American Studies

Mission

American Studies invites students to examine the development of American society and its culture. It also encourages students to explore the relationships among ideas, institutions, values, and aesthetic forms as they have evolved in the United States. Reflecting the pluralistic nature of the American experience, this program provides opportunities for students to explore multiculturalism and diversity in America. American Studies allows students to combine a number of scholarly disciplines to better comprehend the many facets of American life. By completing courses from a variety of disciplines, students in American Studies not only sharpen their analytical powers and critical insights, but will, in the long term, be well prepared for employment in education, government, social services, business, and other professions.

Requirements of the Major

Learning Outcomes

Students in American Studies develop the abilities necessary to: 

  1. Articulate the interrelationships between ideas, institutions, perspectives, and aesthetic forms as they have evolved in the United States. 
  2. Recognize the U.S. as home to a diversity of cultural norms and perspectives that affect all aspects of U.S. culture, politics, and society. 
  3. Identify and critically analyze the ways race, gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and ableness are embedded in perspectives, practices, and histories of United States culture, politics, and society. 
  4. Evaluate the ways in which the history of discriminatory practices and attitudes in the U.S. continues to create barriers for some and opportunities for others. 
  5. Develop sound research questions and strategies, and to gather, evaluate, interpret, and use information accurately, logically, and ethically; this includes the ability to evaluate information sources for authority, accuracy, and bias. 
  6. Employ interdisciplinary approaches to effectively interrogate social and political problems, and pose complex questions regarding the meanings and effects of U.S. cultural practices.