 | Catalog Index | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interdisciplinary Minors
African American StudiesFaculty and Staff Carton, Clark, Dennis, Fuchs, Horton, Levine, McFerson, Miller, Mobley McKenzie, Morris, Paden, Slade Martin, Smith, Smith-Bermiss, Stewart (director), Trafton, Travis, Warner, Wilkins, Williams Course Work The African American Studies program offers all course work designated AFAM in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog. Requirements African American studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines the cultural, historical, economic, and political dimensions and experiences of people of African descent in America, the Caribbean, Africa, and around the world. It introduces students to methodologies for examining the complex dynamics of race, class, gender, and ethnicity in America, and it enables them to develop critical and analytical approaches to address contemporary issues in African American life and culture. The interdisciplinary minor in African American studies requires a minimum of 21 credits of related course work, which includes 12 required credits and 9 elective credits from various disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences. Required Courses
Elective Courses
Ancient Mediterranean Art and ArchaeologyFaculty Butler (coordinator), Lytton, Mattusch, Winkler Course Work The interdisciplinary minor in ancient Mediterranean art and archaeology is designed for students whose interests in the ancient world include aspects of archaeology, Greek and Roman literature, the ancient Near East, the history of art, philosophy, myth and religion, and the late antique civilizations of Byzantium and early Islam. The program represents the sort of foundation work crucial to graduate study in traditional departments of classical, Near Eastern, or Mediterranean art and archaeology. Through this minor, students are given credit for acquiring practical linguistic skills and archaeological field experience as well as scholarly background. Students should consult with the coordinator in designing a program. Requirements A minimum of 18 interdisciplinary credits is required.
Asia-Pacific StudiesFaculty Black, Butler, Cheng, Cuong, Hung (coordinator), Lin, Liu, Paden, Platt, Ro, Wan, Williams, Zhang Course Work The interdisciplinary minor in Asia-Pacific Studies is designed for students whose interests focus on the humanities and social sciences, and Asia's role in global systems and in the cultural mosaic of human experience. In particular, a new type of transregionalism is explored, i.e., the links between Asia and North America. The minor in Asia-Pacific Studies requires a minimum of 21 credits—9 credits of required courses and 12 credits of electives—chosen from the list below. Approved study abroad or internship also may be used for elective credit.
Elective Courses (12 credits)
Note: Language courses in Chinese or Japanese are strongly recommended. Contemporary EuropeFaculty Brunette, Deshmukh, Dinan, Jensen, Katz (acting coordinator), Levine, Orens, Verheyen, Wade Requirements The interdisciplinary minor in contemporary Europe requires a minimum of 18 credits: 6 credits of required courses and 12 credits of electives (at least 3 credits from Elective List I and 3 from Elective List II). Prerequisites for each course are listed in parentheses. Relevant special topics courses, seminars, independent study, internships, and study abroad courses may be also be taken for elective credits, with permission of the Contemporary Europe coordinator. Required Courses
Elective List I: History and Politics
Elective List II: Philosophy, Literature, the Arts
Film and Media StudiesFaculty Brunette (coordinator), Burton, Christensen, Foreman, Fuchs, Lont, Ricouart, P. Smith, Winkler We are inundated on a daily basis with mass culture, especially as it is purveyed through the mass media. The effects of this inundation are enormous and often unconscious, and the film and media studies (FAMS) interdisciplinary minor aims to develop in students a more informed awareness of the nature of this culture, its ideological tendencies, and its effects on daily life in our society. The program offers diverse perspectives on mass media in the belief that such juxtapositions are more productive than any single approach. Committed to interdisciplinary studies, the program addresses the increasing complexity and multiplicity of visual cultures. The program's basic components are offered through the Departments of Communication, English, and Music, with other courses available through the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. This 18-credit interdisciplinary minor is designed to introduce and explore mass culture in its visual manifestations. The program offers students the tools with which to read a variety of texts, including film, television, video, news media, and architecture. Requirements A minimum of 18 credits of related course work is required, taken from two groups as follows: Group 1: Required Courses Two required courses (six credits) provide an introduction to the languages of film and popular media, and to modes of analysis appropriate to each. These courses are prerequisites for all advanced work in the minor.
