Interdisciplinary minors at Elon reflect and engage our understanding of inclusive excellence by prompting students to think from a variety of perspectives and disciplines while cultivating multi-method skillsets. As such, these minors provide students with rigorous educational experiences that work to prepare them for an increasingly interlinked world. We encourage students to explore the programs below to enhance their major coursework.

Students can also use the Diversity Course Database to locate courses that reflect an intersectional engagement and framing that address matters inclusive excellence.

African and African-American Studies (AAASE)

AAASE is an active, diverse, and vibrant community with a mission to promote the production and dissemination of knowledge about African and African-descended peoples through advocacy, learning, research, scholarship, service, and teaching. Also, get a glimpse at their current happenings on their Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Buffie Longmire-Avital

American Studies

American Studies is the interdisciplinary study of American culture. The minor provides an opportunity for students to meld interests in the culture and history of the United States in a way that they cannot in single, traditional disciplines. Students will combine knowledge and methods from anthropology, art history, communications, history, law, literature, political science, sociology and other disciplines to interrogate multiple perspectives, recognizing how various individuals, peoples and groups help create American society as well as challenge its institutions, both within and outside the United States.

Program Coordinator: Samuele Pardini

Asian Studies

The Asian Studies minor at Elon offers students an interdisciplinary program to study the art, history, geography, religion, languages, philosophy, politics, economics and societies of this vast, diverse continent. Students also acquire a comparative context for their understanding of Asia in its relations with the US and other parts of the world. Asian Studies aims to provide students with a depth of knowledge and multiple critical perspectives with which to understand how these diverse locales have been and continue to be interwoven with the global.

Program Coordinator: Pamela Winfield

Criminal Justice Studies

Drawing on the expertise of several departments across campus, the Criminal Justice Studies program provides students with a solid educational foundation in the realms of crime and justice. Through courses and relevant experiences, students critically examine both academic and applied facets of the discipline. Also, get a glimpse at their current happenings on their Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Rena Zito

Geography

As international events unfold each day, the need to understand the many lands, cultures and people that make up our world has never been greater. The study of geography involves much more than memorizing locations and learning to use maps. At Elon, you will explore how the location of a country, region or society affects world economies, politics, cultures and ecosystems. You will also gain experience with the latest technology used in the study of geography through courses in GIS — computer systems used to store and analyze spatially referenced data. You can learn more about this program on their website and get a glimpse at their current happenings on their Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Ryan Kirk

German Studies

The German Studies minor focuses on the study of German language, culture, and society from a diverse set of viewpoints. Our courses regularly include topics of immigration, race and ethnicity, gender, family, nationality and national belonging, and political diversity. Also, get a glimpse at their current happenings on their Instagram and Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Scott Windham, Kristin Lange

Interreligious Studies

The Interreligious Studies minor is a multi-disciplinary minor located within the Religious Studies department. This course of study focuses on historical and contemporary encounters between and interactions among distinct religious communities and/or traditions. It provides students the background to analyze the character of inter-religious encounter, to think critically about interfaith dialogue, and to function effectively in multi-religious and multi-cultural contexts.

Program Coordinator: Brian Pennington

Italian Studies

Italian Studies is an interdisciplinary minor with an intensive focus on the Italian language and culture. The Italian Studies minor provides students with a knowledge of the Italian language and culture from a variety of perspectives: linguistic, literary, cultural, historical, artistic, philosophical and political. Also, get a glimpse at their current happenings with their Facebook group.

Program Coordinator: Brandon Essary

Jewish Studies

The Jewish Studies program at Elon explores the historical and contemporary experience of the Jewish people. Jewish Studies courses consider Jewish history, language and literature and the diversity of Jewish religious, cultural, philosophical, and political traditions. These courses help students to understand the distinctive ideas and practices of Jewish communities, the ways in which Jewish ideas have influenced and have been influenced by other civilizations, the conditions under which Jews have been the victims of persecution, and the significance of the establishment of the State of Israel in the 20th century. Also, get a glimpse of their current happenings on their Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Andrea Sinn

Latin American Studies

The Latin American Studies minor offers an opportunity to study one of the most diverse and fascinating regions of the world. It enables students to supplement their major with coursework in two or more disciplines that explore the ways in which Latin Americans have expressed their culture and identity through language, literature and the arts. Courses in the minor investigate the collective aspirations of Latin Americans through their social and political behavior, cultural priorities, and responses to community, national and international issues as well as the physical environment.

Program Coordinator: Pablo Celis-Castillo

Leadership Studies

The Leadership Studies minor is based on the concept that underlies the Elon Experiences and is at the heart of an Elon education: active and engaged learning. The study of leadership must be an effective marriage of content and process; this minor is designed to provide both. It is built on the strength and expertise of Elon’s faculty and is designed to expose students to theories and practices of leadership across disciplinary boundaries, shape their definition of leadership so that they understand it occurs at the interchange of vision and action, teach them the importance of vision being informed by values, provide them with practical skills in the art of working with people and encourage in them an understanding of leadership as a focus of academic inquiry and research.

Program Coordinator: Chris Leupold

Middle East Studies

With its rich religious, historical and cultural diversity, the Middle East has long captured humanity’s imagination. Today the region’s strategic roles in global politics, conflict and economics command the world’s attention, inviting careful study and research. Elon’s Middle East Studies minor offers students an interdisciplinary program, designed to promote a deeper understanding of regional issues and perspectives. You can learn more about this program on their website.

Program Coordinator: Shereen Elgamal

Peace and Conflict Studies

The Peace and Conflict Studies minor is a broad and interdisciplinary program designed to promote a critical, holistic, and intellectually rigorous understanding of: 1) the complex nature, causes, and modes of expression of violence and conflict and the ethical debates surrounding the use of violence; 2) the history, philosophy, and strategies of nonviolent action and resistance; and 3) the conditions to create and promote peace, justice, and conflict resolution. In their study of peace and conflict, students are encouraged to integrate the methods and essential questions of different fields – the social sciences, humanities, and behavioral sciences. Also, get a glimpse at their current happenings on their Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Federico Pous

Poverty and Social Justice

The mission of the Poverty and Social Justice program at Elon is to educate students about the multiple causes and structural nature of poverty so that they might work more effectively toward its end. Through coursework and an internship, students from any major can learn about how citizens can understand, encounter and advocate for the poor, both in the U.S. and globally. Also, get a glimpse at their current happenings on their Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Toddie Peters

Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies

Elon’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies (WGSS) program provides an academic home for mentoring, pedagogy, and scholarship dedicated to critical inquiry about women, gender, sexualities, and feminism. Through academic courses, research, internships and events, students learn about gender and sexualities across six areas of emphasis: critical inquiry; interdisciplinarity; identity; intersectionality; societal structures; and action. Also, get a glimpse at their current happenings on their Facebook page.

Program Coordinator: Sarah Glasco