Studies is a holistic field located at the intersections of sociology, philosophy, literature, history, media studies, visual and performing arts, geography and more. Its scholarship focuses on the sociopolitical and economic structures navigated by Black people, including the history of colonialism, its related knowledge and practices, and its resulting impacts on Black diasporic lives.
Drawing its curriculum from a range of disciplines and courses offered by the Faculties of Arts and Science and Fine Arts, this 24-credit minor interrogates the concept of race and grapples with discrepant understandings of Blackness, engages with global and local perspectives on colonialism and racial injustice, draws intersectional connections between race, sex, gender and class as forms of identity and social determination, and proposes cross-disciplinary knowledge on Black Canadian and African diasporic studies.
Completing this minor in conjunction with your undergraduate major will allow you to enhance your foundational studies and critical thinking abilities with knowledge and methods of Black cultures in the Canadian context.
Students interested in applying for the minor must complete a motivation questionnaire.
Special funding for out-of-province students
Up to $4000 for undergraduate programs.
Program structure
Program option
- Minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context (24 credits)
The minor must be combined with an honours, specialization or major program. In addition to the courses listed below, students will have the flexibility of choosing from a list of some additional Special Topic courses that align with the learning outcomes of the program, in consultation with the Program Director.
Courses
9.0 credits:
- BLST 200 – Introduction to Black Studies in the Canadian Context (3.00)
This course offers a broad introduction to Black Studies. Emphasis is placed on the histories and themes of Blackness within the Canadian context. This course introduces students to foundational texts, histories, cultures, philosophies, creative expressions, debates and academic traditions of Black scholars in the field. Students develop critical vocabulary and frameworks to examine and engage with Blackness in the Canadian context through the study of Canada’s diverse Black populations. - BLST 211 – Black Montreal (3.00)
This course is designed to introduce students to the major themes, issues, and debates in Montreal’s Black history from its origins until today. Students gain an understanding of how Black communities lived, worked, socialized, and defined themselves in Montreal - BLST 230 – Race and Ethnic Relations (3.00)
Race and ethnicity are examined as bases of social differentiation. Ethnic group relations are analyzed in relation to stratification and the exercise of power. The course further involves exploration of the phenomena of discrimination, prejudice, and intergroup accommodation.
9.0 credits chosen from the following list:
Black-focused Topics in Literature, History, and the Arts
- ANTH 255 – The Caribbean: History and Political Economy (3.00)
- ARTH 389 – Issues in Ethnocultural Art Histories (3.00)
- ENGL 369 – African-American Literature (3.00)
- ENGL 383 – African Literatures (3.00)
- ENGL 386 – Caribbean Literature (3.00)
- FFAR 256 – Hip Hop: Past/Present/Future (3.00)
- FLIT 363 – Littératures d’Afrique francophone (3.00)
- FLIT 365 – Littératures de la Caraïbe francophone (3.00)
- FLIT 367 – Littérature d’Haïti (3.00)
- HIST 264 – History of Africa (3.00)
- HIST 274 – The Atlantic World (3.00)
- HIST 276 – History of Latin America: The Colonial Period (3.00)
- HIST 277 – History of Latin America: The Modern Period (3.00)
- HIST 353 – Colonial America and the Atlantic World (3.00)
- HIST 3620 – African Slavery in Global Perspective (3.00)
- HIST 363 – Africa in the 20th Century (3.00)
- HIST 368 – African Popular Culture (3.00)
- JHIS 314 – Jazz History (3.00)
- JHIS 398 – Special Topics in Jazz History (3.00)
- RELI 3140 – Malcolm X (3.00)
6.0 credits chosen from the following list:
Critical Perspectives on Postcolonial and Decolonial Narratives
- COMS 464 – Race, Ethnicity, and Media (3.00)
- ENGL 385 – Studies in Postcolonial Literature and Theory (3.00)
- ENGL 454 – Advanced Topics in Postcolonial Studies (3.00)
- FLIT 433 – Littératures postcoloniales (3.00)
- GEOG 310 – Refugees and Migration in Today’s World (3.00)
- GEOG 315 – Social and Cultural Geographies (3.00)
- GEOG 418 – Geographies of Postcolonialism (3.00)
- GEOG 430 – Social Geographies of Montreal (3.00)
- LING 300 – Sociolinguistics (3.00)
- RELI 3660 – Hip-Hop Culture and Social Change (3.00)
- RELI 3690 – Decolonizing Religion (3.00)
- SOCI 483 – Nationalism and Racism (3.00)
- URBS 440 – Urban Policing and Security (3.00)
- WSDB 393 – Critical Race Feminisms (3.00)
- WSDB 401 – Ending Sexual Violence (3.00)
- WSDB 492 – Post-colonial and Anti-colonial Feminist Theories and Practice (3.00)
United States students: A U.S. Federal Student Aid-eligible version of this program is offered. This version meets all U.S. regulations (such as no co-operative education or e-courses) for eligible programs.
Admission criteria
To be considered for the minor, you must have completed 24 credits at Concordia and have a minimum cumulative and last annual GPA of 2.0. To apply, please complete the motivation questionnaire.
Contact us
Do you have more questions? Don't hesitate to reach out: blstcc.assistant@concordia.ca
Minimum cut-off averages should be used as indicators. The cut-off data may change depending on the applicant pool. Applicants who meet the stated minimum requirements are not guaranteed admission to these programs.
After your degree
Due to the interdisciplinary approach of the Black and African Diaspora Studies minor, you'll graduate with a depth of knowledge informed by an understanding of how your subject connects to the wider world:
- A better understanding of the realities of Black and African diasporic experiences in Canada and the contributions of those communities to Canadian society
- Better equipped to recognize and confront issues of social & racial in/justice
- The community-oriented framework facilitates the development of unique skills and networks in relation to Black Studies in the Canadian context
- Applicable critical and analytic tools for interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches to the study of Black lives
