American Studies Major

Major Requirements

The American Studies major consists of ten (10) courses which includes four (4) required courses and electives, and an internship.

Required Elements for the Major

1. Introductory course AMST 101 - Explorations of Race and Racism , AMST 103 - The Problems of Race in US Social Thought and Policy , AMST 110 - Introduction to African American Studies  or a course designated as equivalent by the American Studies chair. Note: This introductory course may involve a cross-listed course in another department.
2. Methods Course AMST 200 - Critical Methods for American Studies Research .
3. Junior Seminar: AMST 300 - Critical Legal Studies  or AMST 301 - Critical Prison Studies  . It is possible that the course may include additional credits in the form of an internship or equivalent community-based learning component.
4.  Senior Capstone: AMST 400 - Senior Seminar .
   
   Note: These four courses should be taken in sequential order. In rare cases, two courses might be taken in the same semester (for example, Junior Seminar and Methods). However, because the learning is cumulative, we discourage taking these in non-sequential order, or pushing them to the end of a student’s academic plan.
    
5. Content Courses. In addition to the four required courses, the major plan will include six (6) electives. These courses may include cross-listed courses, or a maximum of four credits earned from a Study Away/Study Abroad program.
6. Internships. In addition to the ten (10) courses, the American Studies major also requires at least two (2) credits in an off-campus internship. Internship placements must be meaningful, relevant and connected in some way to coursework in the major. Both graded and pass-fail internships are acceptable.

Other Elements of the Major

1. Majors are encouraged to take at least one international and/or diasporic course.
2. Majors are encouraged to enroll in study abroad (in an international course of study) or study away programs (in a U.S.-based urban studies program).
3. Majors are encouraged to have the equivalent of two years of work in a language other than English. Note: Native American languages would fulfill this requirement.
4. Majors are encouraged to take an internship, decided upon in consultation with the department chair.
5. Majors who meet college criteria are encouraged to conduct an honors project in conjunction with their senior capstone.