Admission to the Program

Admission to the minor requires a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 and approval of the program coordinator. 

Requirements

• 18 credit hours with grades of C or better and at least 12 credit hours unique to the minor 

Students take a core survey course and 15 additional credit hours in North American-related course work, including study abroad in Canada or Mexico and/or an approved internship, with a minimum 2.5 GPA in courses for the minor overall and a 3.0 GPA in the core courses. 

• A minimum of two years of Spanish or French language courses at the post-secondary level with grades of B or better, or a level of communication competency equivalent to the entry level for third-year conversation and composition, as demonstrated by a placement score of 421 points in French or 440 points in Spanish on the Computer Assisted Proficiency Exam (CAPE) administered by the Language Resource Center in the Department of Language and Foreign Studies (LFS). 
• Preparation of a significant research paper as part of one of the core courses or as a reflection on study abroad or approved internship 
• Approved study abroad in Canada or Mexico or an internship with a North American focus 

Course Requirements

• SIS-318 Topics in North America Studies:
  North America: A Union, a Community, or Just
      Three Nations? (3) 

or 

SIS-503 North American Summer Institute:
Discovering North America Seminar (3) 

• a minimum of two North American-related issues courses from the following, or other North American topics courses with the program coordinator’s approval: 

ECON-358 Economics of the World Regions:
North America (3) 

GOVT-338 North American Politics (3) 

SIS-400 Senior Seminar in International Relations:
Politics of Regional Integration (3)
North American Social Movements (3) 

SIS-513 Computer Applications in International Relations Research (3) (focus on North America) 

• 9 additional credit hours including an approved internship or courses taken at selected universities in Canada and Mexico, and from special courses taught by CNAS Senior Fellows and the following, with the program coordinator’s approval: 

AMST-400 Interpreting American Culture (4) 

ECON-319 United States Economic History (3) 

FREN-326 French Topics:
Civilisation, Littérature, et Cinéma du Québec (3) 

SPAN-356 Spanish Topics:
Mexico-U.S. Border (3) 

SIS-318 Topics in North American Studies:
Politics and Institutions of International Trade (3)
The Foreign Policy of a Middle Power: The Case of Canada (3)