Programs and Elective Courses

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Last Updated: Nov 26, 2024, 02:04 PM

The College of Liberal Arts is comprised of fourteen academic programs in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. These units offer a wide range of majors, minors, and independent programs.

Programs

School of Africana and Multicultural Studies

Africana Studies (AFR)

Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary and global discipline focused on the scholarship of the histories, political and cultural movements, institutions, economies, and identities of Africans and the African diaspora. Africa's own overlapping cultures along with the disbursement of African people -- whether forced or voluntary -- have given rise to the discourse of what "black" and "African" identities and experiences actually mean. This has impelled the discipline of Black Studies to rethink the geographical boundaries and conceptual template surrounding the production of knowledge about Africa and its diasporic communities.

Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS)

Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, an interdisciplinary and global field of inquiry, explores gender and sexuality in societies past and present. While the field continue to focus on women’s experiences, achievements, and positions in society, and ways in which women's lives are shaped by race, class, and culture, these topics are naturally related to broader themes of gender and sexuality, masculinity as well as femininity and feminism, Queer Theory as well as Feminist Theory.

School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology

Anthropology (ANTH)

Anthropologists study humanity in many different dimensions, across time and space. The field is divided into four main areas of inquiry: modern human societies (Socio-cultural Anthropology), past human societies (Archaeology), human communication (Linguistic Anthropology), and human and primate biology (Biological Anthropology). At Southern Illinois University, we strive to offer students an integrated, "four-field" approach to the study of humans, at the undergraduate and graduate levels, along with opportunities to work with active researchers in all areas.

Political Science (POLS)

Political Science is the study of issues and decisions in local, national, and global arenas that influence and govern the way we live. Political science majors qualify for many different careers in private and public sector organizations. Some of the more common careers pursued by graduates in political science include: law, business, teaching, journalism, interest groups, and public and international affairs. Political science training also provides valuable preparation for participating in community organizations, electoral politics, movements on behalf of specific policies, or even seeking elected or appointed positions in government.

Sociology (SOC)

Sociology is the scientific study of social change and social life -- by seeking to explain how human groups, institutions, and social movements shape our lives. Sociology develops students' insights into theoretical and practical aspects of life. Students at SIUC study such topics as criminology, delinquency, deviance, identity, international development, marriage and the family, race/ethnic relations, religion, sex and gender roles, sexuality, social problems, social movements, social thought, social change, sports/leisure, and victimology.

School of Communication Studies

Communication Studies (CMST)

A degree in Communication Studies can prepare you for a career in business, the arts, social services, government, education, or industry. Your ability to communicate effectively is essential to your potential career success. In our program you can develop the flexible, practical skills you will need after graduation. You learn from nationally-recognized faculty in small classes. In our program you're a name, not a number.

School of History and Philosophy

History (HIST)

The History Program is strongly committed to creating an environment that is supportive of students from diverse backgrounds while upholding the most rigorous academic standards. Our courses cover the globe, and students are given ample opportunity to work closely with award-winning teachers and scholars. However much we may want to, we cannot escape the relevance of history to our lives. The past lives, and we study history to connect our past with our future and to give meaning to our present. Online BA option is available.

Philosophy (PHIL)

The Philosophy Program at SIUC is a pluralistic one with undergraduate courses in a variety of traditions. The faculty have diverse specializations: history of philosophy, logic, ethics, metaphysics, political and legal philosophy, the philosophy of science, philosophy of technology, and philosophy of religion. Our Philosophy program also houses several world-famous project divisions, including the Phenomenology Research Center, The Center for Dewey Studies, and the Library of Living Philosophers.

School of Languages and Linguistics

Languages, Cultures, & International Studies (LCIS)

The Languages, Cultures, and International Studies Program prepares students to live in today's global community. We teach modern & classical languages and prepare our students to understand their cultural contexts. Our faculty conduct research in literature, linguistics, pedagogy, philosophy, and foreign cultures. We serve the university, our professional communities, local schools, and the general public by providing support and leadership to help citizens thrive in an increasingly globalized world.

