American Studies Major
For a 30-credit major in American Studies, students complete the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one Gateway Course | 3 | |
| AMST 2201 | Roots of American Culture | 3 |
| AMST 3990 | Independent Research Project | 3 |
| Select seven American Studies elective courses, including: 1 | 21 | |
At least one course housed in four different departments | ||
At least two courses at the 2000 level or higher 2 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
Five courses, selected in consultation with advisor, must be housed within a thematic concentration:
- America and the World
- Expression and Imagination in American Culture
- Gender in American Society
- Power, Politics, and Institutions in America
- Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in American Society
- Values and Ethics in American Culture
- 2
Majors may take AMST 3980 Internship as one of their 10 courses.
American Studies Program Learning Objectives
- Students will engage the idea of America by framing questions for research and inquiry
- Students will distinguish, summarize, and synthesize the idea of America through the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, legal status, environment, and class.
- Students will critically analyze and interpret cultural artifacts using interdisciplinary theories and methodologies, and discipline-specific knowledge.
- Students will construct oral arguments and generate debate as they evaluate the processes that shape and reshape America and its identities.
- Students will write informed, critical essays and larger research papers.
- Students will examine and interpret their own places, engagement, and responsibilities in the unfolding narratives of America, within a global context.
- Students will produce a final culminating project appropriate to the undergraduate and graduate curricula.
American Studies Electives
Gateway Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AHST 1164 | American Art and Media Culture | 3 |
| AHST 1165 | African-American Art | 3 |
| ENGL 1140 | Caribbean Literature: History, Culture, and Identity | 3 |
| ENGL 1200 | American Women Playwrights | 3 |
| ENGL 1210 | American Literature and the Environment | 3 |
| ENGL 1220 | The Frontier in American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1230 | Ethnic American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1240 | American Literature: Myths and Legends | 3 |
| ENGL 1250 | American Drama | 3 |
| ENGL 1260 | American Social Protest Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1290 | American Short Story | 3 |
| ENGL 1310 | Contemporary Women Writers of Color | 3 |
| ENGL 1330 | African American Literary Tradition | 3 |
| ENGL 1340 | Democracy in Black and Indigenous Voices | 3 |
| ENGL 1700 | Writing the Self: Autobiography | 3 |
| FTMA 1101 | American Cinema History | 3 |
| FTMA 1102 | American Television History | 3 |
| FTMA 2206 | American Film: Decades | 3 |
| FTMA 2207 | Film Genres (depending on genre) | 3 |
| HIST 2239 | 20th Century United States | 3 |
| HIST 2246 | Women and Gender in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 2251 | The American Century: The United States and the World Since 1900 | 3 |
| HIST 2253 | Early America to 1800 | 3 |
| HIST 2257 | Who Built America? Working People in America | 3 |
| ITLN 2290 | Italian American Cinema | 3 |
| MUSC 1101 | The History of Jazz | 3 |
| MUSC 1102 | History and Development of Rock | 3 |
| MUSC 1112 | Music of Black Americans | 3 |
| MUSC 1120 | History of American Song | 3 |
| POLI 1101 | Introduction to American Politics | 3 |
| POLI 2104 | American Presidency | 3 |
| POLI 2120 | Politics of Care | 3 |
| POLI 2331 | Introduction to Peace and Justice | 3 |
| POLI 2333 | American Political Thought | 3 |
| POLI 2334 | Sex, Sexuality, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 2336 | Politics of Race, Class, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 2476 | United States Foreign Policy | 3 |
| RLST 1601 | Religion in the United States | 3 |
| RLST 2660 | I'm Spiritual, Not Religious: The American Spiritual Tradition | 3 |
| RLST 2665 | Religion and Medicine in the United States | 3 |
| SOCI 1110 | American Society | 3 |
| SOCI 1130 | Feminism, Gender, and Everyday Life | 3 |
| SOCI 1135 | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| SOCI 2100 | American Class Structure | 3 |
| THTR 1200 | American Women Playwrights | 3 |
| THTR 1250 | American Drama | 3 |
Interdisciplinary Themes
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Expression and Imagination in American Culture | ||
| AHST 1164 | American Art and Media Culture | 3 |
| AHST 1165 | African-American Art | 3 |
| ENGL 1140 | Caribbean Literature: History, Culture, and Identity | 3 |
| ENGL 1200 | American Women Playwrights | 3 |
| ENGL 1210 | American Literature and the Environment | 3 |
| ENGL 1220 | The Frontier in American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1230 | Ethnic American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1240 | American Literature: Myths and Legends | 3 |
| ENGL 1250 | American Drama | 3 |
| ENGL 2002 | American Poetry | 3 |
