American Studies Minor

18 credit hours

“The truth does not change depending on our ability to stomach it.” – Flannery O’Connor

The American Studies program offers a minor in American studies. American Studies is a multidisciplinary approach to the many fluid, shifting cultural issues within the idea of “America.” What is contained within the idea of America? Whom does it contain? Whom does it leave out? How have the various struggles to define America changed over time and in relation to larger uncertainties surrounding nation, empire, citizenship, race, and sexuality (to name but a few concerns)? As you complete the minor in American Studies, you will address such questions by incorporating different methodologies such as literature, history, religion, anthropology, criminal justice, sociology, political science, cultural studies, and gender studies.

Requirements

Minor Coursework

3 credit hours of coursework from the following option:

AST 20001

Introduction to American Studies

Students ideally should take AST 20001 early in their course progression.

English Coursework focusing on America

3 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

ENGL 23500	American Literature: Slavery and War	3
ENGL 23501	American Literature: Breaking Free	3
ENGL 23502	American Literature: Family and Dysfunction	3
ENGL 23503	American Literature: Trauma and Modernity	3
ENGL 23800	Into the Promised Land: Race and Ethnicity in American Literature	3
ENGL 23900	Faulkner: Southern Belles and Racism	3
ENGL 34400/SPA 34400	LatinX Literature	3
ENGL 34700-34799	Topics in American Literature	3
ENGL 35200	Early American Literature	3
ENGL 35300	Twentieth-Century American Literature	3
ENGL 35400	Finding Home: Space, Place, and Identity in American Literature	3
ENGL 37600	African American Literature	3

History Coursework focusing on America

3 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

AST 32000/HIST 32000	America: The Search for a More Perfect Union	3
HIST 26300	History of Latin America	3
HIST 30200	Public History	3
HIST 32100	The Origins of the United States to 1800	3
HIST 32200	The Age of Jackson	3
HIST 32300	The Civil War and Its Legacies	3
HIST 32400	The Growth of Modern America, 1877-1914	3
HIST 32500	Social Movements in 20th Century America	3
HIST 32600	The United States in the Age of the Cold War	3
HIST 33100	History of Gender in America	3
HIST 33200	A Biography of the Constitution	3
HIST 33300	The American West 1830-1960	3
HIST 33400	History of Racism in America	3
HIST 36200	Slavery and Capitalism across the Atlantic	3

Areas of Focus Coursework

9 credit hours of relevant elective coursework from the options listed above or from the below Areas of Focus. Areas of Focus emphasize Lindenwood’s strength in current course offerings and are neither exclusive nor restrictive. Students may take courses from different Areas of Focus or all within a single area of Focus.

Identity Coursework

AFAM 20000	Introduction to African American Studies	3
GS 20101	A Global Introduction to Gender Studies	3
GS 30000	Gender Theory	3
PHRL 20200	Religion in America	3
PHRL 31601	Islam and the West	3
REC 31200	Sports and Society	3
REC 34200	Camp Management and Leadership	3
REC 41200	Leisure and Aging	3
SOC 21400	The Family	3
SOC 32100	Urban Sociology	3
SOC 33500	Sociology of Sport	3

Justice Coursework

CCJ 30000	Policing in America	3
CCJ 31100	The Juvenile Justice System	3
CCJ 32000	Race, Crime, and Punishment	3
CCJ 32600/SOC 32600	Drugs and Society	3
CCJ 35005	Women, Crime, and the Law	3
PHRL 20600	Jesus	3
PS 31100	American Constitutional Law	3
PS 36000	Civil Liberties	3

Politics and Public Policy Coursework

HIST 30200	Public History	3
IR 35100	American Foreign Policy	3
IR 35200	Politics and Culture	3
PHRL 20800	Christianity and Politics	3
PHRL 31400	New Religious Movements in America	3
PHS 31000	Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System	3
PHS 34000	Health Policy	3
PS 31000	Congress, the Presidency, and the Party System	3
PS 34500	Campaigns and Elections	3

At least 3 credit hours taken to satisfy American Studies Minor requirements must be at the 30000 or 40000-levels.

No duplication of coursework is permitted within the program. Some other relevant courses may be accepted by the permission of the department head.