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Minors in Government, Criminology, & Sociology

Note: The information below provides convenient links to some of the courses required for this degree; however, it should not be used as a course registration guide. Please refer to the official Lander University Academic Catalog for the most accurate and up-to-date program requirements.

 

Criminal Justice Minor

The minor in criminal justice is designed to complement students with a major in any discipline other than Criminology in order to broaden and enhance career opportunities. This minor will provide students with knowledge and understanding of the various areas within the criminal justice system and of criminology. Students pursuing this minor may seek employment with the various federal, state, or local governmental or social service agencies which deal with prevention programs for youth and/or at-risk youth, and/or working with populations having criminal behaviors.

  • CRIM 101: Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • POLS 101: American National Government
       or     POLS 101R: American National Government
  • One of the following: 
  • Any 3 courses of the following:
    • CRIM 328: Victimology
    • CRIM 345: Criminal Justice and Mental Health
    • CRIM 350: Ethics in Criminology and Criminal Justice
    • CRIM 366: Race and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice
    • CRIM 386: Vulnerable Populations in Criminal Justice
    • CRIM 390: Current Policy Issues in Criminology
    • CRIM 399: Criminological Theory
  • One of the following: 

Homeland Security Minor

The Homeland Security Minor is intended for students who are considering a career working in government or nongovernmental arenas related to homeland security. Careers within the diplomatic corps; emergency management; the intelligence community; law enforcement at local, state, or national levels; military service; public administration; or private businesses focused on security are some areas with jobs related to homeland security.

The minor provides a breadth of coverage of homeland security and security studies. Beyond the required introductory course, students must take courses that add to understanding of intergovernmental relations, national security history, the sociological aspects of security, and U.S. defense policy and intelligence. The minor offers coursework on contemporary topics such as cybersecurity, emergency management, and terrorism and aspects of criminology in order to build skills in policy analysis. As a whole, the minor enables students to think about how governments and non-governmental actors respond to new levels of securitization in a globalized world.

The homeland security minor consists of 18 semester hours distributed as follows:

  • POLS 250: Introduction to Homeland Security
  • Any 5 courses of the following:
    • CYBR 243: Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
    • CRIM 390: Current Policy Issues in Criminology (where relevant)
    • HIST 347: The United States and the Cold War, 1945-1991
    • HIST 391: America as a Major World Power: U.S. Foreign Relations 1912-present
    • HIST 392: Spies and Lies: The U.S. Espionage Establishment
    • POLS 217: Introduction to Public Administration
    • POLS 325: International Conflict and Terrorism
    • POLS 361: Topics in World Cultures
    • POLS 366: International Law
    • POLS 379: Emergency Management
    • POLS 391: Homeland Security Policy
    • POLS 445: American Foreign Policy
    • SOCI 397: Sociology of Risk

International Studies Minor

The objective of the minor in international studies is to learn about the contemporary world (i.e., post-1900) and the relationship of the United States to the world. Students will be exposed to major international issues and challenges as well as to cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary perspectives. Students pursuing the minor are encouraged to participate in Lander’s approved study abroad programs, although this is not a requirement for completion of the minor.

Courses from chosen area, either A or B - 9 semester hours
Courses from the other two - 9 semester hours

Total hours required to complete the minor - 18 semester hours

Thus, students must concentrate their coursework in either history or political science. In addition, they must choose at least three additional courses for the minor from any of the areas below. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all minor courses.

Area A. History

Special topics courses (HIST 441) are also acceptable if the contemporary age (1900-present) is the primary focus of appropriate course content.

Area B. Political Science

Special topics courses (POLS 361) and internships with an international focus (POLS 490) are also acceptable if the contemporary age (1900-present) is the primary focus of appropriate course content.

