Major Requirements

Major Requirements for the Class of 2022 and beyond

The major in American studies requires ten courses and a senior thesis. The requirements are as follows:

1) Required courses:

AA/AM 119. Cultural Politics.
AMST 200. American Studies. (Formerly ACS 100. Introduction to American Cultural Studies.)
INDS 250. Interdisciplinary Studies: Modes and Methods of Inquiry.

2) One 300-level or 400-level course in American studies, or crosslisted in American studies,
including but not limited to:

INDS 305. Art, Power, and Politics.
INDS 352. Preserving the Vibration: Digitizing the Legacy of Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor.
AM/GS 353. Critical Theory/Critical Acts.
AM/EN 395B. Privacy, Intimacy, and Identity.

3) Six additional courses drawn from AMST courses listing. American Studies is a diverse body of interdisciplinary intellectual inquiry. This allows students to engage and direct their area of specialization in consultation with their program advisor. Below are some optional suggestions for tracks of study within American Studies.

  1. Identity and Intersectionality
  2. Indigenous and Decolonizing studies
  3. Performance
  4. Power and Structure
  5. Material Culture

Pass/Fail Grading Option. Pass/fail may not be applied to the four required courses. There are no restrictions on the use of the pass/fail option for other courses taken for the major.