Undergraduate Catalog

Interdisciplinary Minors and Courses

Interdisciplinary Minors

Western Illinois University offers a variety of minor programs using an interdisciplinary approach. These programs include individual courses, taught by instructors from one or more departments, that embrace the subject matter and class methods of several disciplines. All interdisciplinary minors include courses from at least two departments (not including the student’s major). To enroll in an interdisciplinary minor, students should consult their major academic advisor and the minor advisor listed below.

Interdisciplinary Minor in Cannabis and Culture : 18 s.h.

Program Locations: Macomb, Online
Academic Advisor: Dr. Keith Boeckelman, College of Arts and Sciences

  1. Core Courses : 9 s.h.
    ANTH 180—Cannabis Cultures: The Anthropological Study of Cannabis (3)
    LAS 420—Senior Seminar in Cannabis and Culture (3)
    REL 180—Religion and Drugs (3)
  2. Directed Electives : 9 s.h.
    Select : 9 s.h. from the following courses with at least 3 s.h. at the 300- or 400-level. No more than two courses from one department:
    ANTH/BIOL 210—Medical Anthropology (3)
    ANTH/REL 324—Religion, Magic, and Shamanism (3)
    ANTH 333—Drugs and Cultures: From Magic Mushrooms to
    Big Pharma (3)
    ANTH/BOT 463—Ethnobotany (4)
    ENG 363—Cannabis in Popular Culture (3)
    HIST 385—History of Drugs (3)
    PHIL 120—Contemporary Moral Problems (3)
    POLS 302—Introduction to Public Policy (3)
    POLS 400—Comparative Public Policy (3)
    Note: A maximum of : 3 s.h. of LAS 420 may count for this minor.
Interdisciplinary Minor in Environmental Studies : 18–22 s.h.

Program Location: Macomb
Academic Advisor: Ms. Jennifer Sandrik-Rubio, College of Arts and Sciences

  1. Core Requirements : 6 s.h.
    ENVR 201—Introduction to Environmental Studies (3)
    ENVR 401—Colloquium on Environmental Studies (3)
  2. Must take at least one course from each Foundation Area and a fourth course from any Foundation Area : 12–16 s.h.
    1. Foundation Area 1: Environmental and Earth Sciences
      AGRN 278—Soil Science (4)
      BIOL 350—General Ecology (4)
      BIOL 453—Streams Ecology (3)
      CHEM 342—Fundamentals of Environmental Chemistry (4)
      GEOL 113—Energy and Earth Resources (3)
      GEOL 310—Geologic Field Methods (2)
      GEOL 375—Environmental Geology (3)
      GEOL 380—Hydrogeology (4)
      HLTH 310—Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Safety (3)
      HLTH 311—Environmental and Occupational Health Problems (3)
      METR 327—Environmental Climatology (3)
      PHYS 124—General Physics (4)
    2. Foundation Area 2: Human Dimensions and Environmental Interactions
      ANTH/WS 395—Gender, Race, and the Environment (3)
      ANTH 410—Anthrozoology (3)
      ANTH/BOT 463—Ethnobotany (4)
      ENG 481—Topics in Writing Studies (3)
      HIST 316—American Environmental History (3)
      HIST 420—Capstone Seminar: Illinois History (3)
      RPTA 376—Perspectives in Outdoor Recreation (3)
      RPTA 448—Interpretation of Cultural and Environmental Resources (3)
    3. Foundation Area 3: Environmental Management and Decision-Making
      CONS 405—Soil and Water Conservation (4)
      ECON/AGEC 430—Environmental Economics (3)
      GEOG/BIOL 426—Conservation and Management of Natural Resources (3)
      INAG 310—International Agriculture in Developing Countries (3)
      MGT 481—Business Ethics and Responsibility to Society (3)
Interdisciplinary Minor in International Studies : 18 s.h.

Program Location: Macomb
Academic Advisor: Dr. Gregory Baldi, Department of Political Science

