Bachelor of Arts with a major in American Studies.

Students must take at least six AMS courses, including AMS 111 and AMS 450, and at least one course at the 200 and 300 level.

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of America's heritage and the distinguishing features of the American mind and character. 3 credits.
A capstone course organized around a major theme or issue in the American experience. Themes and issues vary from year to year as the seminar rotates among faculty in several academic departments. Students are able to integrate their educational experience and implement further the interdisciplinary methodology in a holistic approach to a topic or subject. 3 credits.
† indicates a required course


At least one of:

A historical survey of American music emphasizing stylistic developments and illustrative musical examples from colonial times to the present. Includes American musical theater, jazz, folk and popular styles. 3 credits.
A survey of philosophical thought in the United States from colonial period to present, with emphasis on the work of Peirce, James, and Dewey. 3 credits. (Cross-listed with PHL 222.)
A survey of American intellectual history and cultural criticism ranging from Puritanism and Enlightenment Rationalism to multiculturalism, feminism, and post-modernism. 3 credits.
This course will explore both the historical origins and development of the cultural ideal of democracy in the United States. By focusing on the cultural ideal of democracy, it will seek to understand the impact and meaning of democracy in America beyond that of political institutions alone. It will include readings and discussions in history, literature, politics, and cultural anthropology.
An examination of the social, political, economic and cultural upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s in the historical context. 3 credits.
This course incorporates a variety of approaches to working class studies: historical, sociological, cultural, and political. Students will learn about the origins of the modern working class in both 16th century Europe and the slave colonies of the Caribbean. They will also learn about the history and current practice of the labor movement; the different ways workers have organized politically in the past and present; the role of race, gender, national origin, and skill in organizing labor markets and workers' identities; the depiction of workers in the mass media, particularly film. The primary focus of the class will be on the US, but some comparisons to other countries will be made to help highlight what is specifically American about our class system. 3 credits.
This course will introduce students to the complexities of the African American experience in the past and present. It will survey how the black experience, thought and culture has been shaped and fractured by economics, politics, class, gender, and national origin. The basic disciplinary approach to the subject will be historical, but will include the analysis of black culture, notably writing and music. 3 credits.
This course is designed to address a broad spectrum of issues related to the psychology of gender. Of central importance is the examination of empirical findings related to gender differences and similarities in biological, behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional domains. The course will also involve a critical examination of the meaning of gender in the field of psychology and in the broader society. Prerequisites: PSY 111, 112, 120 or 130. 3 credits
This course explores the lives of those individuals living with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer identity (LGBTQ) and the relationship these individuals have with those around them. Exploration of the historical and contemporary implications of living with an LGBTQ identity, how these identities develop, the struggle for civil rights and legal protections, and how various factors such as the AIDS crisis, the media, religion, and others impact LGBTQ persons will also be explored. 3 credits.
A study of American science and technology and their interrelations with economic, cultural, political and intellectual developments. Prerequisite: Any laboratory science course. 3 credits.
This team-taught, interdisciplinary course will critically examine how films reflect, construct, and question the dominant image and understanding of the American identity. Disciplinary perspective.
This course offers students a chance to explore the origins, histories, institutions and current practices of the American aristocracy. Students will learn about how the very rich families that currently enjoy enormous hereditary wealth obtained and maintain their fortunes. Students will also investigate the histories and current policies of the institutions that protect and promote the wealthy such as corporations, the stock market, and government. [Cross-listed with HIS 330]
An introduction to American art from 1650 to the present day. The course offers a critical grounding in selected themes, with an emphasis on cultural history and stylistic change. Includes painting, architecture, film, photography and sculpture. [Cross-listed with ART 330] 3 credits.
This course will explore the relationship between religion and politics in the United States. It will include an examination of the role religion played in the founding vision of our nation's democracy, as well as the important separation between church and state that has been achieved over the course of our nation's history. With this historical backdrop in mind, special emphasis will then be given to the ascendancy of the religious right in recent electoral politics. 3 credits.
This class offers you a chance to familiarize yourself with the variety of ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual groups and identities in the US. You will gain or enhance your intellectual framework for understanding and appereciating diversity. It will also perpare you to survive and thrive in our complex and challenging world. The course relies on history, literature, and cultural studies and will be challenging but also fun. 3 credits.

Three other AMS courses.



