American Studies Major

Requirements for the Major

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A major in American Studies requires a minimum of 11 courses including senior thesis. Students develop a thematic focus in consultation with their advisor by the beginning of the junior year.

1. 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).

2. 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 )

3. A course in Africana, Asian American or Chicanx Latinx Studies; or one course on the histories and/or cultures of Native Americans (one course).

4. 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)

5. 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.

Honors Requirements

Students may pursue honors in the American Studies major by fulfilling the following additional requirements:

1. Maintain a GPA in the major of 11.0 (A-).
2. Receive a grade of A- or better on the thesis.
3. Successfully defend the thesis in an oral examination before a committee of three members (the thesis committee, plus an additional member).