Requirements for the Major
A major in American Studies requires a minimum of 11 courses including senior thesis. There are two tracks available for completion of the major, one with a disciplinary focus, the other with a thematic focus. Students must choose which track they will follow by the beginning of their junior year. Those who opt for the theme-based track must choose a theme in consultation with their advisor and submit a 3-4 page proposal by week five of the fall semester of the junior year.
Track 1 (11 courses):
To introduce students to the field of American Studies, students take:
AMST103 SC Introduction to American Cultures 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 (one course).
To provide a broad knowledge and set of skills in the field, students take:
A two-semester survey of U.S. history (two courses):
HIST070A SC United States History to 1865 or equivalent course (HIST020 PO , HIST025 PZ , HIST080 CM )
and
HIST070B SC Introduction to Modern U.S. History or equivalent course (HIST021 PO , HIST026 PZ , HIST081 CM )
A survey-level course in another discipline focusing on the U.S., such as art history, literature, music, sociology (one course);
A course in Africana, Asian American or Chicano/a-Latino/a studies, or one course on the histories and/or cultures of Native Americans (one course).
To provide depth as well as breadth, students take:
AMST180 SC American Studies Seminar normally taken in the fall of the junior year (one course);
Three seminar or upper-division courses in a single discipline (e.g. anthropology, art history, English) - (three courses).
For their capstone experience in American Studies, students must complete:
AMST190 SC Senior Thesis Seminar (offered fall)
AMST191 SC Senior Thesis (offered spring)
All students are required to write a senior thesis by enrolling in this two-course, two-credit sequence. Students will enroll in AMST190 SC , a seminar, in the fall semester. In the spring semester, students enroll in AMST191 SC and complete the thesis under the direction of their thesis adviser and second reader, at least one of whom must be from the student’s home campus.
Track 2 (11 courses):
To introduce students to the field of American Studies, students take:
AMST103 SC Introduction to American Cultures 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 (one course).
To provide a broad knowledge and set of skills in the field, students take:
A two-semester survey of U.S. history (two courses):
HIST070A SC United States History to 1865 or equivalent course (HIST020 PO , HIST025 PZ , HIST080 CM )
and
HIST070B SC Introduction to Modern U.S. History or equivalent course (HIST021 PO , HIST026 PZ , HIST081 CM )
A course in Africana, Asian American or Chicano/a-Latino/a studies, or one course on the histories and/or cultures of Native Americans (one course).
To provide depth as well as breadth, students take:
AMST180 SC American Studies Seminar normally taken in the fall of the junior year (one course);
Four courses drawn from at least two departments that focus on a specific theme (e.g., Race and Social Justice in the U.S.; the U.S. in a Transnational Context) - (four courses)
For their capstone experience in American Studies, students must complete:
AMST190 SC Senior Thesis Seminar (offered fall)
AMST191 SC Senior Thesis (offered spring)
All students are required to write a senior thesis by enrolling in this two-course, two-credit sequence. Students will enroll in AMST190 SC , a seminar, in the fall semester. In the spring semester, students enroll in AMST191 SC and complete the thesis under the direction of their thesis adviser and second reader, at least one of whom must be from the student’s home campus.
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