Linguistics (LING)

Linguistics is the study of language. Linguists study the sounds of language, how words are built, how sentences are constructed, and what words and sentences mean. We also study how language is learned and processed in our minds and brains, how it is used in social-cultural contexts, and how it changes over time.

School of Literature, Writing, and Digital Humanities

English (ENGL)

The study of literature and written communication disciplines the intellect and teaches us to comprehend the world. Employers want people who respect and understand the diversity of human experience, who can communicate directly and clearly, and who can take on responsibility, initiate change, and solve problems independently. The discipline of English seeks to define what it is to be human by scrutinizing both real and imagined experience; by teaching us how to think creatively and critically, using our interpretive and analytical abilities; and by teaching us valuable lessons about the human experience -- that things may not be as they appear, that language can be both powerful and playful, that even as we differ, humans share many important values. Students who choose to study literature, language, rhetoric, and composition in the SIUC Program of English have access to excellent resources: a talented, friendly faculty, small class size, well-equipped facilities, and extensive library collections. Graduates of the program have gone on to work in teaching, publishing, and law. Others hold responsible positions in business, industry, government and more.

University Studies Program

University Studies Program (UST)

CoLA undergraduates can choose to build their own bachelor of arts (B.A.) or bachelor of sciences (B.S.) degrees using the University Studies Program. This degree tool offers a passage to receiving a real, tangible, liberal arts degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale without a formal, declared major. The University Studies program is the way to build a custom bachelor's degree based on the needs and interests of a particular student. It is a broadly based degree that not only allows, but requires, diversification. Online BA or BS option is available.

College Interdisciplinary Minors

American Studies Minor

Course requirements: 15 credit hours.

The American Studies minor provides undergraduates with the opportunity to study American culture with faculty from a variety of disciplines. The goal is for students to gain an enhanced understanding of the complexity and richness of the social, political, aesthetic and economic structures that inform American life. Simultaneously, the minor exposes students to interdisciplinary approaches to the study of American society.

The minor consists of a minimum of 15 hours: 3 hours (1 class) in an introductory course in American Studies; 6 hours (2 classes) in breadth courses from the University Core Curriculum; and 6 hours (2 classes) in one of the four primary American Studies focus areas. Through coursework in American Studies, students prepare themselves for careers in a variety of fields requiring critical thinking and writing, from teaching to law, health, business and government. The requirements for the American Studies minor are listed below.


I. Core course for the minor:

All students taking the American Studies minor must complete "Introduction to American Studies," which is cross listed in History and English:

  • HIST 212, or
  • ENGL 212

II. Breadth Courses:

Students must take two of the following courses (6 hours):

  • AFR 209
  • AFR 215
  • ANTH 202
  • ENGL 205
  • HIST 210
  • PHIL 211
  • PHIL 210

III. Specialization Courses:

Students must take two courses (6 hours) from one of the below "focus areas":

1. American Cultural Studies:

  • AFR 311A
  • AFR 311B
  • AFR 449
  • ANTH 204
  • ANTH 302
  • ANTH 416
  • ANTH 424
  • CCJ 203
  • HIST 335
  • HIST 354
  • HIST 355
  • HIST 357
  • HIST 362A
  • HIST 362B
  • HIST 364
  • HIST 365
  • LING 416
  • MCMA 449
  • POLS 215
  • POLS 314I
  • POLS 332I
  • POLS 370

2. Political Philosophy:

  • CCJ 474
  • HIST 355
  • HIST 455
  • PHIL 486
  • PHIL 487
  • POLS 332

3. Art and Literature in the U.S.:

  • AD 227
  • AD 267
  • AD 307I
  • AD 317I
  • AD 428
  • AFR 350
  • AFR 355A
  • AFR 355B
  • AFR 357
  • AFR 375
  • ENGL 205
  • ENGL 206A
  • ENGL 225
  • ENGL 307I
  • ENGL 325
  • ENGL 355A
  • ENGL 355B
  • MC 204
  • MUS 303I
  • THEA 454
  • THEA 460

4. Local History/Public History:

  • ANTH 201
  • ANTH 310K
  • ANTH 450A
  • ANTH 450B
  • GEOG 303I
  • HIST 367
  • HIST 496
  • HIST 498
  • POLS 213
  • POLS 214

Native American Studies Minor

The Native American Studies minor is interdisciplinary, designed to provide undergraduates with an enhanced understanding of the culture, history, language, literature, and arts of Native Peoples of the Americas. The minor consists of a minimum of 18 hours that are to be selected from the university’s offerings on these topics and organized to reflect each individual student’s interests. Through coursework in Native American Studies, students may prepare themselves for careers in teaching, government, the media, health care, business, law, and the arts, among others. The requirements for Native American Studies minor are listed below.