| ENGL 2031 | Early American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2033 | American Women Writers of the 19th Century | 3 |
| ENGL 2043 | American Literature: 20th Century to the Present | 3 |
| ENGL 2062 | The Harlem Renaissance | 3 |
| ENGL 2063 | African American Women Writers | 3 |
| ENGL 2064 | African American Fiction, 1940 to Present | 3 |
| ENGL 2081 | Native American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2082 | Latinx Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3032 | American Romanticism | 3 |
| ENGL 3033 | American Realism and Naturalism | 3 |
| ENGL 3034 | American Modernism | 3 |
| ENGL 3035 | Contemporary American Literature and Culture | 3 |
| ENGL 3074 | The Woman Question: Early Feminism and 19th Century Transatlantic Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3075 | Caribbean Women Writers | 3 |
| ENGL 3077 | Nonstop Metropolis: Literature and Culture in NYC | 3 |
| FTMA 1101 | American Cinema History | 3 |
| FTMA 1102 | American Television History | 3 |
| FTMA 2204 | African American Cinema | 3 |
| FTMA 2206 | American Film: Decades | 3 |
| FTMA 2207 | Film Genres (depending on genre) | 3 |
| MUSC 1101 | The History of Jazz | 3 |
| MUSC 1102 | History and Development of Rock | 3 |
| MUSC 1120 | History of American Song | 3 |
| MUSC 1132 | Critical Issues in American Popular Music: Blues to Hip Hop | 3 |
| PHIL 2267 | (De)Colonizing the Human | 3 |
| RLST 1667 | Mormonism: An American Church | 3 |
| RLST 2660 | I'm Spiritual, Not Religious: The American Spiritual Tradition | 3 |
| SOCI 1130 | Feminism, Gender, and Everyday Life | 3 |
| SPAN 4353 | Spanish-American Narrative | 3 |
| THTR 1200 | American Women Playwrights | 3 |
| THTR 1250 | American Drama | 3 |
| Power, Politics, and Institutions in America | ||
| ENGL 1260 | American Social Protest Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1340 | Democracy in Black and Indigenous Voices | 3 |
| HIST 2239 | 20th Century United States | 3 |
| HIST 2240 | The Personal Is Political: Women's Activism in the 1960s | 3 |
| HIST 2242 | Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 2244 | American Constitutional and Legal History II: 1900 to Present | 3 |
| HIST 2251 | The American Century: The United States and the World Since 1900 | 3 |
| HIST 2253 | Early America to 1800 | 3 |
| HIST 2257 | Who Built America? Working People in America | 3 |
| HIST 3331 | American Revolution and the New Nation | 3 |
| HIST 3356 | History of the Cold War | 3 |
| PHIL 2251 | Ethical Theories in America | 3 |
| POLI 1101 | Introduction to American Politics | 3 |
| POLI 2103 | Public Administration | 3 |
| POLI 2104 | American Presidency | 3 |
| POLI 2105 | The American Congress | 3 |
| POLI 2106 | Supreme Court I | 3 |
| POLI 2107 | Supreme Court II | 3 |
| POLI 2108 | Political Parties and Interest Groups | 3 |
| POLI 2109 | American Public Policy | 3 |
| POLI 2112 | United States Environmental Politics and Policy | 3 |
| POLI 2120 | Politics of Care | 3 |
| POLI 2331 | Introduction to Peace and Justice | 3 |
| POLI 2333 | American Political Thought | 3 |
| POLI 2334 | Sex, Sexuality, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 2336 | Politics of Race, Class, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 2476 | United States Foreign Policy | 3 |
| POLI 4301 | The Battle Over Family Values in American Politics | 3 |
| POLI 4302 | Seminar on Feminist Theory | 3 |
| RLST 1667 | Mormonism: An American Church | 3 |
| RLST 2665 | Religion and Medicine in the United States | 3 |
| SOCI 1110 | American Society | 3 |
| SOCI 1135 | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| SOCI 1140 | Urban/Suburban Sociology: NYC | 3 |
| SOCI 2100 | American Class Structure | 3 |
| SOCI 2200 | Criminology | 3 |
| SOCI 2210 | Sociology of Law | 3 |
| SOCI 2215 | Death Penalty in America | 3 |
| Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in American Society | ||
| AHST 1164 | American Art and Media Culture | 3 |
| AHST 1165 | African-American Art | 3 |
| BLST 1101 | Black Lives Matter | 3 |
| ENGL 1220 | The Frontier in American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1310 | Contemporary Women Writers of Color | 3 |
| ENGL 2031 | Early American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1330 | African American Literary Tradition | 3 |
| ENGL 1340 | Democracy in Black and Indigenous Voices | 3 |
| ENGL 2043 | American Literature: 20th Century to the Present | 3 |
| ENGL 2062 | The Harlem Renaissance | 3 |
| ENGL 2063 | African American Women Writers | 3 |
| ENGL 2064 | African American Fiction, 1940 to Present | 3 |
| ENGL 2081 | Native American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2082 | Latinx Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2083 | Asian Diasporas: Challenges to Citizenship | 3 |
| ENGL 3034 | American Modernism | 3 |
| ENGL 3075 | Caribbean Women Writers | 3 |
| FTMA 2204 | African American Cinema | 3 |
| HIST 2239 | 20th Century United States | 3 |
| HIST 2242 | Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 2253 | Early America to 1800 | 3 |
| HIST 2257 | Who Built America? Working People in America | 3 |