Group 2: Elective Courses After completing the two required courses, students select four additional courses (12 credits) from those listed below. These courses are designed to introduce students to a more specialized level of study. Students may decide to focus on film, or may decide to emphasize the study of mass culture. Or, they may choose some mixture of the courses that suits their own interests. Communication majors must choose at least six credits outside of Communication for their FAMS elective courses.
For further information, contact Peter Brunette, Department of English, Robinson Hall, Room A465, (703) 993-1190, or Cindy Fuchs, Department of English, Robinson Hall, Room A458, (703) 993-2768. Folklore and MythologyFaculty Burns, ffolliott, Fuchs, Johnsen-Neshati, Kendall, Mattusch (co-coordinator), Owens, Rutledge, Shiner, Todd, Winkler, Yocom (co-coordinator) Stories told in both sacred and secular contexts, along with festivals, foods, music, material objects, and other traditional art forms, continue to influence our lives. This interdisciplinary minor offers students the tools with which to explore the compelling meanings within these seemingly simple, everyday cultural texts and to become more aware of the ways these texts are used by individuals and institutions for a variety of goals. Committed to interdisciplinary study, this program asks students to study folklore and mythology by juxtaposing the multiple viewpoints available from anthropology, art history, classical studies, literary studies, and religious studies. Requirements A minimum of 18 credits of related course work is required, taken from three groupings of courses. If any of these courses is taken for credit toward the B.A. literature requirement, it may not be taken for credit in the minor. Group 1: 3 credits
Students may take only one Group 1 course from a department for credit toward the minor. Group 2: 12-15 credits
Group 3: 0-3 credits Independent Study and Internships: ANTH 299, ANTH 495, ARTH 393, ARTH 490, ARTS 491, ENGL 498, ENGL 499, summer fieldwork schools offered by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and at other institutions approved by the faculty. (To avoid duplication of courses, English majors who choose the folklore and mythology interdisciplinary minor should not elect the English Department's folklore, mythology, and literature concentration.) For further information, contact Margaret Yocom, Department of English, Robinson Hall, Room A439, (703) 993-1172, or Carol Mattusch, Department of History and Art History, Robinson Hall, Room B355, (703) 993-1017. Global SystemsFaculty Clark (coordinator) Requirements The interdisciplinary minor in global systems consists of 18 credits of nonregion-specific courses that deal with global connections or transactions. It is ideal for majors in business disciplines, economics, modern and classical languages, geography, government and international politics, history, and other disciplines taking a global view of the world. The minor requires GOVT 149 Global Awareness, and 15 credits drawn from at least two of the following fields. At least nine credits must be at the 300 level or above. Field A: Government and Geography
Field B: Economics, Anthropology, Marketing, History, and Program on Social and Organizational Learning
Field C: Environmental Science, Nursing, Physics, Systems Engineering, Urban and Suburban Studies
Field D: Communication and Foreign Languages
Other courses such as UNIV or special topics courses may also fulfill the requirements of this program, with the written permission of the coordinator. Permission must be obtained before registration in the course. For more information, contact the coordinator at the Department of Public and International Affairs, Robinson Hall, Room A201, (703) 993-1400. LinguisticsFaculty Chamberlain, Collier, Goldin, Golomb, Hamburger, Holisky, Jones, Levine, Rothbart, Sanford, Weinberger (coordinator), Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Language is studied in a variety of ways: descriptively, theoretically, computationally, psychologically, and as a social phenomenon. The field of linguistics thus informs and is informed by many other areas of study including philosophy, psychology, sociology, computer science, the study of individual languages and literatures, literary studies, and education. The interdisciplinary minor in linguistics may be combined with a major in one of the areas listed above or in any other field. This minor introduces the student, through the required courses, to the fundamental concepts of modern linguistic theory and allows the student to explore, in the electives, how these concepts relate to various other disciplines. Requirements The interdisciplinary minor in linguistics consists of 15 credits, distributed as follows:
MultimediaFaculty Chung, Forche, Gardner, Higgins, Lont, Martin, Montecino, Smith, Weinberger, White. In the Multimedia Minor, students will learn how to create original work and communicate with others through the fusion of images, text, sound, and video. Students will analyze and incorporate into their productions both contemporary design principles and current software applications. As part of this process, students will be encouraged to focus on how multimedia technologies, which offer new tools for investigating and disseminating ideas, can enhance undergraduate research and writing. These skills, now important in most academic disciplines, are also increasingly valuable not only in the specialized information technology industries, but also in business, education, and politics. Required Courses The Multimedia Minor consists of 9-10 core credits and 8-9 electives credits for a total of 18-20 credit hours.