Area C. Approved Electives and Study Abroad

Students may count a variety of electives toward the minor in international studies. This includes courses taken at Lander as well as through the Lander-approved study abroad programs. The following Lander courses are pre-approved for the minor:

  • BA 390: International Business
  • ES 314: Cultural Perspectives of Global Climate Change
  • INTL 390: The Politics of Globalization
  • INTL 499: Capstone Seminar
  • NURS 310: Cultural Perspectives in Global Health
  • RELI 301: Religious Cultures of the World
  • SOCI 377: Special Topics (if appropriate course content is covered)

Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad and may count up to nine hours of coursework taken through Lander-approved programs, such as at the University of Winchester in the United Kingdom. Faculty must approve all coursework taken in study abroad programs.

Non-Profit Management Minor

The minor in non-profit management seeks to prepare students for careers with a non-profit organization or local, state, or federal governmental agency that provides social services to a specific population. Given that non-profit organizations provide similar services as some governmental agencies and seek funding through government grants, there is much interaction between governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations or non-profits, some of which are charitable institutions. The minor’s curriculum seeks to make students familiar with governmental structure and regulations, the policy-making process within government and non-profits, and social welfare policies of serving populations in need.

Non-profit management has become a popular specialization within several disciplines and links to many career paths, so this minor may be valuable for students considering graduate school programs such as a master’s degree in public administration (M.P.A.), master’s degree in social work (M.S.W.), or a graduate degree in human services.

Prerequisites for the minor’s coursework:

  • POLS 101: American National Government (or POLS 101R: American National Government )
       or SOCI 101: Introduction to Sociology

A minor in non-profit management consists of 15 semester hours distributed as follows:

Four of the following courses:

*Permission of instructor is required for internships. To count for the minor, the instructor will require that the student interns with a non-profit organization.

Political Science Minor

The Political Science Minor is intended for students who are interested in politics or considering a career in campaigning and electoral politics, government service, governmental relations (for a private business or non-profit organization), law or a field that connects with public service such as the diplomatic corps, homeland security, intelligence, law enforcement, military service or public administration.

The minor provides flexibility so that students can take courses across many subfields of the discipline or focus coursework in one or more subfields of political science such as American politics, comparative politics, international relations, law and judicial politics, or public administration and policy.  This minor is not open to a student majoring in political science.

The political science minor consists of 15 semester hours with the following distribution:

  • POLS 101: American National Government 
       or     POLS 101R: American National Government
  • POLS 103: Introduction to World Politics
  • Three POLS electives (200-level or above)

In order to complete the minor, students must have a 2.0 GPA in courses within the minor.

Pre-Law Minor

The pre-law minor has three groups of courses. Students must take both courses in the first group (Group A), two of the courses in the second group (Group B), and two of the courses in the third group (Group C). The first group consists of courses providing the most important skills a law student or lawyer needs. The second group consists of courses providing background knowledge helpful for law students or lawyers. The third group consists of the law courses offered at the undergraduate level.

The pre-law minor consists of 18 semester hours with the following distribution:

GROUP A (6 semester hours)

GROUP B (6 semester hours)
Students must choose two of the following courses:

GROUP C (6 semester hours)
Students must choose two of the following courses:

Public Administration Minor

The public administration minor provides education in public service management for students who major in disciplines other than political science. This minor provides background for students wishing to work in government, non-profit organizations, or pursue a master’s degree in public administration.

The 18 hours of minor requirements are:

  • POLS 101: American National Government 
       or     POLS 101R: American National Government
  • POLS 217: Introduction to Public Administration
  • POLS 386: State and Local Government
  • Electives (choose 9 credit hours from the list below)

*These courses have separate major program prerequisites. See the catalog or check with the instructor.

Sociology Minor

Sociology is an important discipline of study regardless of career choice. Students not wishing to major in sociology might wish to make it their minor. A minor in sociology consists of 15 semester hours distributed as follows:

To ensure competency in the basic sociological skills, a sociology minor must earn at least a “C” in SOCI 101, 202, 398, and 399 and have an average GPA of 2.0 in sociology electives. Students must also pass MATH 211 with a “C” or better before enrolling in SOCI 398.