The Culture and Social Justice minor is an interdisciplinary program committed to engaging students with the histories, struggles, knowledge, and agency of marginalized groups throughout our global society. Drawing on the diversity of current and past voices from the Augsburg neighborhood, the minor connects local and national efforts to larger global struggles for justice. The program explores the interplay of experiences that form and reform the current landscapes of globalization, including Indigenous origins, diaspora, immigration, the impact of colonialism, postcolonialism, and neocolonialism, cross-cultural and multicultural integration, and cultural thrivance. The interdisciplinary character of this minor helps students develop professional skills for working across cultures and disciplinary audiences, enhances writing and speaking skills for multicultural audiences, and provides preparation for the increasingly diverse and globalized marketplace.
What can I do with this minor?
In any field you go into, employers are looking for people who demonstrate cultural competence, navigate easily across diverse communities, and have an appreciation for multiple worldviews. This minor will enhance your ability to work within a multitude of local and global settings. This minor can complement any major, whether in math and business, sciences, arts and humanities, or social science.
For more information about this program, contact one of these faculty members:
Requirements
A total of six courses – one introductory course, four cluster courses, and one capstone course – are required. No more than two classes from the same department can count toward the minor. At least 2 courses must be upper division. No class can fulfill a requirement in more than one area. Courses noted with an asterisk have prerequisites. Some topics courses not listed here may be used for one of the requirements; please contact one of the coordinators (above) for approval.
One introductory course:
- AIS 105 – Introduction to American Indian Studies
- ANT 141 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- CCS 100 – Introduction to Cultural Studies
One course is required from each of the four clusters:
Theory cluster: Courses from this cluster will help students develop the ability to use a variety of theoretical approaches to understanding globalization and marginalization. One course is required.
- AIS 208 – Native American/First Nations Women and Film
- AIS 364 – Indigenous Filmmakers
- COM 329 – Intercultural Communication
- PSY 261 – Personality and Cultural Context
- SOC 240 – Protest and Social Change: Sociology of Social Movements
- SOC 265 – Race, Class, and Gender
- SOC 290 – Cultures of Violence
- THR 245 – Introduction to Pan-Asian Theater
- WST 305* – Introduction to Queer Studies
- WST 315 – Margins as Center: Feminist Theory
- WST 324* – Undocumented, Ecofeminist, & Queer: Contemporary Latin American Liberation Theologies
Local community cluster: Students will be able to describe the histories, politics, and cultures of the communities in which Augsburg resides, and be able to explain how those communities have been shaped by and responded to marginalization. One course is required.
- AIS 105 – Introduction to American Indian Studies
- AIS 205 – Contemporary American Indian Issues
- AIS 302 – Indigenous Expressive Forms
- AIS 304 – Engaging Native Communities
- POL 122/URB 122 – Social Justice in Urban America
National cluster: Courses in this cluster will help students be able to explain the ways that the United States has been constructed from a variety of cultures, and the economic, political, and social consequences of that. One course is required.
- AIS 105 – Introduction to American Indian Studies
- AIS 205 – Contemporary American Indian Issues
- AIS 264 – American Indians in the Cinema
- ART 290/ ART 390 – Native American Art
- ENL 350* – African American Literature
- ENL 365* – Contemporary Postcolonial Theory and Literature
- HIS 236 – American Indian History
- HIS 241, 242, 243 – African American History
- POL 282 – Asian American Politics
- THR 270 – Introduction to Black Theater
Global cluster: Courses in this cluster will help students be able to describe issues and questions that cross national boundaries, and the ways that people around the world are adapting to changing environments. One course is required.
- AIS 305† – Indigenous Issues of the Americas [Travel or Virtual Travel seminar]*
- ART 100† – special topic on pottery & spirituality; taught in Guatemala*
- ART 231 – Pre-Columbian, Colonial, and Contemporary Mexican Art
- HIS 150/350 – Revolutions, Republics, and Resilience in Latin America
- HIS 155/355 – Cultural Conflict and Change in Latin America
- HIS 162/362 – Modern South Asia
- HIS 327† – Racism and Resistance in Southern Africa and the United States*
- HIS 357†* – Mexican History, Culture, and Cosmovision
- POL 158 – Introduction to Political Science
- POL 359* – Topics
- POL 459* – Topics in Comparative Politics
- SPA 332* – Latin American Civilizations and Culture
- WST 250 – Global Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality
- WST 335†* – Contemporary Latin American Women
- WST 341†* – Globalization, Social Struggles, and the Environment
CGEE programs in Mexico, Namibia, and Central America can count toward 1 class requirement.
Note: Courses marked with a dagger (†) are not offered in the United States. Some are offered through the Center for Global Education and Experience at one of their international locations, while others may be done through a study abroad seminar.
Courses marked with an asterisk have one or more prerequisites.
One capstone course:
In this capstone to the minor, students will review the connections between local, national, and global dynamics, and be able to describe the ways that people around the world adapt to the forces of globalization, and the role that those forces play in creating or reinforcing pressures of marginalization.
- AIS 405: Indigenous Activism and Resistance in the Americas
- INS 495: Topics
For a complete list of courses and descriptions, see the Course Description Search.