Successful completion of the Native American Studies minor consists of satisfying all course requirements.

Associated Faculty

Gray H. Whaley* (History) - Faner Hall Rm 3374

* Native American Studies Advisor & Contact person

Course Requirements

Course Requirements: 18 credit hours, including 6 hours of required core courses and 12 hours of electives, of which 3 hours may be selected from a special interest or related course; for example, Africana Studies.

Required Core Courses:

One of:

  • ANTH 310E/470E: Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of South America
  • ANTH 310I/470: Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of Mesoamerica
  • ANTH 310J/470J: Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of the Andes
  • ANTH 310K/470K: Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of the Native Southwest

And:

  • HIST 366: American Indian History

Electives:

Electives can be chosen from the following (note that some have prerequisites or restrictions):

Anthropology (ANTH)

  • 201 Archaeology of Illinois
  • 205 Latin American Civilization
  • 206 Latin American Popular Culture
  • 302 Indians of the Americas
  • 310e/470e Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of South America
  • 310i/470i Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of Mesoamerica
  • 310j/470j Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of the Andes
  • 310k/470k Introduction to Peoples and Cultures of the Native Southwest
  • 328a/428a Indigenous Languages of the Americas: North America
  • 328b/428b Indigenous Languages of the Americas: Mesoamerica
  • 328c/428c Indigenous Languages of the Americas: South America
  • 420 Mayan Texts
  • 424 Native American Verbal Art
  • 430A Archaeology of North America
  • 430B Archaeology of Mesoamerica
  • 430E Archaeology of the Eastern Woodlands
  • 430F Archaeology of South America
Art & Design (AD)
  • 317I Contemporary Native American Art
  • 428 Native North American Art
  • 468 Pre-Columbian Art
English (ENGL)
  • 332 Folktales and Mythology
History (HIST)
  • 361 Race and History in the United States
  • 403 American Indians and U.S. Empire
Sociology (SOC)
  • 215 Race and Ethnic Relations in the United States

Peace Studies Minor

The Peace Studies minor is interdisciplinary, designed to provide undergraduates with a better understanding of the causes of war and violence, the history of war and peace, and alternatives to violence in thought and practice.  The minor consists of a minimum of 18 hours that are to be selected from the university’s offerings on these topics and organized to reflect each individual student’s interests.  Through coursework in Peace Studies, students may prepare themselves for careers in teaching, government, media, law, non-profit organizations and NGOs, and the arts, among others.  The requirements for the Peace Studies minor are listed below.

Contact

For more information, contact: Satoshi Toyosaki, Coordinator

Peace Studies Minor

Successful completion of the Peace Studies minor consists of satisfying all course requirements.

Course Requirements

18 credit hours, including 6 hours of required core courses and 12 hours of electives.  The 18 hours must be spread over at least three different departments.

Required core courses

History 358i or Cinema and Photography 358i - Introduction to Peace Studies

Philosophy 309i: Philosophy of Peace, Law, and Justice

Electives

Electives are to be chosen from the following list.  Other courses may substitute, but only with the express approval of a member of the Peace Studies faculty advisory committee.

