Black Canadian Studies Courses

BLCK*1000: Introduction to Black Studies in Canada

This course offers a broad introduction to Black Studies in Canada. This course will introduce students to themes and debates that have occupied Black Studies as a field of academic inquiry. The course connects the issues and investments central to Black Studies to the examination of Black lives and communities, social movements and expressive cultures in Canada. Students will develop critical tools, frameworks, and vocabulary for further study in the field.

BLCK*2000: Black Canadian History

This course offers a general introduction to the history of Black Canada from the era of slavery to the present. This course will reveal how Black Canadians actively shaped their history and the history of the Canadian nation, all in the midst of tremendous challenges. Topics of exploration will include slavery and the slave trade, segregation and organized white supremacy, gender and sexuality, the long civil rights movement, and the rise of the prison industrial complex.

BLCK*2020: Archives of Black Knowledge and Experience

This course explores the ways Black Archives play a crucial role in preserving and showcasing the knowledge and experiences of Black communities. This course considers the work of Black scholars, artists, writers, and activists that engages with the archive and archival imaginaries in order to document Black experience, challenge dominant narratives, and empower communities in Canada.

BLCK*3000: Theorising Race and Racism

Since the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the United States and Regis Korchinski-Paquet and D’Andre Campbell in Canada, the acknowledgement and denunciation of anti-Black racism in mainstream discourse has significantly increased. This course explores critical conceptual discussions of the social formation of race and racism, traces the long history of anti-Black racism in Canada, explores the relationship between anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and imagines what would have to occur to achieve a world without racism.

BLCK*3010: Experiential Learning in Black Canadian Studies

All Black Canadian Studies minors will complete this capstone course which will involve a community-engaged learning project or an experiential learning placement in the surrounding community of Guelph/Wellington County. The CEL project or EL placement will focus on some dimension of community involvement that complements the courses completed for the minor. For example, a student with a minor in Black Studies might volunteer at the Guelph Black Heritage Society, while another student might act as mentor in a local high school working with BIPOC youth.