| HIST 2262 | African-American History, 1619 to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 2263 | Inventing Themselves: African-American Women in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 2264 | African-American History, 1865 to Present | 3 |
| HIST 3331 | American Revolution and the New Nation | 3 |
| HIST 3335 | Civil War and Reconstruction | 3 |
| ITLN 2290 | Italian American Cinema | 3 |
| POLI 2336 | Politics of Race, Class, and Gender | 3 |
| MUSC 1101 | The History of Jazz | 3 |
| MUSC 1112 | Music of Black Americans | 3 |
| MUSC 1132 | Critical Issues in American Popular Music: Blues to Hip Hop | 3 |
| POLI 2334 | Sex, Sexuality, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 2336 | Politics of Race, Class, and Gender | 3 |
| RLST 1667 | Mormonism: An American Church | 3 |
| RLST 2113 | Jews and Judaism in America | 3 |
| RLST 2760 | Islam in America | 3 |
| SOCI 1110 | American Society | 3 |
| SOCI 1135 | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| SOCI 2110 | Race, Cities, and Poverty | 3 |
| SOCI 2410 | History of Social Welfare | 3 |
| Gender in American Society | ||
| BLST 1101 | Black Lives Matter | 3 |
| ENGL 1200 | American Women Playwrights | 3 |
| ENGL 1220 | The Frontier in American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1310 | Contemporary Women Writers of Color | 3 |
| ENGL 2033 | American Women Writers of the 19th Century | 3 |
| ENGL 2063 | African American Women Writers | 3 |
| ENGL 2082 | Latinx Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3074 | The Woman Question: Early Feminism and 19th Century Transatlantic Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3075 | Caribbean Women Writers | 3 |
| FTMA 2207 | Film Genres (depending on genre) | 3 |
| HIST 2240 | The Personal Is Political: Women's Activism in the 1960s | 3 |
| HIST 2245 | Feminism in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 2246 | Women and Gender in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 2247 | Family and Sexuality in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 2257 | Who Built America? Working People in America | 3 |
| HIST 2264 | African-American History, 1865 to Present | 3 |
| MUSC 1101 | The History of Jazz | 3 |
| POLI 2334 | Sex, Sexuality, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 2336 | Politics of Race, Class, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 4301 | The Battle Over Family Values in American Politics | 3 |
| POLI 4302 | Seminar on Feminist Theory | 3 |
| SOCI 1115 | Sociology of the Family | 3 |
| SOCI 1130 | Feminism, Gender, and Everyday Life | 3 |
| SOCI 1135 | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| SOCI 2100 | American Class Structure | 3 |
| SOCI 2115 | Women: Work and Sport | 3 |
| SOCI 2410 | History of Social Welfare | 3 |
| Values and Ethics in American Culture | ||
| BLST 1101 | Black Lives Matter | 3 |
| ENGL 1210 | American Literature and the Environment | 3 |
| ENGL 1220 | The Frontier in American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1260 | American Social Protest Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 1340 | Democracy in Black and Indigenous Voices | 3 |
| HIST 2237 | American Prophetic Tradition | 3 |
| HIST 2257 | Who Built America? Working People in America | 3 |
| PHIL 2251 | Ethical Theories in America | 3 |
| POLI 2112 | United States Environmental Politics and Policy | 3 |
| POLI 2120 | Politics of Care | 3 |
| POLI 2331 | Introduction to Peace and Justice | 3 |
| POLI 2336 | Politics of Race, Class, and Gender | 3 |
| POLI 4301 | The Battle Over Family Values in American Politics | 3 |
| RLST 1667 | Mormonism: An American Church | 3 |
| RLST 2113 | Jews and Judaism in America | 3 |
| RLST 2649 | American Catholic Theologians | 3 |
| RLST 2660 | I'm Spiritual, Not Religious: The American Spiritual Tradition | 3 |
| RLST 2663 | New Religious Movements in America | 3 |
| RLST 2665 | Religion and Medicine in the United States | 3 |
| SOCI 1115 | Sociology of the Family | 3 |
| SOCI 1125 | Sociology of Religion | 3 |
| SOCI 2110 | Race, Cities, and Poverty | 3 |
| SOCI 2210 | Sociology of Law | 3 |
| SOCI 2215 | Death Penalty in America | 3 |
| SOCI 2220 | Criminal Justice System Seminar | 3 |
| SOCI 2410 | History of Social Welfare | 3 |
| America and the World | ||
| ENGL 1140 | Caribbean Literature: History, Culture, and Identity | 3 |
| ENGL 1230 | Ethnic American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2082 | Latinx Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2083 | Asian Diasporas: Challenges to Citizenship | 3 |
| ENGL 3075 | Caribbean Women Writers | 3 |
| HIST 2242 | Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 2251 | The American Century: The United States and the World Since 1900 | 3 |
| HIST 2253 | Early America to 1800 | 3 |
| HIST 3367 | East Asia in 20th-Century American Wars | 3 |
| POLI 2476 | United States Foreign Policy | 3 |
| POLI 4302 | Seminar on Feminist Theory | 3 |
| RLST 2760 | Islam in America | 3 |
| SOCI 1125 | Sociology of Religion | 3 |
| SOCI 1135 | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Relations | 3 |