American Studies
The American Studies program examines, from several perspectives, the development and expressions of a national culture and myriad subcultures, as well as borderland and diasporic cultures. By means of a combination of foundational lecture courses, core seminars, American Studies courses, and courses from relevant disciplines (literature, history, the arts, and the social or behavioral sciences), students in the American Studies program explore diverse aspects of the American experience locally, nationally, and globally. Each student chooses one
of five areas of concentration: national formations; the international United States; material cultures and built environments; politics and American communities; and visual, audio, literary, and performance cultures. In a typical year, introductory courses such as the following are given: |
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- AMST 001b, African American Freedom Movements in the Twentieth Century
- AMST 002a, American Consumer Culture in the Twentieth Century
- AMST 003b, American Literature and World Religions
- AMST 004b, Narrations of Native America
- AMST 005a, American Religion, American Life
- AMST 010a, The Rise of Religion in Modern America
- AMST 189a, The Formation of Modern American Culture, 1750–1876
- AMST 190a, The Formation of Modern American Culture, 1876–1919
- AMST 191b, The Formation of Modern American Culture, 1920 to the Present
- AMST 207a, American Cultural Landscapes: An Introduction to the History of the Built Environment
- AMST 230b, International History of the United States in the Twentieth Century
Courses such as these should give any interested freshman the best possible acquaintance with the materials and methods of American Studies. American Studies seminars numbered under 100 are part of the Freshman Seminar program and are for freshmen only; some upper-level seminars are open to freshmen with advanced placement in the relevant subjects with the permission of the DUS.
For additional information, see the American Studies program Web site.