Study of the AmericasFaculty Albanese, Berroa, Bergmann, Beyer, Black, L. A. Brown, Brunette, Burr, J. R. Censer, J. T. Censer, Cheng, K. Clark, R. Clark, Cohen, Cruz, Dennis, Dumont, ffolliott, Forche, Foreman, Francescato, Fuchs, Gilbert, Giles, Gortner, Hammond, Harsh, Henry, Hodges, Horton, Irvine, Irving, Jacobs, Karuch, Kelso, Klappert, Knight, Kuebrich, Lancaster, Lankford, Lavine, Levine, Lipset, Lont, Mellander, Meyer, Mobley, Nadeau, O'Connor, O'Malley, Pacheco, Palkovich, Pfiffner, Rabin (coordinator), Rader, Ricouart, Rosenblum, Rosenzweig, Ruth, Seligmann, P. Smith, S. Smith, Stewart, Taylor, Todd, Travis, Walker, Warner, Wilkins, Yocom, Zagarri Course Work The Study of the Americas program offers all course work designated STAM in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog. The program also includes course work cross-listed with departments with which it is affiliated. Please see the coordinator of the program for details. This program offers a minor in Latin American Studies and a minor in North American Studies. Requirements for the minor in Latin American Studies
Requirements for the minor in North American Studies
* An emphasis on French-speaking Canada requires proficiency in French as demonstrated either through a proficiency exam or the successful completion of a 300-level language course (which may count towards the fulfillment of the 18-credit minimum for the minor). Internships Internships are possible with the U.S. Congress and with local governments, community organizations, environmental organizations, foundations, government and nongovernment agencies, human rights organizations, international business organizations, labor unions, legal organizations, libraries, media organizations, museums, political parties, public interest organizations, publications, and religious organizations. Study Abroad Students in these minors are encouraged to spend a semester abroad, especially if the region of emphasis is French Canada or Latin America. The Center for Global Education provides information on opportunities for study abroad in a wide range of countries. These affordable programs will sharpen language skills and give students a first-hand experience with a different culture. Urban and Suburban StudiesFaculty Clapsaddle, Clark, Dumont, Endo, Gifford, Hart-Nibbrig, K. Haynes, Horton, Hysom, Mattusch, Rosenzweig, Schintler, Sockett (coordinator), Stough, Todd, Verheyen, Wong Course Work The Urban and Suburban Studies program offers all course work designated USST in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog. Requirements The interdisciplinary minor in urban and suburban studies requires a minimum of 18 credits of course work:
Consult the coordinator for a list of approved courses in each category. Women's StudiesFaculty Balenger, Bartholomew, Bateson, Beach, Bergoffen (director), Brinig, Brown, Burr, Censer, Cherubin, Choi, Christenson, Cohen, Copelman, Cruz, Eby, Erdwins, Fischer, ffolliott, Flieger-Samuelian, Francescato, Fuchs, Gilbert, Gunn, Hanrahan, Hodges, Horton, Irvine, Irving, Kaplan, Kirkland, Knight, Koch, Kolker, LeBaron, Liu, Lont, Melosh, Mobley McKenzie, Oates, Rabin, Rader, Regan, Ricouart, Rosenblum, Rosenzweig, Samuels, Seligmann, Sypher, Taylor, Tichy, Todd, Travis, Weitzman, Williams, Yocom, Zawacki Course Work The women's studies faculty offers all course work designated WMST in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog. Requirements
George Mason University: 2001-2002 University Catalog: Catalog Index: Interdisciplinary Minors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||