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American Culture Exploration

2025-26 catalog edits in progress

Advisor: Mischa Hooker

American Culture Exploration (ACE) is designed for international students who come to Augustana College for one year. The purpose of ACE is to acknowledge international students who desire to focus their academic career on the study of culture in the United States.

By following a curriculum with various interdisciplinary options, ACE provides students the opportunity to develop a more thorough understanding of American culture.

International students who spend one year on campus come through various institutional programs (Fulbright, Swedish-American Foundation) and exchange agreements (Uppsala, Kobe City University). After satisfactory completion of the following requirements, these students will receive an acknowledgement verifying their successful completion of the ACE curriculum.

Completion requirements:

  • International students must successfully complete ENGL 110, a 4-credit course specifically designed for international students.
  • A minimum of 12 additional credits taken from the approved list of courses.
  • Complete 2 semesters and one J-term (one full year) of coursework in good standing and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0.
  • Application to receive the ACE curriculum must be completed no later than the conclusion of J-Term.

Applications are available online on the Registrar's Office forms page.

Take 12 credits from:

AFSP-201Intro to Africana Studies
ARHI-368American Art
BUSN-305Employment Law*
BUSN-333Financial Markets*
COMM-220Communication & Social Relationships
ECON-404U.S. Economic History*
EDUC-217Urban Education
ENGL-110American Rhetoric and Culture of the U.S.
ENGL-270Multicultural Literature of the U.S.
ENGL-275Intro to African-American Lit
ENGL-378Modern American Poetry
GEOG-339Historical Geography of North America
GEOL-105Rocky Mountain Geology
HIST-130Rethinking American History, to 1877
HIST-131Rethinking American History, 1877-Present
HIST-133American Environment
HIST-235American Film History & Theory
HIST-345African-American History
MJMC-345Culture & History of Media
MUSC-315Music in American History
MUSC-316African American Music
POLS-101American Government - National
POLS-203Identity in American Politics
POLS-260The Legal System
POLS-320American Foreign Policy
POLS-330American Political Participation
POLS-338The American Presidency
POLS-361Constitutional Law I*
PSYC-416Psychology & Law*
RELG-205American Christianities
RELG-361American Catholicism
SOAN-221Inequality in America
SOAN-321Native North America*
SOAN-335Citizenship
WGSS-335Masculinity in American Culture*

*Courses denoted with a star (*) are only appropriate for students with advanced study in this area and require permission of the department. 

Not all classes are offered every year and students should begin planning for their courses as soon as they arrive on campus. Students may petition for substitutions to the requirements listed in the 12 additional credits by petitioning the Committee on Advanced Standing and Degrees. The petition must be submitted prior to the student's registration time and prior to the program application deadline noted above.

For a complete list of the college policies and guidelines about experiential minors, see the catalog section on Organization of the Curriculum.