Students from diverse majors at the University of Washington benefit as CHID minors. Whether they are studying the sciences, arts, social sciences, or humanities, they find a second home in our rigorous learning community.
Students who minor in CHID benefit from the same ability to tailor their education that our majors do. Our program allows students to pursue their curiosity and interests — by studying topics outside of their major or revealing new dimensions within it.
CHID’s interdisciplinary approach enables students who minor to hone skills beyond what they may develop in their major. Students are at the center of our learning community, and they benefit from personalized attention as they strengthen their ability to write about, discuss, research and analyze the topics they think are important. In addition, the program provides extensive opportunities for experiential learning, including transformational study abroad and internship programs.
Declaring a Minor
Students in good academic standing may declare the minor at any time by meeting with their major adviser. Please see Undergraduate Advising’s Minor page for additional considerations about earning a minor.
Minor Requirements
Students may also use courses that are not on the suggested list with the approval of the CHID advisor.
Gateways to CHID (1 courses)
Each of these courses will offer students a particular approach to the comparative history of ideas. Classes in this category examine a particular topic/idea from a variety of disciplinary, theoretical, and methodological perspectives. Students can choose from a variety of courses taught by CHID faculty. See Suggested Courses.
Cultural and Historical Engagements
This requirement asks students to engage in rigorous and comparative cultural analysis, which may or may not involve international study. It can be fulfilled in one of three ways:
CHID Study Abroad (1 quarter)
Students spend one quarter studying in one of the various CHID study abroad programs. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the study abroad program, students will also be asked to write a concise 1 page paper describing the ways in which their international study informed their understanding of cultural engagements and encounters. If a student feels that a non-CHID study abroad program may also satisfy this spirit of comparative cultural study, he/she may consult with CHID’s academic advisor for approval. Visit CHID Study Abroad to see a list of our upcoming programs.
Local/Global Engagements (1 course)
Though based at the UW, these courses use a transnational theme and structure to explore the links between local and global forces. For example, a course which uses communication technology (e.g. webcasts, online learning, etc.) to link students at the UW with other communities outside of the U.S. would satisfy this requirement. Alternatively, a course that provides students with out-of-classroom experiences (field visits, community work, field research, etc.) tracing the global and local intersections in areas such as immigration, agriculture, transnational advocacy, artistic production, etc., would also fulfill this requirement. See Suggested Courses.
Encounters Across Cultures (2 courses, 1 of which can be a non-CHID study abroad program)
Students may satisfy this requirement by taking at least two courses on different peoples, places, spaces, or moments. The goal of such exposure to different contexts is to provide the opportunity to make cross-cultural comparisons regarding power, difference and belonging. As with the CHID study abroad requirement, students will be asked to write a brief 1 page paper based on the courses taken for this requirement, detailing the value of comparative research. See Suggested Courses.
Ideas in the World (1 course)
Through these courses, students will explore various systems of belief, conceptual frameworks, paradigms, historical understandings, and ways of knowing. For example, these courses can include such diverse areas as science and technology, European intellectual history, indigenous intellectual production, and post-structural theory. See Suggested Courses.
Power and Difference (1 course)
Oppression, injustice and efforts to combat forms of domination work through the cultural politics of identity in various ways. Such a course should emphasize the ways in which categories like gender, race, class, sexuality, and religion structure the terrain of social orders and struggles. See Suggested Courses.
CHID 390: Junior Colloquium (1 course)
The core course for all majors, this course introduces students to central concepts like culture, identity, and power, and to the cross-disciplinary study of these concepts. Organized as a seminar, students are expected to shape the direction of these explorations in a collaborative fashion and are encouraged to engage in both oral and written exchanges with their peers. Prereqs: CHID 101, Gateways to CHID, Ideas in the World, and Power & Difference.
Upper Division CHID Course (1 course)
This requirement can be satisfied by any course with a CHID prefix, 300-level and above.