English - Minors

The minor in African, African American, and Diaspora (AAAD) Studies broadens students' world perspectives by enhancing their acquaintance with and understanding of the peoples, cultures, and institutions of Africa and the African Diaspora.

The AAAD program engages cross disciplinary approaches to understand and to encounter Africa and the African Diaspora in a global context. The cross disciplinary character of the program is further enhanced by the fact that courses taken to fulfill program requirements are drawn from several departments. From these course offerings, students will examine and engage with some of AAAD Studies key contributing disciplines, concepts, methods and topics including the development of new identities.
Total: 19 Credit Hours

For more information, contact Dr. Mollie Godfrey (godfrema@jmu.edu) or Dr. Besi Muhonja (muhonjbx@jmu.edu)

The minor in American Studies is designed to foster an understanding of the whole of American culture through study in a variety of fields and topics. Students will select courses in three groups—Multicultural, Ideas and the Arts, and History and Politics—and from fields including literature, history, the fine arts, philosophy, and the social sciences. The American Studies program is a flexible one that students can adapt according to their own individual interests and needs while exploring the interrelationships among diverse aspects of American culture and its changing ideas and values. For more information, contact Dr. Laura Henigman, who coordinates the American Studies minor. 
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The minor in book arts is a cross-disciplinary program designed to broaden students' understanding of the value and role of the art of the book in general culture while enhancing written and visual creativity, artistic production and the ability to think independently. Contact Dawn McCusker for more information. 
Total: Minimum 21 Credit Hours

The interdisciplinary minor in creative writing is designed to give students an opportunity to develop their writing talents across a number of literary forms and communication contexts. This checklist specifies requirements in the Creative Writing Minor. For more information, contact Erica Cavanagh, who coordinates the creative writing minor. Visit the Creative Writing Minor website for more information.
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The Environmental Humanities minor invites students from all majors to discover how their creative and critical thinking skills can lead them to environmental engagement now and in their professional futures. Environmental Humanities is an interdisciplinary minor offering opportunities to explore the complex interactions between humans and the natural environment though the study of literature, history, communication, religion, philosophy, and the visual and performing arts. Please contact Associate Professor of English Dr. Katey Castellano for more information.
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The interdisciplinary minor in film studies is designed for students who wish to extend their critical understanding of visual communication and narrative form by studying how movies tell stories, convey information and influence audiences. 

For more information, contact Dr. Kevin Reynolds, who coordinates the film studies minor.
Total: 18 Credit Hours

JMU's interdisciplinary Minor in Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies (LAXC) helps students to acquire a deeper understanding of Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the U.S. Latinx experience. 18 hours of coursework in disciplines including literature, history, language, justice studies, political science, anthropology, and others prepares students for facing complex 21st-century challenges with a strong sense of cultural competency and a nuanced global perspective. For more information, contact the minor coordinator, Kristin N. Wylie (wyliekn@jmu.edu) or visit the website (jmu.edu/laxc).
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The cross disciplinary minor in medical humanities provides students with a humanistic and social study of illness, health and the body. Drawing upon concepts found in the disciplines contributing to the minor, courses in the curriculum share the common focus of examining how individuals and institutions articulate and disseminate conceptions of the body, including constituent issues such as race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. For more information, please contact Dr. Michael J Klein.
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor focuses on the period from the fall of Rome (5th century C.E.) to 1700. The minor allows students to take courses in art history, English, history, music, philosophy, political science, religion, and a range of languages (Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Latin as well as medieval languages such as Old English and Middle English) in the original or in translation. Students may focus on either the Medieval or the Renaissance periods or combine coursework in both periods. For more information, contact Dr. Peter Eubanks (French), who coordinates the Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor.
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The undergraduate program in Secondary Education provides students with the courses and experiences that afford the required foundation for admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT Program). Completion of the MAT program is required for licensure in secondary education at JMU. The Secondary Education MAT program prepares individuals for initial licensure to teach students in grades 6-12. Undergraduate students who are planning to pursue licensure to teach at the secondary level should complete the 22 credit pre-professional program in education. Students should also complete a major or the equivalent in one of the arts and sciences disciplines closely associated with the desired teaching area. For more information, contact Dr. Katie Dredger, Department Head, Middle, Secondary, and Mathematics Education.
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program is designed to enable students to complete the TESOL  non-licensure minor or the TESOL PK-12 licensure. Both programs prepare students to work effectively in promoting English language acquisition of children and adults who are not native English speakers.

The non-licensure minor program in TESOL is designed for students in various fields who wish to acquire professional knowledge related to teaching English to speakers of other languages, but who do not want to pursue Virginia teaching licensure. 
Total: Minimum of 19 Credit Hours

This program draws on theories of linguistics, research on social and cultural variables that influence second language acquisition and the knowledge required to facilitate second language learning. The TESOL program will prepare future educators to understand and implement more equitable and effective ways of working with English Language Learners in a variety of contexts, including inclusion in content/general education classes, sheltered-ESL classes and pullout classes.

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies offers an interdisciplinary interpretive framework for studying gender-based inequality. WGSS examines research on gender, women, and sexuality in society, culture, and history. It emphasizes the intersection of gender and sexuality with other vital categories of human identity and experience, including race, ethnicity, (dis)ability and class. Students study the impact of globalization and technologies on gendered bodies and identities. WGSS courses equip students with skills in critical analysis, advocacy, and communication and present creative solutions to problems relating to equity, diversity, and social justice.

For more information, contact Dr. Mary Thompson, Coordinator of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.
Total: 18 Credit Hours

The undergraduate minor in World Literature gives students the opportunity to broaden their understanding of and experiences in different cultures of the world by examining the literatures of these cultures. By exploring various literary traditions, students will better understand how literature reflects culture and deepen their appreciation for the diversity of global cultures. Additional information is available via the Undergraduate Catalog or via the minor's website. The minor coordinator is Dr. Debali Mookerjea-Leonard. 

For additional details on other minor programs at JMU, consult the list of minors in the Undergraduate catalog.