American Studies Concentration

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Coordinator: Jeffrey Insko

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), Joanne Lipson Freed (English), Diane Hartmus (Political Science), L. Bailey 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 3000 - Topics in American Culture (4)
AMS 4998 - Senior Project (4)
One course in anthropology
One American history course at the 3000 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

Notes

Some 3000- and 4000-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.

As a general rule, no more than eight credits of course work used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

American Studies Concentration

Required courses

Recommended departmental electives

Art and art history

English

History

Music

Political science

Sociology/anthropology

Notes