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American Culture Exploration

2023-24 Academic Catalog Page

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