AMERICAN STUDIES (MINOR)

“We all committed our lives to the idea that is America.”–Gen Mark A. Milley to the Joint Force, June 2, 2020.

The American Studies minor at the U.S. Air Force Academy prepares students for leadership as officers for our military and as citizens for our nation. As the Constitution’s “We the people” demands, citizens must know and work with fellow US Americans of all backgrounds in order to form a more perfect union; as Master Sun asserts, officers must know their nation—its government, society, and people—just as they know themselves, or risk defeat. Deploying a unique blend of humanistic and social scientific inquiry, cadets will study various ideas about “America” and “Americanness” as it has been defined and experienced across time and by diverse peoples. Ultimately, by studying evidence, theories, and methods drawn from more than one field of study, students will come to better understand the power of interdisciplinary thinking as a necessary tool for formulating their own response to the idea of America that will be the lifeblood of their careers of service to the Air Force and to our nation.