Program Description
Through its core requirements, the Inequality Studies Minor exposes students to the breadth of the social scientific literature on inequalities in many different social and economic goods (e.g., income, wealth, education, health, political power, social status, job security) and across many sources of difference (e.g., class, race and ethnicity, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation and identity, age, geographic location, or political and economic systems). Electives, which are offered across 30 departments in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, allow students to tailor their studies to their particular interests. The Minor in Inequality Studies is open to any student in any major.
The Minor's Health Equity Track allows interested students to focus their studies further on the social causes and consequences of inequalities in life expectancy, health outcomes, health-promoting behaviors, and access to health care. The Health Equity Track offers excellent preparation for students who are interested in careers in medicine, public health, social science research, or public policy.
Currently, the Minor enrolls over 400 undergraduates from all seven undergraduate colleges. Students who meet the requirements of the Minor receive an official note on their academic records. For more information on the Minor, including current course listings and enrollment information, visit the CSI website.
Academic Standards
Grade Requirements
Each course must be completed with a grade of C or better to count toward the minor.
Minor Declaration Information
Completion of the minor will be recorded on the student's academic record.
Minor Requirements
Six courses are required to complete the minor.
An additional four electives complete the requirements for the minor. Students enrolled in the General Minor in Inequality Studies choose all four electives from the full list of elective courses, with choices available across over thirty academic departments. Those students who opted to enroll in the Minor's Health Equity Track must complete two of their four electives from the selection of electives with specific health equity relevance. The other two electives should be chosen from the full list of elective courses. All courses toward the minor must be taken for a letter grade. The electives and overview course must be collectively distributed across at least three departments (all ILR courses are considered one department and cross-listed courses can be counted as any of their cross-listings).
For a full list of approved electives, profiles of alumni, and to enroll in the minor, please see the program website.
Sample Elective Courses
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| ASRC 1500 | Introduction to Africana Studies (crosslisted) | 4 |
| AMST 4051 | Death Penalty in America (crosslisted) | 3 |
| BIONB 3215 | Gender and the Brain (crosslisted) | 3 |
| FGSS 2010 | Introduction to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | 3 |
| GDEV 2710 | US Education System: Courts, Data, Law and Politics (crosslisted) | 3-4 |
| GOVT 3071 | Enduring Global and American Issues (crosslisted) | 4 |
| ILRGL 2350 | Work, Labor, and Capital in the Global Economy | 3 |
| SOC 1101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| STS 2061 | Ethics and the Environment (crosslisted) | 4 |
| AEM 1600 | The Business of Modern Medicine | 1.5 |
| ANTHR 2424 | Culture and Mental Health: Anthropological Perspectives | 4 |
| BSOC 2051 | Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine (crosslisted) | 4 |
| NS 1150 | Nutrition, Health, and Society | 3 |
| PUBPOL 3280 | Fundamentals of Population Health (crosslisted) | 3 |