Anthropology (ANTH)

  • 330 Biological Foundations of Human Behavior
  • 370 Anthropology and Contemporary Human Problems
  • 410A Practicing Anthropology
  • 410E Anthropology of Law
  • 410O Colonialism and Post-colonialism

Africana Studies (AFR) (formerly Black American Studies)

  • 209 Critical Issues in the Black American Experience
  • 332I Introduction to Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
  • 360 Race and History in the U.S. (same as HIST 361)
  • 416 Black Feminist Thought as Theory and Praxis (CMST 416)
  • 447 Communicating Race and Ethnicity
  • 472 Psychology of Race and Racism
  • 497 The U.S. Civil Rights Movement

Cinema and Photography (CP)

  • 469 Queer Visual Culture

Communication Studies (CMST)

  • 301I Intercultural Communication
  • 341 Introduction to Intercultural Communication
  • 412 Environmental Rhetoric
  • 448 Intercultural Training
  • 463 Interpersonal Conflict
  • 464 Compassionate Communication
  • 490C Global Peace Studies in Japan

Criminology & Criminal Justice (CCJ)

  • 203 Race, Class & Gender
  • 492 Special Topics: Genocide and Mass Atrocity

East Asian Studies (EA)

  • 370A Global Peace Studies in Japan

English (ENGL)

  • 493 Rebels, Slaves, Monsters, and Human Rights: From Oroonoko to Game of Thrones

Geography (GEOG)

  • 304 Geography of Globalization

History (HIST)

  • 335 Peace and War in the 20th Century
  • 340 International History of the Cold War
  • 355 Radical View of American History
  • 361 Race and History in the U.S. (same as AFR 360)
  • 456 The U.S. in the 1960s
  • 457 American Environmental History
  • 493 Civil Rights Movement
  • 496 Internship

Linguistics (LING)

  • 320 Language, Gender and Power

Philosophy (PHIL)

  • 210 The American Mind
  • 375 Ecology and Ethics
  • 405 Democratic Theory
  • 433-001 Post-Colonialism
  • 441 Philosophy of Toleration

Political Science (POLS)

  • 324 Politics and Environmental Policy
  • 332 Introduction to Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
  • 370 Terrorism and Counter-terrorism
  • 375 War and Force in World Politics
  • 405 Democratic Theory
  • 490 Philosophy of Toleration
  • International Human Rights

Sociology (SOC)

  • 424 Social Movements and Collective Behavior
  • 435 Social Inequality
  • 437 Sociology of Globalization and Development
  • 438 Sociology and Ethnic Relations in World Perspective
  • 455 Racial Inequality

Spanish (SPAN)

  • 401/501 Third Cinema and Latin American Documentary

University Honors

  • UHON 351 Global Peace Studies in Japan

Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS)

  • 300 Feminist Theory
  • 320i Language, Gender and Power (same as LING 320i)
  • 401 Contemporary Feminism

Mass Communication and Media Arts:

  • RTD 492-002/MCMA 555-002 Special Topics: Militarization and Media
  • RTD 489/MCMA 497 Gender, Media and Militarization
  • CP 270-470A: Topics in Cinema & Photography: Marxism and the Visual Arts and Performance: History - Theory, Twentieth Century to Present
  • CP 470 A Neoliberalism and the Politics of Culture
  • CP 463/MCMA 552 History of Experimental Film: topic Race, Class, Gender and Experiments in Media
  • CP 470B/MCMA 543 Film Production Topic: Art and Activism: a creative revolution

Special Topics and Elective Course Options:

Interested in a Special Topics course, or an elective course for your major? See the various courses below that are offered by CoLA Programs in Summer 2025 and Fall 2025. For more course options, please view the Schedule of Classes.

SUMMER 2025

ASL 370: Deaf Culture
Online, Asynchronous: June 9-August 3
Katie Moore
(UCC) This course is designed to introduce students to American Sign Language (ASL) literatue and the history of Deaf culture. Information about the Deaf community, Deaf culture and history, ASL literature, including sign poetry and storytelling, folklore, and Deaf Theater will be covered. No prior knowledge of sign language required.

ASL 375: History of Sign Languages
Online, Asynchronous: June 9-August 3
Katie Moore
(UCC) This course explores the history of sign language in the Western world, and the marginalization of the American Deaf community. Emphasis is placed upon the presences of sign language in Deaf education, and the sociolinguistic culture of Deaf communities. No prior knowledge of sign language required.

