Interdisciplinary Minors
Race and Ethnic Studies
The minor program in Race and Ethnic Studies aims to develop students’ understanding of the distribution of knowledge, access, privilege, and power among historically marginalized U.S. racial and ethnic minority groups. Specifically, the program will examine the experiences of such groups as Blacks/African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx/Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans as well as the meaning of such labels. Concepts such as white privilege, discrimination, implicit bias, ethnocentrism, tokenism, and immigration will be assessed. Students will explore race as a historical, cultural, and social construct, learn to discern global conceptions of race and ethnicity, and discuss barriers to the primary human right of racial/ethnic equality. This has become increasingly important as societies diversify and economies globalize. Individuals who complete the race and ethnic studies minor program will develop cultural humility essential for career success and civic engagement.
Students must take a total of 18 semester credit hours (SCH), with 6 SCH at the upper-division level. Students must take at least 3 SCH of social/natural sciences (SOCI, PSY, GOV) and at least 3 SCH of humanities (ENG, HIST, SPAN, WS). Students must also complete a civic engagement capstone project as part of one of their 3000- or 4000-level courses, in which they apply the knowledge and skills gained from their Race and Ethnic Studies minor courses.
As part of the Race and Ethnic Studies minor, students will complete an experiential capstone (“learn by doing”) project in one of the upper-division courses for their minor. Students will develop projects in collaboration with their instructors. Projects should be research-informed and should include both a reflection on the student’s learning and a public-facing component. We strongly encourage students to present their work at the TWU Creative Arts & Research Symposium; other venues may include an undergraduate research conference, a film festival, a public performance, or a professional conference in the field.
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| Must select 18 SCH from the Humanities and Social & Natural Sciences Options at least six of which must be upper-level courses. | 18 | |
| Humanities Options (must select at least three SCH from this list) | ||
| Beginning Urban and Global Dance Practices | ||
| Gendered Images in Dance and Performance | ||
| Multicultural Literature | ||
| Topics in World Literature | ||
| History of Colonial Latin America | ||
| Slavery in the Americas | ||
| American Roots Music | ||
| Japanese Culture and Politics | ||
| Latin American Women Writers and Filmmakers | ||
| Gender and Social Change: An Introduction to Multicultural-Women's Studies | ||
| U.S. Women of Colors | ||
| Social & Natural Sciences Options (must select at least three SCH from this list) | ||
| Women and Minorities in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science | ||
| Psychology and the Media | ||
| Global Blackness and Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Health Disparities | ||
| Culture, Inequality, and Self | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States | ||
| The Mexican American in Contemporary Society | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Developing Societies | ||
| Race, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Total SCHs | 18 | |
Some courses have prerequisites or labs.
Must complete a minimum of 3 SCHin service-learning, experiential learning, study abroad, independent study, or some additional research/artistic project that places students off-campus within the communities of interest.
Global Studies
The Global Studies minor is founded on the notion that global learning cannot be achieved in a single course or a single experience, but only through transdisciplinary investigation. Our notion of “global” includes both multicultural and international issues, acknowledging that global learning begins by locating the self in a web of interconnected communities. By applying perspectives drawn from multiple disciplines, rather than knowledge gained in a single field of study, students will link theory with challenging global issues in order to contribute meaningfully and ethically in these communities. This minor prepares future leaders to apply their learning to “take responsible action in contemporary global contexts, and evaluate the goals, methods, and consequences of that action” (AACU Global Learning Value Rubric). Students will globalize their education by learning about the foundations of issues they examine in their major, examining the interdependent yet inequitable economic, geopolitical, cultural, and natural systems that govern our world. Students can choose from one of three concentrations: Human Rights; Global Systems; and Language, Knowledge, & Representation.
Concentrations
Human Rights
The human rights concentration includes interdisciplinary study in social sciences, public policy, women’s and gender studies, the humanities, and public health. The human rights concentration aims to foster understanding of contemporary issues in human rights and social justice, including such topics as human trafficking, immigration and refugees, prisons, environmental justice, poverty, access to health care, and terrorism. Completing the concentration should prepare students to evaluate claims and attitudes related to societal practices—and societal ideals—related to diversity, equality (racial, ethnic, and gender), and economic justice for the purpose of promoting peace and social trust. Students will critically analyze the causes and consequences of injustice and the denial of human rights. Knowledge gained in this minor program should well serve those pursuing careers in social services, public health, advocacy, public policy, law enforcement, and the arts and humanities.
