American Foundations Minor American Foundations Minor The American Foundations minor focuses on providing an enhanced understanding and appreciation of the American founding and the U.S. Constitution.Offered and co-sponsored by the Department of Social Sciences and the Department of History. Breadcrumb academics majors and minors american foundations minor academics-sidebarnav MENU Academic Program Majors & Minors Annual Theme Enrichment Opportunities Internships Study Abroad Scholars Program Service Academy Exchange Program Departments Overview Program Enrichment The American Foundations minor creates an interdisciplinary community of cadets and faculty members who, through rigorous analysis, can enrich and enhance an understanding and appreciation of the American founding and the Constitution at USMA and within the Army. Cadets minoring in American Foundations take two cornerstone courses, three electives, and a capstone course.When they are commissioned as second lieutenants, cadets take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” This minor provides cadets with a stronger knowledge base of the Constitution, the contexts from which it emerged, and the specific features of the democratic republic Americans created when they ratified this revolutionary plan for their government. Cadets minoring in American Foundations take two cornerstone courses, three electives, and a capstone course.Cornerstone CoursesCadets study the philosophical foundations of the American republic in SS386 Political Thought, as well as either HI394 Revolutionary America, which considers the causes of constitutional ratification, or HI390 Early American Republic, which focuses on government under the new Constitution.ElectivesCadets choose three electives on the American founding era and its legacy from departments across West Point. Examples of qualifying electives include EN321 American Literature I, LW47 Advanced Constitutional Law Seminar, and SS385 History of Economics.A complete list of electives can be found in the USMA Redbook.CapstoneXH476: Tutorial in American Foundations allows cadets to engage in individualized study of texts central to the American founding under the supervision of a faculty member. The tutorial employs small group discussions to examine selected texts using diverse disciplinary perspectives. In consultation with a faculty supervisor, cadets select an area of focus as the basis for a tailored reading program. The course concludes with an oral examination by a committee of faculty members representing different disciplines.Required Core ElectivesThe course selected as the history foundation course cannot be selected from this list:EN321: AMERICAN LITERATURE IHI340: COLONIAL AMERICAHI390: EARLY NATIONAL AMERICAHI394: REVOLUTIONARY AMERICALW475: ADV CONSTITUTIONAL LAW SEMPY370: 17TH & 18TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHYSS376 AMERICAN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT SS385 HISTORY OF ECONOMICS They can also expect to meet expert guest speakers, travel on exciting trip sections, and have the opportunity to compete for slots in the Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) program, a USMA-run academic enrichment experience at locations like the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon.To learn more about enrichment in this area of study, visit the Department of Social Sciences.