Students must also take at least 2 (and no more than five) classes outside of the major on topics related to U.S. culture. Courses will be chosen in consultation with the advisor and must relate to some aspect of American culture. Possible courses include:
A survey of selected major American authors from the colonial period to about 1900. Writing process. Usually offered fall semester. 3 credits.
A survey of selected major American authors from about 1900 to the present. Writing process. Usually offered spring semester. 3 credits.
The major events and developments in America from Columbus to the Civil War, with emphasis on the creation of a distinctive American society from the interaction of different cultures, ethnic groups, and ideas. Major themes include the transformation of European cultural ideas in colonial America and the impact of republican ideology, democratization, and the spread of the market economy between the Revolution and the Civil War. 3 credits.
American history from 1865 until the present. Students learn about important themes in recent history such as law and order, native land rights, protest movements, foreign policy and its critics, and the rise of corporate power and its economic and political consequences. 3 credits.
This course uses the current presidential election as a case study from which students can analyze the history of American parties and elections. The course will use political science concepts such as realignment and dealignment to study the rise and fall of the various "party systems" in American history, and will attempt to place the current presidential election within its historical context. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits. [Cross-listed as Political Science 230.]
This course incorporates a variety of approaches to working class studies: historical, sociological, cultural, and political. Students will learn about the origins of the modern working class in both 16th century Europe and the slave colonies of the Caribbean. They will also learn about the history and current practice of the labor movement; the different ways workers have organized politically in the past and present; the role of race, gender, national origin, and skill in organizing labor markets and workers' identities; the depiction of workers in the mass media, particularly film. The primary focus of the class will be on the US, but some comparisons to other countries will be made to help highlight what is specifically American about our class system. 3 credits.
An analysis of American military institutions from Old World tradition to the post-Persian Gulf era with emphasis on the U.S. Army. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
This course will introduce students to the complexities of the African American experience in the past and present. It will survey how the black experience, thought and culture has been shaped and fractured by economics, politics, class, gender, and national origin. The basic disciplinary approach to the subject will be historical, but will include the analysis of black culture, notably writing and music. 3 credits.
The role and status of women in American society from the colonial period to the present. It emphasizes the ways that women's paid and unpaid labor has shaped their status and role in the family, society, and the economy. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
An in-depth study of why Americans declared their independence and how they won the Revolution and worked to build a republic in a hostile world of monarchies. Particular attention is paid to major issues on which historians of the period disagree. Writing process. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
A study of how sectional divisions over slavery led to a bloody war and a bitter postwar effort to reshape Southern society. Writing process. Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing and one prior history class or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
This course offers students a chance to explore the origins, histories, institutions and current practices of the American aristocracy. Students will learn about how the very rich families that currently enjoy enormous hereditary wealth obtained and maintain their fortunes. Students will also investigate the histories and current policies of the institutions that protect and promote the wealthy such as corporations, the stock market, and government. [Cross-listed with AMS 330]
A survey of philosophical thought in the United States from colonial period to present, with emphasis on the work of Peirce, James, and Dewey. 3 credits. (Cross-listed with AMS 222.)
This course provides a survey of key developments, institutions, and issues in American politics. Topics include the ideas that shaped the original American political system, the presidency; Congress and federal courts; the operation of political parties and interest groups; domestic and foreign policy debates; and contemporary issues such as civil rights and affirmative action.
This course uses the current presidential election as a case study from which students can analyze the history of American parties and elections. The course will use political science concepts such as realignment and dealignment to study the rise and fall of the various "party systems" in American history, and will attempt to place the current presidential election within its historical context. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits. [Cross-listed as History 230.]
This course describes the public policy process and analyzes various areas of substantive domestic policy at the national level. Topics covered include budgeting and taxation, education, health, welfare, and the environment. Prerequisites sophomore standing and PSC 110 or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
An examination of the Congress as an institution undergoing dynamic change; emphasis upon recruitment of legislators, institutional and informal rules, the committee system, and legislative procedures. 3 credits.
Both the institution of the presidency and the person of the president will be examined from a number of analytical perspectives. Some of the specific topics we will be covering include: presidential history; the relationship between the presidency and the public via campaigns and elections, public opinion, the mass media, political parties, and interest groups; the presidential institution and the psychological elements of presidents; inter-branch relations among the presidency, Congress, and the courts; and the presidency and domestic, economic, and foreign policymaking. 3 credits.
This course offers a two-part examination of American foreign policy. The first part will be an extensive survey of U.S. foreign policy from its inception as a nation through today. A critical theme will be the U.S. tradition of unilateralism, not isolationism. The second part will examine the policy-making process itself, focusing on the multiple actors and cross-cutting interests that comprise U.S. foreign policy decision-making. Writing process. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
The course will examine all areas in which contemporary U.S. Security Policy is formulated and implemented. The overall goal of the course is for students to develop their abilities to interrelate the concepts and substance of U.S. security. Writing Process. 3 credits.
This course uses key cases to study important doctrines established by the Supreme Court with respect to civil rights and civil liberties. Students will examine the Court's rulings concerning the establishment and free exercise of religion, protection of freedom of speech and of the press, privacy rights (abortion and sexual freedom), the rights of the accused in the criminal justice system, and the law governing racial or sexual discrimination. The course places particular emphasis on various forms of textual interpretation used by individual justices to apply the Constitution in deciding cases and writing opinions. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and permission of the instructor. PSC 110 strongly recommended. Writing Process. 3 credits.
The dynamics of the electoral process in the United States, with emphasis on the role of parties, public opinion and interest groups. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and PSC 110, or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
Governmental institutions, characteristics of state and local political systems and the major inter-governmental problems in state and local relations with federal government. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and PSC 110 or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
A study of the origin and development of religious expression in America. Special emphasis will be given to issues of religious diversity. Cultural Diversity Studies. 3 credits. [Cross-listed as American Studies 120.]
This course will explore the relationship between religion and politics in the United States. It will include an examination of the role religion played in the founding vision of our nation's democracy, as well as the important separation between church and state that has been achieved over the course of our nation's history. With this historical backdrop in mind, special emphasis will then be given to the ascendancy of the religious right in recent electoral politics. 3 credits.
Introduction to both physical and cultural anthropology including human evolution, human variation, and cross-cultural analysis and comparison. 3 credits.

