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

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

3 credit hours of coursework from the following option:

AST 20001 - Introduction to American Studies 3 Credit Hour(s)

English Coursework focusing on America

3 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

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

History Coursework focusing on America

3 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

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

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.

Notes:

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.