Global Systems
The global systems concentration aims to give students an interdisciplinary lens for understanding “complex and overlapping worldwide systems, including natural systems (those systems associated with the natural world including biological, chemical, and physical sciences) and human systems (those systems developed by humans such as cultural, economic, political, and built), which operate in observable patterns and often are affected by or are the result of human design or disruption. These systems influence how life is lived and what options are open to whom. Students need to understand how these systems 1) are influenced and/or constructed, 2) operate with differential consequences, 3) affect the human and natural world, and 4) can be altered” (AACU Global Learning Value Rubric).
Languages, Knowledge, and Representation
The language, knowledge, and representation concentration focuses on the ways that humans produce, record, and transmit knowledge, with an emphasis on cultural, artistic, and historical perspectives. Students will investigate methods for understanding “how one's place in the world both informs and limits one's knowledge” (AACU Global Learning Value Rubric) and how experiences and worldviews are shaped by systems of communication.
As part of the Global Studies minor, students will complete an experiential capstone (“learn by doing”) project in one of the upper-division courses for their minor. Students will develop projects in collaboration with their instructors. Projects should be research-informed and should include both a reflection on the student’s learning and a public-facing component. We strongly encourage students to present their work at the TWU Creative Arts & Research Symposium; other venues may include an undergraduate research conference, a film festival, a public performance, or a professional conference in the field.
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following Introductory Courses | 3 | |
| Global Perspectives in Art | ||
| Dance and Globalization | ||
| Introduction to the Study of World Literature | ||
| Music and World Cultures | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | ||
| Complete 12 SCH out of one of the following concentrations | 12 | |
| Human Rights and Justice | ||
| Topics in World Literature | ||
| Slavery in the Americas | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Bioethics | ||
| Ethics and Feminism | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Women | ||
| Global Perspectives in Psychology | ||
| Culture, Inequality, and Self | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Women's Roles | ||
| Developing Societies | ||
| Criminal Justice Ethics | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| Race, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Comparative Criminal Justice | ||
| Family Violence and Sexual Assault | ||
| Introduction to Social Welfare Policies and Services | ||
| Human Behavior and the Social Environment | ||
| Womanist Spiritual Activism: Social Justice Theories for Wellness and Transformation | ||
| Global Systems | ||
| Information Security and Ethics | ||
| Global Issues and Trends | ||
| The Politics of Food in America | ||
| Modern Political Thought | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Global Law and Legal Systems | ||
| Comparative Government: Europe | ||
| Comparative Government: Africa and Asia | ||
| Community Conversation in Sustainability | ||
| Water in a Changing Environment | ||
| Climate Change: A Human Perspective | ||
| Population Dynamics | ||
| World Regional Geography | ||
| Internet and Society | ||
| Sociology of Disasters | ||
| Human Behavior and the Social Environment | ||
| Languages, Knowledge, and Representation | ||
| Women in the Visual Arts | ||
| Beginning Urban and Global Dance Practices | ||
| Understanding the Arts: Dance | ||
| Understanding the Arts-Drama | ||
| Gender, Theatre, and Performance | ||
| World Literature to 1600 | ||
| World Literature, 1600 to the Present | ||
| American Roots Music | ||
| Music and World Cultures | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Women and Western Religions | ||
| Gender, Identity, and the Law | ||
| German Politics Since 1945 Through Film | ||
| Psychology and the Media | ||
| Global Blackness and Psychology | ||
| Introductory Sociology | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Advanced Grammar | ||
| Spanish Composition | ||
| Latin American Women Writers and Filmmakers | ||
| Gender and Social Change: An Introduction to Multicultural-Women's Studies | ||
| Must complete an additional 3 SCH from any of the lists above | 3 | |
| Must complete courses from at LEAST two different disciplines. | ||
| Must complete at least 6 SCH of advanced coursework (3000/4000 level) | ||
| Total SCHs | 18 | |