The two concentration courses will be chosen in consultation with the advisor. These two course could include AMS 400 (internship) or AMS 500 (independent study) or may also be upper division courses from another discipline. Possible concentrations include:

Media Studies

A historical survey of American music emphasizing stylistic developments and illustrative musical examples from colonial times to the present. Includes American musical theater, jazz, folk and popular styles. 3 credits.
This team-taught, interdisciplinary course will critically examine how films reflect, construct, and question the dominant image and understanding of the American identity. Disciplinary perspective.
An introduction to career-oriented uses of language and to the skills used universally by reporters, editors, advertising copywriters, public relations personnel and technical writers. Usually offered every semester. 3 credits.
The development of the basic skills of journalistic writing such as interviewing, covering meetings, gathering and reporting news and writing features according to standard formats and styles. The course also covers legal and ethical aspects of journalism. Writing intensive. Prerequisite: ENG 111 and 112 or permission of the instructor. Usually offered fall semester. 3 credits.

Diversity Studies

A study of the origin and development of religious expression in America.
This course is designed to address a broad spectrum of issues related to the psychology of gender. Of central importance is the examination of empirical findings related to gender differences and similarities in biological, behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional domains. The course will also involve a critical examination of the meaning of gender in the field of psychology and in the broader society. Prerequisites: PSY 111, 112, 120 or 130. 3 credits
This course explores the lives of those individuals living with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer identity (LGBTQ) and the relationship these individuals have with those around them. Exploration of the historical and contemporary implications of living with an LGBTQ identity, how these identities develop, the struggle for civil rights and legal protections, and how various factors such as the AIDS crisis, the media, religion, and others impact LGBTQ persons will also be explored. 3 credits.
This team-taught, interdisciplinary course will critically examine how films reflect, construct, and question the dominant image and understanding of the American identity. Disciplinary perspective.
This class offers you a chance to familiarize yourself with the variety of ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual groups and identities in the US. You will gain or enhance your intellectual framework for understanding and appereciating diversity. It will also perpare you to survive and thrive in our complex and challenging world. The course relies on history, literature, and cultural studies and will be challenging but also fun. 3 credits.
The major objective of this course is to help students become aware of the degree to which behavior (including one's own) is culturally determined. As we continue to move toward a global society with increasingly frequent intercultural contacts, we need more than simple factual knowledge about cultural differences; we need a framework for understanding inter-cultural communication and cross-cultural human relations. Through lecture, discussion, simulations, case- studies, role-plays and games, students will learn the inter-cultural communication framework and the skills necessary to make them feel comforatble and communicate effectively with people of any culture and in any situation involving a group of diverse backgrounds. Prerequisite: SOC 110. 3 credits.
Study of human sexuality from psychosocial and cultural perspectives. The course will include an examination of such topics as developmental sexuality, gender roles, sexual communication, sexual orientation, coercive sex, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and religious and ethical perspectives on sexuality. Prerequisite: SOC 110. 3 credits.

Peace and Social Justice Studies

An examination of the social, political, economic and cultural upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s in the historical context. 3 credits.
This course incorporates a variety of approaches to working class studies: historical, sociological, cultural, and political. Students will learn about the origins of the modern working class in both 16th century Europe and the slave colonies of the Caribbean. They will also learn about the history and current practice of the labor movement; the different ways workers have organized politically in the past and present; the role of race, gender, national origin, and skill in organizing labor markets and workers' identities; the depiction of workers in the mass media, particularly film. The primary focus of the class will be on the US, but some comparisons to other countries will be made to help highlight what is specifically American about our class system. 3 credits.
Karl Marx is among the most influential thinkers in the modern world, and the ideology of Marxism has helped shape the cultural, religious, economic, and political history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This course will examine Marx and marxism(s) from an interdisciplinary perspective, first by exploring the life and word of Marx, and Marxist parties and movements, and then by examining the effects Marx's thinking has had on global politics, economic theory, religion, and philosopy. By examining the historical and philosophical roots and continuing significacnce of Marx and Marxism, students will have an occasion to practice a multidisciplinary study of a historical figure and movement and become better informed about intellectual and political history and how those continue to shape the world around us. 3 credits.