Requirements for the Major in American Studies
Before their junior year, majors consult with a member of the intercollegiate faculty to plan a program of study. Majors are required to complete nine courses approved by their American studies faculty advisor, a senior seminar and a senior thesis. These requirements provide an introduction to the field, a broad knowledge of the United States, in-depth experience in a particular area of study and a capstone senior project.
- To introduce students to the field of American studies, students take:
(1) AMST 103 JT , a prerequisite course that is team-taught by members of the intercollegiate faculty in the spring semester to introduce the themes, concerns and methodologies of American studies
- To provide a broad knowledge and set of skills in the field, students take:
(2-3) A two-semester survey of U.S. History (HIST 020 PO and HIST 021 PO or equivalents)
(4) A survey-level course in another discipline focusing on the U.S., such as art history, literature, music, sociology
(5) A course in Africana, Asian American or Chicano/a-Latino/a studies, or one course on the histories and/or cultures of Native Americans
- To provide depth, as well as breadth, students take:
(6) AMST 180JT, the American Studies Seminar, normally taken in the fall of the junior year.
(7, 8, 9) Three seminar or upper-division courses in a single discipline (e.g. anthropology, art history, English).
- For their capstone experience in American studies, students must complete:
(10, 11) AMST 190 JT - Senior Thesis Seminar and AMST 191 PO - Senior Thesis . All students are required to write a senior thesis by enrolling in a two-course, two-credit sequence. Students enroll in AMST 190 JT , a seminar, in the fall semester. In the spring semester, students enroll in AMST 191 PO and complete the thesis under the direction of their thesis advisor and second reader, at least one of whom must be from the student’s home campus.
