The Department of Black Studies

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.

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Many 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

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.

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An image of John Carroll statue on the front lawn of Georgetown's campus.

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

News

Dayo F. Gore Named 2023 Freedom Scholar

Dayo F. Gore, an associate professor in the Department of African American Studies, has been named a 2023 Freedom Scholar by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. The prize, which comes with an unrestricted award of $250,000, empowers progressive academics to pursue research and advocacy for racial and economic justice. “I am humbled and inspired to be included among such a powerful and thoughtful group of scholar activists,” said Gore.

September 27, 2023

Announcements, News

Anita Gonzalez Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Gonzalez is a professor of performing arts and African American studies and a widely respected scholar and thinker. Gonzalez co-founded and co-leads Georgetown’s Racial Justice Institute. She has completed three Senior Scholar Fulbright grants and been a resident artist/scholar at Rockefeller’s Bellagio Center in Italy and the Warfield Center for African and African American Studies at the University of Texas. A prolific writer and director, Gonzalez’s shows have appeared on PBS national television and at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, The Working Theatre, Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, New York Live Arts, Tribeca Performing Arts Center and other national and international venues.

April 20, 2023

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