CMST 493: Video Games: Art, Culture, and History
Online, Asynchronous: July 7-August 3
Justin Young
From the Lincoln White House to nuclear research facilities, from pinball to virtual reality- take a journey through the history of video games and along the way examine how novelty machines grew into the largest media industry in the world. Delve into what makes the medium a unique art from aesthetic, storytelling, and production perspectives. From Qbert to Halo, from Super Mario to Elden Ring.
LING 410/PHIL 410: Philosophy of Language
Online, Asynchronous: June 9-August 3
Dr. Jeff Punske
Explore the foundations of meaning: Dive into the nature of language, how we communicate, and what it means to "understand" words and sentences. Tackle fundamental questions like "What is meaning?", "How do words refer to the world?", and "Can language shape thought?". Learn from the Greats: Study influential philosophers like Plato, Russell, Frege, and Chomsky. Discover their groundbreaking ideas about language.
SOC/WGSS 223: Intro to Gender and Society
Online, Asynchronous: May 12-June 8
Dr. Rachel Whaley
Did you ever wonder if men and women are as different as the media suggests? Or why the media says women earn less than men? Or why we say, ‘woman doctor’ and ‘male nurse’? Did you know that many aspects of your life are a result of the ideas that society has about men and women? Did you know that the gender system shapes the lives of boys/men and not just girls/women?

FALL 2025

ANTH 261: Issues in Popular Anthropology: Archaeology of Enslaved Lives
T/Th 11:00am-12:15pm
Dr. Matt Greer
The trans-Atlantic slave trade brought millions of Africans to the Americas, where they and their descendants were enslaved for centuries. This class uses archaeology to explore the lives of enslaved people throughout the ANAmericas—from the plantations of Virginia and New York to the streets of Rio de Janeiro, and even here in southern Illinois—and addresses topics such as the ways Black people retained cultural practices from Africa while carving out spaces for themselves in the Americas.
ANTH 410R: Anthropology of Science and Technology
Online, Asynchronous
Dr. Chris Stantis
In this course, you'll learn the steps of working with anthropological data digitally, as well as working with digital data in anthropology (two distinct things). You'll learn about many of the tools and skills anthropologists use to collect, manipulate, analyze, and present information, and gain introductory experience with these tools. Topic Highlights: Managing Your Findings, common tools of digital, anthropology, creating compelling, anthropology.
ANTH 485: Migrant and Refugee Experiences
T/Th 9:35am-10:50am
Dr. David Sutton
This course considers the experience of migrants and refugees, the many myths as well as dreams and realities that are constituted in the decision to move from “home” to some new place. While considering transnational migration through an anthropological lens, the course will focus in particular on experiences of migrants in the United States (both historical and contemporary) and the European Union—with a specific focus on memories, dreams (waking and sleeping) and the cultural changes and adjustments that are part of the process of migration as seen through food, illness, gift-giving and remittances, and other practical and symbolic aspects of migration. We will explore these topics through the lens of ethnography.
CMST 493-001: Communication and Scripted Podcasting
T/Th 5:00pm-6:15pm
Dr. Jonathan Gray
This course will explore a particular set of practices in the modern podcasting world—the scripted podcast. By scripted podcast, I mean to distinguish this format from the more common talk show, conversation-driven, interview, extemporaneous, or streamof-consciousness podcast. This course is built on the assumption that the technology for creating and disseminating such work is readily available and increasingly in our own back pockets. In this way, communication practitioners bring their own “making do” spirit to the work of crafting and creating prepared podcasts.
CMST 493-002: Intercultural Communication: A Peace Building Perspective
T/Th 2:00pm-3:15pm
Dr. Nilanjana Bardhan
Peace seems elusive in our increasingly connected and conflict-ridden world. Therefore, it is even more essential to pursue peace when differences are being politicized to create chasms and wars rather than mutual understanding and respect. This special topics course will focus on how the ways in which we communicate and represent can help build peaceful communities and communication across cultural and ideological differences. Using a peace building framework, it will delve into how culture permeates and influences our everyday lives and shapes the dynamics of our friendships, family relationships, classroom and workplace environments, and media perceptions when we encounter and engage people and cultures different from our own in domestic and transnational contexts.