Interdisciplinary Studies

Center for Africana Studies

The mission of the Africana Studies program is to serve as a centralized instructional, service, and research program for students, faculty, and the community to explore the history, culture, and ideas of peoples of African descent. The program broadens students’ understanding of the global community through transcultural opportunities and foster students’ talents for leadership, scholarship, and personal development. The program allows students to explore the vast and complex cultures of the African Diaspora by visiting civilizations of the past and examining the contributions of African people in world affairs. The program also allows students to capitalize on the unparalleled opportunities that exist in the southern region of Georgia to study African and African-American connections, as observed in the Gullah/Geechee cultures and the African influences on the culture of the southern United States.

Center for Irish Research and Teaching

An tIonad um Thaighde agus Theagasc Éireannacha

The Center for Irish Research and Teaching (CIRT) increases international literacy among our diverse student body through rigorous, relevant study of Ireland and the worldwide Irish diaspora. CIRT places special emphasis on undergraduate research into Irish and Scots-Irish legacies in Georgia and the American South.

Through full-credit courses offered on the Armstrong and Statesboro campuses - and also on study-in-Ireland programs - CIRT provides students with opportunities to explore Irish and Irish-diaspora history and politics; literature and theater; culture and art; society and business; and science and technology. A student can obtain an interdisciplinary Minor in Irish Studies by successfully completing 15 credit hours of approved courses. Irish Studies courses equip students with tools to think, analyze, and problem-solve in ways that cross academic disciplines and national borders. Among other outcomes, the courses enhance participants’ knowledge of universal human phenomena that resonate very particularly with the Irish experience, not least: colonization; emigration; food security; ethno-religious identity; and the tech economy. CIRT instills within students an ethos of civility, collaboration, and integrity; and it also fosters a commitment to lifelong learning.

Students are advised to consult the webpage of the Center for Irish Research and Teaching for information about additional, semester-specific courses that have significant Irish content and, thus, have been pre-approved for the interdisciplinary Minor in Irish Studies. Those courses may be offered either on a Georgia campus or through a study-in-Ireland program.

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Program at Georgia Southern University promotes a learning-centered culture that engages students in the definitions, theories, and methodologies in the study of gender. Our program is founded upon openness and inclusion as we study the intersecting systems of power and oppression that affect identities of race, class, and sexuality. The WGSS program offers both an interdisciplinary minor and and concentration, which are available to all undergraduate students.

As an interdisciplinary program, WGSS supports innovation and collaboration across disciplines and among students, faculty, and our communities to understand the ways in which ideologies of gender and sexuality permeate the fabric of society.

Guided by disciplinary standards, our course offerings promote academic excellence through study and dialogue on a broad range of topics including the history of women’s movements, feminisms, masculinities, race, class, sexes, genders, nationality, and sexualities, including LGBTQIA+.

The WGSS Program prepares students to think, lead, and serve. WGSS is built on discovery both in and out of the classroom, and integrity through our community engagement. Our students graduate with the analytic competency that results from engagement with a curriculum focused on the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class sexuality, and nation. The analysis of marginalization promotes responsible citizenship and recognizes our global impacts. WGSS supports the University’s mission by scholarly pursuits, cultural enrichment, and community engagement through activities that promote integrity, civility, empathy, and collaboration.

Programs

Associate Degree(s)

Undergraduate Program(s)

Interdisciplinary Studies, B.I.S.

Undergraduate Minor(s)