Foundations of American Democracy
Starting in Fall 2025, all new first-year and transfer students at Carolina will need to complete the Foundations of American Democracy (FAD) requirement in the IDEAs in Action curriculum.
(If you started at Carolina before Fall 2025, you do not need to complete this requirement.)
Approved Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AAAD 176 | 
Freedom's Stony Road: The Primary Sources | 3 |
| AAAD 230 |
Early African American History: Black Perspectives on Foundations of American Democracy | 3 |
| AMST 312 |
Dissent and American Democracy | 3 |
| ANTH 333 |
Anthropology of Democracy | 3 |
| ARTH 161 |
Introduction to American Art | 3 |
| CLAS 271 |
Classical Rhetoric and American Democracy | 3 |
| CLAS 380 |
Emperors, Tyrants, Kings, and Rulers in Ancient Greece and Rome | 3 |
| DRAM 388 |
Theatre, Law, and American Values | 3 |
| ENGL 275 |
Founding Fictions: Democracy and American Literature | 3 |
| GERM 427 |
From Martin Luther to Martin Luther King Jr.: The Origins of Religious Freedom | 3 |
| HIST 88 |
First Year Seminar: America's Founding Documents | 3 |
| HIST 101 |
A History of Lies, Conspiracies, and Misinformation | 3 |
| HIST 102 |
Introduction to Major Problems in U.S History | 3 |
| HIST 126 |
Early American History and the Foundations of American Democracy | 3 |
| HIST 211 |
God and Government in America | 3 |
| HIST 238 |
The American Revolution, 1763-1815 | 3 |
| HIST 449 |
Women and Politics in the United States | 3 |
| IDST 131I |
Voting and Elections | 3 |
| MUSC 152 |
Staging Political History: Hamilton and Broadway | 3 |
| PHIL 175 |
Philosophical Foundations of American Democracy | 3 |
| POLI 80 |
First-Year Seminar: African-American Politics and Economic Inequality | 3 |
| POLI 100 |
American Democracy in Changing Times H | 3 |
| POLI 279 |
American Political Thought Through the Civil War H | 3 |
| POLI 280 |
American Political Thought After the Civil War H | 3 |
| PWAD 238 |
The American Revolution, 1763-1815 | 3 |
| PWAD 250 |
Introduction to Peace and Security Studies | 3 |
| RELI 141 |
African American Religions H | 3 |
| RELI 231 |
The Bible in America | 3 |
| RELI 431 |
From Martin Luther to Martin Luther King Jr.: The Origins of Religious Freedom | 3 |
| ROML 250 |
Founding Documents and National Identity in Europe and the Americas | 3 |
| SCLL 150 |
Foundations of American Civic Life H | 3 |
| SCLL 165 |
The American Character | 3 |
| SCLL 180 |
Tocqueville's America: Sustaining Democracy | 3 |
| SCLL 244 |
Declaration of Independence and Civic Foundations | 3 |
| SCLL 250 |
Democracy: Ancient and Modern | 3 |
| WGST 449 |
Women and Politics in the United States | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
