Instructions for Independent Study Courses and Capstones in Black Studies (Updated November 2024)

Instructions for Starting Your Study or Project

Select a topic that excites you. Your chosen subject should be specific enough to allow for in-depth research within the semester yet broad enough to link to larger questions and/or intellectual traditions in Black Studies. We suggest focusing on a topic with which you are already familiar.

Reflect on the research you have completed in Black Studies courses and the questions and issues you explored there. Examine the syllabi from courses you enjoyed and consider the texts, novels, stories, films, and other analytical or creative materials you encountered. All these elements can assist you in developing a topic for your study or project.

Selecting an Advisor

Students are encouraged to meet with a prospective advisor from the Black Studies faculty or the department’s affiliated faculty (as listed on the website and MyZou) in the term prior to starting their study or projects. Keep in mind time constraints and scheduling conflicts the advisor may have when you first contact them. It may be best to contact them sooner rather than later. While faculty aim to avoid restricting your study or project options, it is advisable to align your focus with areas related to your coursework or research methodologies familiar to the faculty member. This alignment helps the faculty provide better guidance in your reading and critiques of your contributions to the literature.

We understand there may be instances when a student prefers or requires an advisor who is not part of Black Studies. In such cases, students should submit a formal written one-page petition letter to the Black Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies clearly outlining the reasons for choosing an external advisor. The Director of Undergraduate Studies retains the final authority in advisor assignments. Aside from student preferences, advisor selection considers the faculty’s expertise in the student’s topic.

The Study Proposal

A solid proposal, ranging from three to four pages (single-spaced), serves as a roadmap for your study or project. It should demonstrate a grasp of the essential issues and questions surrounding the topic. Proposals must reflect an understanding of how social constructs—such as race, gender, sexuality, class, (dis-)ability, region, ethnicity, political identity, and religion—shape human experiences. Additionally, the proposal should adopt an interdisciplinary approach in both focus and methodology or a distinct Africana Studies framework and methodology. Such frameworks and methods include but are not limited to Africology, Black feminism, Black queer and postmodern theory, Afrofuturism, neocolonialism, double consciousness, the Black Atlantic, Afrocentricity, Black internationalism, global Blackness, Black Marxism, racial capitalism, internalized colonialism, Black resistance, etc.

All students intending to involve human subjects in their research must submit their proposals to the MU IRB website.

The proposal should encompass:

  1. A clear statement outlining the topic for study or the project topic along with the question or problem addressed.
  2. A review of at least five existing scholarly literature related to your topic.
  3. An outline of your proposed theoretical framework and methodology.
  4. A description of the materials you will research, such as historical texts, films, literary works, interviews, or empirical data.
  5. A preliminary annotated bibliography containing five to seven sources.
  6. A list of your top three preferred advisors. If you have already consulted with a member of the faculty or affiliate and have secured an advisor, please note that as well.