The Department of Black Studies at Georgetown University provides a vital and innovative interdisciplinary course of research, study, and learning. The department offers both a major and minor in Black Studies, and encourages students to engage in advanced level research projects away from Georgetown University.
Learn More About UsMany colleges and universities established Black Studies majors in the late twentieth century. Today, Black Studies still offers important insights into the future of university education because the organization of the inter-discipline trains and requires students to integrate knowledge from different fields of study in order to solve problems.
Black Studies’ fundamental investment in theory and practice also supports Georgetown’s ongoing process of imagining the future of the university. The integrative aspect of the inter-discipline teaches students how to apply what they know in unfamiliar contexts. In addition, Black Studies has always drawn from the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. The incorporation of the arts alongside the humanities and sciences prepares students to think imaginatively, as well as critically, qualitatively, and quantitatively.
More About Us Announcement, News
3 Distinguished Scholars Join the College as Davis Visiting Professors
Among them are three new Royden B. Davis, S.J. visiting professors: James Gustafson in the Department of History, Danielle Purifoy in the Department of Black Studies and Mary Roberts in the Georgetown Humanities Initiative and the Department of Art and Art History. The positions are funded through an endowment named for Davis, a former dean of the College, and focus on enhancing undergraduate and graduate instruction and mentoring in the College.
September 25, 2025
Announcement, News
Celebrating Black History and Culture at Georgetown
We celebrate the many contributions of our Black students, alumni, faculty and staff to our community and society, and recognize the broad range of teaching, scholarship and advocacy at Georgetown aimed at advancing Black heritage and history.
February 1, 2025
News
Department of Black Studies Announces Name Change
This month, Georgetown’s board of directors approved a name change: The Department of African American Studies is now known as the Department of Black Studies. “As knowledge progresses so do our terminology and vocabulary,” said Rosario Ceballo, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “I’m confident that this new name accurately reflects the field’s global and inclusive expansion to countries outside the United States as well as a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods and approaches in their field.”
February 29, 2024