Program Description
The mission of the Black Studies Program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is to expose and educate a diverse student body on Blackness and the Black experience. Blackness can be understood as the non-biological components that convey "Black personhood"—the thoughts, beliefs, norms, and practices common to those racialized as Black that dignify and celebrate their humanity—factors often exercised as a result of institutional and systemic racism. It educates that the Black experience (since and before the forced African Diaspora of chattel slavery) is that of a people whose contributions to the world are undeniable and merit inclusion in all areas of study.
The program achieves this mission through its accomplished affiliated faculty—an interdisciplinary faculty that has publications in peer-reviewed journals, original books and book chapters, and groundbreaking documentaries on the varying aspects of Blackness within their respective disciplines.
The courses offered under Black Studies build transferable skills, including critical thinking, professional writing, inclusive management, and inductive research/analysis. The program equips students with these skills through its affiliated faculty’s focus on a real-world education infused with high-impact practices, helping students understand academics within real society paradigms.
