Major Requirements

American Studies is a major for people who want to chart their own course through the wilds of American culture. Unlike many majors, which prescribe sequences of courses for students, American Studies is fairly free-form. It allows a student who likes American art to create a concentration that reflects his interests, while permitting the student with interests in economics to incorporate those interests in her major. It lets one student create a major that focuses on fiction, and another to concentrate on the facts (and interpretations) of history.

In consultation with an adviser, students construct nine-course majors which normally include American Studies 100, a 200-level topics course, and a 300-level seminar (when subjects are different, the topics course and the seminar may be taken more than once), and six designated disciplinary courses (with at least one course in each of three departments). Of the nine courses, at least three must be at Level III.

How do American Conversations fit with American Studies?

American Conversations are American Studies, an interdisciplinary discovery of America, and the diverse meanings of American life. So students who have completed American Conversations receive four credits in American Studies.

Can I double major?

Yes! Your American history course can count both for a History major and for the American Studies major. So it's both easy and interesting to double major in American Studies. Because of the range of options in American Studies, it's also a good way to fulfill General Education requirements, because the courses which count for American Studies may also count for GEC credit.