African and Black Diaspora Studies
Examine the interconnected, multiple perspectives of African Diaspora studies
African and Black Diaspora Studies (ABD) is an interdisciplinary program at DePaul that will provide you with an opportunity to explore the topics of power, history, identity, gender and race in relation to contemporary understandings of Africa and the movement of Black and African people throughout the world. As an African and Black Diaspora Studies major, you’ll explore the Black experience from a variety of perspectives, including but not limited to historical, artistic, sociological, anthropological, and philosophical approaches. And you’ll study the diverse cultures and societies that make up the global African Diaspora.
Concentrate your study regionally (e.g. Africa, Black America, Afro-Caribbean, Latin America, etc.) or thematically (e.g. literature and culture, politics, gender and sexuality, etc.), and work with dedicated faculty and take advantage of a flexible curriculum to tailor your studies to your interests. In addition to a variety of combined degrees, we offer African and Black Diaspora Studies majors a combined bachelor’s + master’s degree in Critical Ethnic Studies. As an ABD major, you’ll begin taking Critical Ethnic Studies courses during your undergraduate senior year, leaving only one remaining year for the MA in Critical Ethnic Studies.
We also offer the 3+3 BA/JD program, which allows high-achieving first-year undergraduate students to be admitted simultaneously to the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (LAS) and the College of Law (LAW). You’ll complete your first three years in LAS and your final three years in LAW.
Classes
Coursework
- Africa: Peoples, Cultures, Ideas and Movements
- Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latin America
- Harlem Renaissance and Negritude
- Blacks and Love
- Principles of African Art
- Black Migration to the North, 1877–1941
- Black Feminist Theories in a U.S. Context
- Religions of Africa and the Diaspora
Resources
Career Options
Common Career Areas
- Public policy
- International business
- Immigration work
- Education
- Social services
- Human rights
- Lobbying
91%
of Interdisciplinary Program graduates were employed, continuing their education or not seeking employment after graduation.
Major Requirements
Course Requirements
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ABD 100 | INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AND BLACK DIASPORA STUDIES | 4 |
| ABD 200 | AFRICA: PEOPLES, CULTURES, IDEAS AND MOVEMENTS | 4 |
| ABD 206 | AFRO-CARIBBEAN AND AFRO-LATIN AMERICA: PEOPLES, CULTURES, IDEAS AND MOVEMENTS | 4 |
| ABD 208 | AFRICAN AMERICA: PEOPLES, CULTURES, IDEAS AND MOVEMENTS | 4 |
| 4 300-level ABD Courses | 16 | |
| 4 Major-Field ABD Electives at 200-level or 300-level | 16 | |
| ABD 391 | CAPSTONE | 4 |
Core Courses
Students are required to complete four core courses (16-quarter credit hours) in African and Black Diaspora Studies (ABD). The core courses are designed to accomplish these goals:
- to introduce students to the learning goals and outcomes of the Department of African and Black Diaspora Studies;
- to introduce students to the main debates, concerns, and ideas in the distinct areas within African and Black Diaspora Studies;
- to emphasize the Vincentian tenet that questions of human value are central to scholarly inquiry; and
- to strengthen an understanding of the interrelationships and dynamics between Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, the United States, and other spaces of the African Diaspora.
300-Level Courses
For this requirement, students must take four ABD courses (16-quarter credit hours) at the 300 level.
Any ABD 300-level course may apply toward the completion of the major's 300-Level requirement. All other 300-level courses must be approved by the African and Black Diaspora Studies department chair for application toward the 300-Level requirement.
These courses build upon the general foundation of knowledge provided by the core courses. They serve to reinforce and extend student knowledge about a particular area of study relating to Africa and/or the Black Diaspora as well as the Department's core sites of inquiry (culture, gender, history, power, and race).
To ensure that students are exposed to a variety of methodological approaches, students will endeavor to take courses in the social and behavioral sciences (i.e. Anthropology, Geography, History, International Studies, Psychology, Political Science, and Sociology), humanities (i.e. Art and Architectural History, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theatre), and interdisciplinary studies (i.e. American studies, Critical Ethnic Studies, Latin American & Latino studies, Women's and Gender studies, LGBT studies, etc.).
Students who wish to take a 200-level course in partial fulfillment of this requirement must petition the Department of African and Black Diaspora Studies chair for approval (this is not common, and only allowed in exceptional circumstances).
Major Field Electives
Majors in the Department of African and Black Diaspora Studies will take four ABD courses as major field electives (16-quarter credit hours). These courses can be at the 200-level or 300-level. The Department urges students to consider courses at the 300-level to fulfill this requirement.
Such courses are designed to provide students with an opportunity to take courses related to their interests in African and Black Diaspora Studies and at the same time extend their academic preparation through coursework in allied fields. The selection of electives should be done in consultation with the student’s ABD academic advisor.
Capstone
This senior seminar (four quarter hours) engages students in a synthesis of what they have learned through coursework. The capstone course will involve reading, writing, discussion, as well as the preparation of a substantive piece of work (e.g., a senior thesis, a research paper, etc.).
Open Electives
Open elective credits are also required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 quarter-credit hours.
