Develop an interdisciplinary understanding of Black histories, cultures, and politics by examining Black experiences in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and other areas of the world. A major or minor in Black Studies prepares you for leadership—both in careers and in society—by pushing learners to consider societies’ hows and to theorize its whys. With incisive and fact-based analysis of social, political, and economic forces that shape the real world, and clear written and verbal communication, you’ll develop critical skills for the workforce and life beyond college. Whether in law, political office, corporate stewardship, medicine, education, arts, or other fields, the black studies program produces scholars and professionals who are visionaries, productive mavericks, and problem-solvers.
Major/Minor Black Studies
black studies
up close In and Beyond the Classroom
global education
As part of a truly global learning experience, Randolph-Macon students have traveled to Brazil, the Caribbean, Cuba, Ghana, Guatemala, and Kenya through study abroad programs and faculty-led travel courses. While meeting people and touring the country, students applied their modern African history classroom learning, and experienced first hand how culture influences communication in personal relationships and industry sectors including education, politics, businesses, healthcare and media.
HIGH-IMPACT INTERNSHIPS
Black studies majors have the opportunity to make a difference in their communities while pursuing the major at RMC. Recent internship opportunities for Black studies students include:
- Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities
- Planned Parenthood
- Hanover County Black Heritage Society
hands-on Research
When activists pushed to remove Confederate monuments on Richmond’s controversial Monument Avenue, Black studies and sociology double major Tristen Craig ’24 closely followed the conversation. An activist herself, she knew she wanted to explore the movement that succeeded in removing five colossal statues that had lined the street’s verdant median. Working alongside Associate Professor of Sociology Dr. Sarah E. Cribbs, Craig conducted original research on the different catalysts for activist motivation as part of a 10-week Schapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) project.
advising and mentorship
RMC Black studies faculty teach across a variety of subject areas, providing students a truly interdisciplinary learning experience that links the past and present.. Across history, psychology, sociology, and politics, students tackle hands-on projects like multimedia storytelling and mentored research with the support and mentoring of these teacher-scholars.
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170Mpeople make up the African diaspora
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12the number of different disciplines included in the black studies program
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∞the number of multimedia project ideas from RMC black studies students
black studies
in full Courses You Won’t Want to Miss
PSYC 162
AFRICAN AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGY
Explore the ways African culture, world-view, religion, and philosophy inform African American culture. Investigate the ways culture and ethnicity shape our thoughts and behavior as part of this enlightening cross-cultural psychology course.
HIST 215
The Sixties
Explore the turbulent 1960s in America, a time period that still haunts the country today as it continues to grapple with issues that arose during that period including questions of race and ethnic diversity; women’s rights; sexual expression and identity; protests; violence; foreign wars; distrust in government; climate and the environment; changing attitudes toward religion; and controversial presidents.
ARTH 226
African American Art
Analyze the ways African American artists, since the 19th century, have functioned within the white establishment and how they affirmed or reacted against the ideals of established aesthetic norms and social, political or cultural expectations. Examine the artistic production of African American artists, with particular focus on the socio-economic, political and historical context of each period.
Opportunities Worth Grabbing
black Cultural Society
Men with a purpose
Multicultural Programming Board
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Buzzworthy The Latest From RMC Black Studies
Exonerated Death Row Inmate Anthony Ray Hinton Urges Forgiveness and a Call to Action
Hinton, author of the memoir “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row,” shared the story of his wrongful conviction.
Student Research Surveys Impact of Monument Avenue’s Confederate Legacy
Tristen Craig ’24 (sociology, black studies) grew up near Fredericksburg, Virginia, just off a highway that until this year bore…
Faculty Q&A: On the Intersection of Black History and American History with Dr. Donelle Boose
Dr. Donelle Boose steps into her new role as assistant professor of History and Black studies at RMC this fall on the…
