American Studies Concentration

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Coordinator: Jeffrey Insko, English

Executive Committee: Graham Cassano (Sociology), Todd A. Estes (History), Jeffrey Insko (English), Andrea Knutson (English), Kathleen Pfeiffer (English)

Affiliated Faculty: Daniel J. Clark (History), John Corso (Art History), David Dulio (Political Science), Diane Hartmus (Political Science), Baily McDaniel (English), Karen A.J. Miller (History), Roger Larocca (Political Science), Teri Towner (Political Science)

The American studies concentration provides both a broad understanding of the American experience and an introduction to the practice of focused interdisciplinary study. The concentration is taken in addition to a departmental major. By electing departmental courses with an American focus in two or three areas outside the major and framing the concentration with two interdisciplinary American studies courses, students may expect to gain a coherent sense of the national experience and appreciate the various contributions of different academic disciplines.

Although not a vocationally directed program, the American studies concentration should be of particular interest to students preparing for careers in law, government and journalism, and those planning graduate work in American studies or any of its contributing disciplines.

The concentration requirements are listed below. Students interested in pursuing this concentration should file a plan of study with the coordinator.

Required courses

AMS 300 - Topics in American Culture (4)
AMS 401 - Senior Project (4)
One course in anthropology
One American history course at the 300 level
Three electives from the list of recommended departmental electives, with no more than two taken from any one department’s offerings and at least one representing a field or fields outside the student’s major

Recommended departmental electives

Art and art history

English

ENG 112 - Literature of Ethnic America (4)
ENG 224 - American Literature (4)
ENG 317 - Early American Literature (4)
ENG 318 - American Literature 1820-1865 (4)
ENG 319 - American Literature 1865-1920 (4)
ENG 320 - American Literature 1920-1950 (4)
ENG 324 - Issues in American Literature (4)
ENG 341 - Selected Ethnic Literature (4)
ENG 342 - African American Literature (4)

History

HST 114 - Introduction to American History Before 1877 (4)
HST 115 - Introduction to American History Since 1877 (4)
HST 292 - History of the African-American People (4)
HST 301 - History of American Cities (4)
HST 305 - History of American Mass Media (4)
HST 306 - History of the North American Colonies (4)
HST 308 - The American Revolution (4)
HST 309 - The U.S. Early National Period, 1787-1815 (4)
HST 310 - Jacksonian America (4)
HST 311 - The Development of Political Practices in Early America (4)
HST 312 - The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1876 (4)
HST 313 - American History, 1876-1900 (4)
HST 314 - American History 1900-1928 (4)
HST 315 - American History 1928-1945 (4)
HST 316 - U.S. Cultural History to 1865 (4)
HST 317 - U.S. Cultural History Since 1865 (4)
HST 319 - History of the American South (4)
HST 322 - Women in Modern America (4)
HST 323 - Topics in African American History (4)
HST 361 - History of American Families (4)
HST 362 - History of African-American Women (4)

Music

Political science

PS 100 - Introduction to American Politics (4)
PS 300 - American Political Culture (4)
PS 301 - American Presidency and the Executive Process (4)
PS 302 - Congress and the Legislative Process (4)
PS 305 - Local Government and Politics (4)
PS 307 - State Politics (4)
PS 312 - The Politics of Race and Ethnicity (4)
PS 324 - Elections and Voting Behavior (4)
PS 326 - Political Campaigns (4)
PS 327 - Media and Politics (4)
PS 340 - U.S. Constitutional Law (4)
PS 341 - Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (4)
PS 342 - The Judicial Process (4)
PS 371 - American Political Thought (4)

Sociology/anthropology

SOC 100 - Introduction to Sociology (4)
SOC 205 - Current Social Problems (4)
SOC 315 - Social Welfare Policies (4)
SOC 331 - Racial and Ethnic Relations (4)
SOC 373 - Social Control of Mass Media (4)
AN 380 - Archaeology of North America (4)
AN 381 - Peoples and First Nations of North America (4)

Note

Some 300- and 400-level topics courses offered by contributing departments may also be included in the concentration, with permission of the American studies coordinator.

Students majoring in anthropology or history should be aware that no more than 8 credits may be counted toward both the major and a concentration.