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Getting Started

The Popular Culture Studies minor developed in part because of a desire on the part of students for a roadmap to the many classes and resources in the field that are spread across numerous colleges and departments. We are regularly adding new courses to the minor and signing exceptions for exciting one-time offerings, many of which are brought to us by students exploring the many options Ohio State offers them for their interdisciplinary studies. As we registration begins for our last term on the quarter system, minors should continue to refer to the minor sheet [pdf] at the Arts & Sciences advising website.

To sign up for the minor, make an appointment with a Minor Advisor: students with last names beginning with  A-L: Cecilia Johnson; M-Z: MaryKatherine Ramsey. Call 292-6065 to set up an appointment with the Minor Advisor to declare the minor.   At your first meeting you will plan the courses you will take to complete the Minor. This is not a contract, and it is expected that some of the courses you choose at this initial advising meeting will change as you discover new areas of interests and new classes. The semester before graduation you will update the minor form to reflect the courses you actually took and to make sure everything is ready for your graduation. 

Contact the Minor director, Prof. Jared Gardner, with any questions about the Minor or any of the courses included within it.

Some "fine print"

  • The Popular Culture Studies minor requires the completion of 15 hours, which consists of an introductory course (3 hours), and a) at least one course involving the study of a historical popular culture (pre-1945) b) at least one course focusing on a popular culture outside majority-U.S. culture and c) no more than two film courses. This last limitation exists because the Popular Culture Studies minor seeks to have students exploring a range of media and popular culture forms, and because we have a strong Film Studies program which also has a minor for those who wish to do more concentrated work in film.
  • A couple of other basic rules: only one course may be from your major department and that course may not be counted on the major (this is a university rule). Not including the required introductory course, no more than two courses may be taken at the 2000-level. Finally, no more than two courses to be counted for the minor may be taken from a single department. As an interdisciplinary program, our goal is for students to explore a wide range of disciplines and methodologies.

Introductory course

The minor requires all students to take an introductory course, either English/Comparative Studies 2264 or WGGSt 2230. These courses can be taken at any time while working on the minor, but we strongly recommend all students to take the introductory course as early as possible in their coursework for the minor. English/Comparative Studies 2264 can also double count for the minor historical requirement (see below).

Things to keep in mind

Several of the courses in the minor are "special topics" courses. For all of these (marked above with an asterisk), it is worth checking with Prof. Gardner to make sure the specific topic being taught that semester works for the minor. Also, several of these might also focus from time to time on topics that could count for your historical or outside majority-U.S. requirements: when in doubt, ask

In planning your minor, think about the ways in which the course offerings might connect back to your major—allowing you to bring back new ideas and methods. This is the university's largest minor in terms of numbers of course offerings, so there should be more than enough to choose from!

Finally, each semester as registration begins you will find a comprehensive list of all the courses that count for the minor that are being offered in the upcoming term by clicking the "courses" tab on the menu bar at the top of each page.