Students interested in taking an interdisciplinary approach to studying the United States and the people who live in it, along with the US’s place in a broader global context, have a new option available to them: the American Studies minor.
With the retirement of the Western American Studies minor, this new minor offers students who want to study America a variety of options that line up with the academic tracks offered in the major program. Students will be able to sign up for the new American Studies minor at the beginning of fall semester 2025.
Academic Tracks
Those who minor in American Studies will choose one of three tracks: Religious Lives, Liberties, and Histories; Constitution and Democracy in the World; and Communities, Cultures, and Citizenship. While the American Studies minor prepares students for a variety of professional and academic endeavors, it also has spiritual component, says Dr. Jamin Rowan, faculty coordinator of the American Studies program: “We created tracks that would resonate with BYU's and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ mission to advocate for the family, religion’s role in human flourishing, and constitutional government.”
Because students can choose from these three tracks, they can tailor the minor to fit their area of interest within the realm of American Studies. And these three tracks, says Dr. Rowan, provide unique opportunities for students that are hard to find elsewhere on campus.
Religious Lives, Liberties, and Histories
The Religious Lives, Liberties, and Histories track supports BYU’s commitment to help students obtain a broad education that includes not only a greater understanding of the “the history of the restored gospel” but also an “awareness of other religious traditions” (Aims of a BYU Education). By studying the role that religion has played in the lives of past and present Americans from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, students will be equipped to participate in the growing conversation about the importance of establishing and protecting religious liberties for all people. Says Dr. Rowan, “Almost every department on campus offers courses that focus on their discipline and religion; this track will allow students who are interested in looking at religious experience from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives to take courses related to that and have it count toward a minor.”
He thinks that the Religious Lives, Liberties, and Histories track would be valuable for students who plan further study or work in religion, such as those planning to go to divinity school. But it would also be a great fit for those who are interested in promoting religious liberty in various contexts. He observes, “BYU is a place where people are thinking about all the ways that we can promote religious liberties in many different fields and environments.” Because of this, the track would make a great minor for students interested in policy, law, or nonprofits, and for anyone who’s interested in promoting religious liberty in their future field, like business or international relations.
The Constitution and Democracy in the World
Many BYU students hope to go into law, and Dr. Rowan feels that the Constitution and Democracy in the World track would make for a perfect minor for them. “This is a track that will appeal especially to people who are on their way to law school,” he says, “because you can take courses about constitutional government from the perspectives of history and political science, courses that focus on how the nation’s democratic institutions have provided varying degrees of freedom and equality to people both within and beyond its borders, and courses that closely examine US policies from the perspectives of public health, social work, or family life.” This track supports BYU’s commitment to help students obtain an intellectually enlarging education that includes an “appreciation for the unique contributions of America to modern civilization” (Aims of a BYU Education).
While other programs on campus could lead to law school, the advantage of this one is its interdisciplinary nature, allowing students to learn about these issues from a wide variety of perspectives. “It offers people a more diverse approach to thinking about the Constitution and democratic institutions and processes from a more interdisciplinary place than other programs might,” says Dr. Rowan.
Communities, Cultures, and Citizenship
The final track, he says, “allows people to take courses that focus on the various historical, political, economic, and social forces that shape communities across the US, whether that be geography, class, race, citizenship, or other cultural and social traditions.” This track is grounded in BYU’s belief that the “broadly prepared individual will not only be capable of meeting personal challenge and change but will also bring strength to others in the tasks of home and family life, social relationships, civic duty, and service to mankind” (BYU Mission Statement).
The breadth of this track, he says, makes the program entirely unique at BYU; nowhere else can you take courses across multiple disciplines that look at the complex challenges that American communities have faced and the creative ways that they have addressed these challenges and get credit toward a minor. The interdisciplinary nature of the program makes this possible, Dr. Rowan says: “We’re not inventing any new courses; there are already courses out there, from English, sociology, anthropology, public health, history, media arts, communications . . . nearly every discipline thinks about the forces that shape the communities to which we belong. But this track allows students who are interested in these things—in the ways that geography, politics, economics, ethnicity, citizenship status, and so on shape people's experiences—to get a minor for taking these classes.”
Dr. Rowan thinks this track will appeal to students who are already drawn to majors such as sociology but want to take a broader view of these issues. However, he says, it would be of interest to anyone who wants whatever they’re majoring in to help the people in their communities, meaning that it could be a perfect fit for students hoping to work in public administration, law and policy, nonprofit work, public health, or anything in the civic sphere. “Whatever you do, if part of your personal mission is to help people from different backgrounds, I think this would be an ideal minor for that. It would broaden your perspective and your ability to think about other people’s experiences.”
Learn More
These tracks, says Dr. Rowan, are designed to address gaps in the university curriculum. “We wanted to be sure we weren’t replicating what some other major or minor is already doing, and I think that we've accomplished that with these three different tracks. There are no other programs on campus that offer these kinds of emphases, so I’m really excited about that.”
With these tracks being so applicable to so many areas of interest, he hopes students will see the value in adding an American Studies minor to their major. Through that, he thinks the visibility of the American Studies program will grow. “I’m excited about the minor,” he says. “I think it will increase our community. And the American Studies community is an awesome community to be part of.”
Interested in learning more about the American Studies program? Click here.