The Black World Studies (BWS) Program
was inaugurated at Miami University in 1976. It is an interdisciplinary program in the College of Arts and Science open to all undergraduates. BWS offers a unique opportunity for students to enhance their understanding of the historical, social, economic and political experiences as well as the values, orientations and cultural expressions of Africans and people of African descent in the U.S. and throughout the world. It focuses as well on the changing constructions of race, class, and gender in local and global contexts.

Students can earn a Bachelor’s degree (major) and a minor in this field of study. The program offers a variety of learning opportunities including courses, summer workshops, service projects and research. It emphasizes clear, reliable and accurate knowledge about the black diaspora, critical thinking, reflection and informed action. Ultimately, the study of the unique cultural and historical experiences of Africans in the diaspora is intended to prepare students to meet the challenges of the increasingly multi-racial and culturally diverse world in which they live or will encounter in the workplace of the future.

Students with an undergraduate major in Black World Studies will find career opportunities in the fields of education, communication, business/industry, government, and human services either nationally or internationally. Those who seek a graduate degree may choose history, political science, English, sociology, business, urban planning, historic preservation, or law. The BWS program connects students with career specialists for post-graduate planning and encourages them to be informed participants on the job and in the community.