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 20001Introduction to American Studies

3

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 23500American Literature: Slavery and War

3

ENGL 23501American Literature: Breaking Free

3

ENGL 23502American Literature: Family and Dysfunction

3

ENGL 23503American Literature: Trauma and Modernity

3

ENGL 23800Into the Promised Land: Race and Ethnicity in American Literature

3

ENGL 23900Faulkner: Southern Belles and Racism

3

ENGL 34400/SPA 34400LatinX Literature

3

ENGL 34700-34799Topics in American Literature

3

ENGL 35200Early American Literature

3

ENGL 35300Twentieth-Century American Literature

3

ENGL 35400Finding Home: Space, Place, and Identity in American Literature

3

ENGL 37600African American Literature

3

History Coursework focusing on America

3 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

AST 32000/HIST 32000America: The Search for a More Perfect Union

3

HIST 26300History of Latin America

3

HIST 30200Public History

3

HIST 32100The Origins of the United States to 1800

3

HIST 32200The Age of Jackson

3

HIST 32300The Civil War and Its Legacies

3

HIST 32400The Growth of Modern America, 1877-1914

3

HIST 32500Social Movements in 20th Century America

3

HIST 32600The United States in the Age of the Cold War

3

HIST 33100History of Gender in America

3

HIST 33200A Biography of the Constitution

3

HIST 33300The American West 1830-1960

3

HIST 33400History of Racism in America

3

HIST 36200Slavery 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 20000Introduction to African American Studies

3

GS 20101A Global Introduction to Gender Studies

3

GS 30000Gender Theory

3

PHRL 20200Religion in America

3

PHRL 31601Islam and the West

3

REC 31200Sports and Society

3

REC 34200Camp Management and Leadership

3

REC 41200Leisure and Aging

3

SOC 21400The Family

3

SOC 32100Urban Sociology

3

SOC 33500Sociology of Sport

3

Justice Coursework

CCJ 30000Policing in America

3

CCJ 31100The Juvenile Justice System

3

CCJ 32000Race, Crime, and Punishment

3

CCJ 32600/SOC 32600Drugs and Society

3

CCJ 35005Women, Crime, and the Law

3

PHRL 20600Jesus

3

PS 31100American Constitutional Law

3

PS 36000Civil Liberties

3

Politics and Public Policy Coursework

HIST 30200Public History

3

PHRL 20800Christianity and Politics

3

PHRL 31400New Religious Movements in America

3

PHS 31000Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System

3

PHS 34000Health Policy

3

PS 31000Congress, the Presidency, and the Party System

3

PS 34500Campaigns and Elections

3

PS 38200American Foreign Policy

3

PS 38500Politics and Culture

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.