  1. Core Requirements : 6 s.h.
    1. Required of all minors:
      POLS 228—Fundamentals of International Relations (3)
    2. Choose one of the following four courses:
      The chosen course must not be in the student’s major department.
      ANTH 110—Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
      GEOG 110—World Regional Geography (3)
      HIST 116—World History since 1500 (3)
      POLS 267—Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics (3)
  2. Language Component : 0–6 s.h.
    Some, but not all, of the areas of study require a foreign language. Language study is encouraged but not required for the others. This requirement can be satisfied in whole or part by proficiency credit. The areas which involve language requirements are:
    Latin America (6 hours Spanish)
    Eastern Europe (6 hours German)
    Western Europe (6 hours French or 6 hours German or 6 hours Spanish)
  3. Area Studies : 6–12 s.h.
    This requirement is for 6 s.h. or 12 s.h., depending on whether a language is required for the student’s area of study (see 2 above). If a language is required in 2, only 6 s.h. are required here. If no language is required in 2, 12 s.h. are required. Note that courses in a non-required but appropriate language (e.g., Japanese for a student in Asian Studies) can satisfy part of this requirement. Courses must be in a minimum of two departments. The elective courses from which the student
    must elect 6 s.h. or 12 s.h., as appropriate, are listed below by area.
    1. African Studies
      AAS/HIST 349—Africa since 1800 (3)
      AAS/GEOG 466—World Regions—Africa (3)
      ANTH 201—World Culture Regions—Africa (3)
      INAG 310—International Agriculture in Developing Countries (3)
    2. Asian Studies
      ANTH 201—World Culture Regions—Asia (3)
      GEOG 466—World Regions—Monsoon Asia (3)
      HIST 345—China (3)
      HIST 346—Japan (3)
      INAG 310—International Agriculture in Developing Countries (3)
      REL 350—Hinduism (3)
      REL 355—Buddhism (3)
    3. Latin American Studies
      ANTH 201—World Culture Regions—Latin America (3)
      GEOG 466—World Regions—Latin America (3)
      HIST 241—History of Latin America (3)
      INAG 310—International Agriculture in Developing Countries (3)
      POLS 329—Latin American Politics (3)
    4. Middle Eastern Studies
      ANTH 201—World Culture Regions—Middle East (3)
      INAG 310—International Agriculture in Developing Countries (3)
      REL 365—Islam (3)
    5. Russian and East European Studies
      ARTH 489—Early Christian, Byzantine, or Medieval Art (3)
      GEOG 466—World Regions—Russia (3)
    6. Western European Studies
      ARTH 283—History of World Art: 1400–1900 (3)
      ENG 328—Survey of British Literature (3)
      HIST 328—Europe, 1914–1968 (3)
      HIST 427—French Revolution and Napoleon (3)
      HIST 438—Hitler’s Germany, 1919 to 1949 (3)
      MKTG 317—International Business (3)
      PHIL 300—History of Ancient Philosophy (3)
      PHIL 310—History of Modern Philosophy (3)
      POLS 322—European Politics (3)
      SPAN 408—Spanish Civilization and Culture (3)
      THEA 390—World Theatre History I (3)
      THEA 391—World Theatre History II (3)
Interdisciplinary Minor in Law and Society : 18 s.h.

Program Location: Macomb
Academic Advisor: Dr. Keith Boeckelman, College of Arts and Sciences

  1. Required Courses : 3 s.h.
    POLS 226—Introduction to Law and Society (3) or
    PHIL 205—Philosophy, Law and Society (3)
  2. Electives : 15 s.h.
    Courses must be selected from the following list. They must be drawn from three different departments, not including the student’s major. Student may count PHIL 205 as a Directed Elective only if the student has taken POLS 226.
    BC&J 400—Mass Communication Law and Ethics (3)
    HIST 303—American Legal History (3)
    LEJA 212—Criminal Law (3)
    LEJA 312—Criminal Procedure (3)
    LEJA 441—Seminar on Current Issues in the Court System (3)
    PHIL 205—Philosophy, Law and Society (3)
    PHIL 330—Moral Philosophy (3)
    PHIL 420—Philosophy of Law (3)
    POLS 319—The Judiciary (3)
    POLS 382—Modern Political Theory (3)
    POLS 410—Constitutional Law: Government Organization and Powers (3)
    POLS 411—Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (3)
    POLS 448—The Supreme Court (3)
    PSY 453—Psychology and Law (3)
    REL 300—Religion, Ethics, and Law (3)
    SOC 355—Criminology (3)
    SOC 463—Sociology of Law (3)
Interdisciplinary Minor in Queer Studies : 16 s.h.

Program Location: Macomb
Academic Advisor: Dr. Merrill Cole, Department of English

  1. Required Courses : 7 s.h.
    QS 100—Introduction to Queer Studies (3)
    QS 400—Capstone in Queer Studies (4)
  2. Three of the following: : 9 s.h.
    ENG 359—LGBT Topics in Literature (3)
    SOC 427—Sociology of Sexual Orientation (3)
    WS 280—Lesbianism and Gender Identity (3)
    WS 355—Introduction to Feminist Theory (3)

Interdisciplinary Courses

The College of Arts and Sciences offers Interdisciplinary Courses, which involve the consideration of significant concepts and topics that cross the lines of a single department. Several of these courses, such as those dealing with themes in law and society, are primarily designed to serve the needs of students enrolled in interdisciplinary minors. Although not specifically designed for this purpose, Interdisciplinary Courses can be useful for career preparation in some areas.

Course Descriptions

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ENVR)

201 Introduction to Environmental Studies. (3) Dimensions and scope of environmental studies, includes relationship of humans to nature, ecosystems, earth resources, population, environmental economics, politics, health, and biodiversity.

401 Colloquium on Environmental Studies. (3) The capstone course in the Environmental Studies minor. Variable topics on such issues as population growth, terrestrial resources, environmental ethics, global warming, politics and economics of environment, environmental regulations, agriculture–world food resources will be examined. Students will complete a research project. Prerequisites: ENVR 201 or permission of instructor.