The Department
The Black Studies Department has embarked on its second quarter of a century of community and University service. An interdisciplinary academic unit within the PSU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the department is devoted to the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. The department is the oldest Black Studies program in the Pacific Northwest and the only program in the state of Oregon that offers a degree in Black Studies. Departmental objectives are to provide comprehensive learning programs, community-based learning and service, and an overall heightened sense of awareness about general multicultural, diversity and gender issues covering the African, Caribbean and African-American experiences.
Students, together with faculty in the department's programs, are involved in community-based learning and provide service to community groups and institutions in the metro area and overseas. The department is also actively involved in Portland State President's Diversity initiative, which with community partnerships has helped to broaden the definition of scholarship at PSU for over a quarter of a century.
The Black Studies Department offers a major, a minor, and a certificate in Black Studies. Required coursework in Black Studies and related departments provides students with the background and expertise to succeed in rapidly changing work environments and better serve the increasingly diverse communities.