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Graduate

Graduate Program

Black Studies, by its very nature, is an interdisciplinary field. It acquaints the student with myriad ways of thinking (historical, sociological, literary, quantitative and qualitative analysis), researching, and writing about the diverse experiences of African Americans in the United States and of African descended people throughout the African Diaspora (from dispersion, colonialism, the slave trade and slavery, through emancipation, decolonization, independence, and postcolonialism). African American Studies brings together the voluminous scholarship generated by past and present historians; political scientists; sociologists; anthropologists; cultural, literary, and performance studies critics; and scholars working on diverse topics and constructions of class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.

The Department offers advanced graduate training through a PhD in African American Studies. Students who have completed either the B.A. or M.A. degree may apply to the Ph.D. program in Black Studies.

Three substantive areas form the basis of this program:

  1. Expressive Arts and Cultural Studies
  2. Histories
  3. Politics, Society, and Culture

Each of these areas is populated by scholars within the department who focus their research within a domestic and/or international context. The PhD program in Black Studies provides students with the historical background in the experiences of people of African descent, the analytic preparation to carry out rigorous empirical research, and the professional development to pursue careers in academia or beyond.

We also offer a Certificate Program in Black Studies and Diaspora Studies for graduate students who are enrolled in other Northwestern University departments.

Graduate Student Association (GSA) in Black Studies

The purpose of the Black Studies GSA is to advocate for Black Studies graduate students within the department; to maintain a collective open line of communication between the department’s graduate students and faculty and other Northwestern community members and organizations; and to build community both among Black Studies graduate students and with interested colleagues outside of the department. 

2023-2024 Representatives

Jalin Jackson & Bryana Jones, Co-Presidents
Yasmine Grier, Grad Student Representatives
Chris Montague, Grad Student Representatives
Logan Phillips, Social Chair
Miracle Burt, Undergraduate Representative

Contact: gsablackstudiesnu@u.northwestern.edu