American Studies
Overview
American Studies is the interdisciplinary exploration of American culture. Situated at the intersection of historical and cultural analyses, students in American Studies interrogate the multiple voices and visions that have shaped American culture both past and present, and analyze debates over the meaning of American identity and culture in the United States and in transnational contexts.
The courses in swag外流’s American studies major offer multiple perspectives on American culture, history, literature, arts, and American domestic and international politics. The curriculum draws upon courses in these subjects plus media arts and culture, psychology, religion, and more. Several American Studies courses are cross-listed with courses in Black Studies, East Asian Studies, Diplomacy & World Affairs, and Latino/a & Latin American Studies. We highly encourage our majors to apply for international and domestic off-campus study, and swag外流’s Los Angeles location offers myriad opportunities for community-based learning and community engagement.
The knowledge you will develop as an American studies major is not only an integral part of the education promised by the College's mission statement, but also prepares students for citizenship in American society and an increasingly globalized world. The major prepares you for a wide range of careers in business, education, law, media, entertainment, public affairs, and non-governmental organizations.
Requirements
Major
The American Studies major consists of a minimum of 10 courses (normally ten four-unit courses, a minimum of 39 units). Of these 10 courses, a maximum of two study abroad and transfer courses may satisfy electives with chair approval, except AMST 101*, AMST 390, and AMST 490. *Transfer students who have completed an AMST 101 course at a previous institution may be able to transfer the course with the chair’s review and approval. Students with approved transfer or study abroad courses will still need to achieve the minimum 39 units for the major. This can be done through independent study, directed research, or additional elective coursework.
Students must complete three required courses: one introductory course in American Studies (); a junior seminar in American Studies: Theory and Methods (); and the Senior Seminar (). In addition to these courses, students will take seven electives. These will consist of two courses from each of the two thematic clusters ("cultural productions" and "historical perspectives"); and three additional electives. Two of the seven electives must be 300-level courses.
Core Required Courses
All majors must take these three courses.
AMST 101 | Introduction to American Studies | 4 units |
AMST 390 | Theories and Methods of American Studies | 4 units |
AMST 490 | Senior Seminar | 4 units |
Cultural Productions
Students must select two courses from the list below:
AMST 165 | Pen and Voice: Feminist Rhetorics and Abolition | 4 |
AMST 220/MAC 243 | Race, Gender, and Sexuality in American Film and Media | 4 units |
AMST 333 | American Queer Novel | 4 units |
AMST 260/LLAS 260 | United States Latino Literature and Cultural Studies | 4 units |
AMST 265/CWP 265 | Feminist Rhetorics and Social Change | 4 units |
AMST 270 | Asian American Literature | 4 units |
AMST 320 | Graphic Narratives: From Pulp Fiction to Comix Literature | 4 units |
AMST 329/BLST 329 | Black Queer Thought | 4 units |
AMST 335 | Queer of Color Critique | 4 units |
ENGL 289 | The American Experience in Literature | 4 units |
ENGL 346/BLST 346 | 19th Century African American Literature | 4 units |
Students may also apply AMST 295 to the Cultural Productions cluster if they have enrolled in the "Dis/Ability and Care Cultures in the U.S." section of the course.
Students may also apply BLST 295 to the Cultural Productions cluster only if they are enrolled in the "Race, Archive, Performance" section/course topic.
Historical Perspectives
Students must select two courses from the list below:
AMST 202/LLAS 202 | Latina/o Cultural and Intellectual History | 4 units |
AMST 208/BLST 208 | African American History II: The Great Migration and the Transformation of American Culture | 4 units |
AMST 215 | Discipline and Desire: The History of Sexuality in the United States | 4 units |
AMST 256/BLST 256 | Race Women: African American Women's Protest Culture | 4 units |
AMST 268/BLST 268 | Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History | 4 units |
AMST 272/ASN 272 | Asian Immigrants in American Society | 4 units |
AMST 280/DWA 246 | The United States and East Asia | 4 units |
AMST 305 | Captivity, Carcerality, Unfreedom: Abolitionist Rhetorics | 4 |
AMST 376/BLST 376 | Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory | 4 units |
HIST 101 | United States Culture and Society I | 4 units |
HIST 102 | United States Culture and Society II | 4 units |
HIST 207/BLST 207 | African American History I: Black Americans and the Making of the Nation | 4 units |
HIST 309 | Slavery in the Antebellum South | 4 units |
Students may also apply AMST 295 to the Historical Perspectives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Origins of the New Right" or "Settler and Native Ecologies of Power in North America" sections of the course.
Additional Electives
Students must take three additional elective chosen either from the list of approved electives below, or one of the thematic clusters above.
AMST 200/POLS 200 | Democratic Socialism, American Style | 4 units |
AMST 295 | Topics in American Studies | 4 units |
AMST 332 | Psychic Life of Violence in the United States | 4 units |
ARTH 285 | Nineteenth Century Art: Culture, Politics, and National Identity | 4 units |
BLST 101 | Introduction to Black Studies | 4 units |
ENGL 142/BLST 142 | Joyful Noise! On Black Literature and Musicality | 4 units |
HIST 312 | Race, Rights, and Revolution in the Atlantic World | 4 units |
LLAS 385/PSYC 385 | Chicanx Identities and Social Institutions: Education, Health, Politics | 4 units |
POLS 208 | Movements for Social Justice | 4 units |
RELS 145 | Introduction to American Religion | 4 units |
RELS 245 | African American Religious Traditions | 4 units |
UEP 230 | Climate Justice: Theory and Practice | 4 units |
Honors in the Major
Students who meet the following criteria may be invited to expand their Senior Comprehensive essay for College Honors:
-
Earn an A or A- in AMST 490.
-
Earn Distinction on the Senior Comprehensive essay in fall semester.
-
Have an average overall GPA of 3.25 (college policy).
Students will develop their Honors essay with their Senior Comps advisor in spring
semester, and the final essay will be evaluated by the advisor and second reader.
Students may choose to enroll in 2- or 4-units of Directed Research (AMST 493) while working towards Honors.
AMST 490 | Senior Seminar | 4 units |
AMST 499 | Honors | 2 or 4 units |
For further information see the Honors Program and the department chair.
Minor
The American Studies Minor consists of five courses for a total of 20 units. AMST 101 is required along with one elective in the "Cultural Productions" category and one elective in the "Historical Perspectives" category and two additional electives from any category.
Second-Stage Writing
Students majoring in American Studies will satisfy the Second-Stage Writing Requirement by successfully completing the methodology research paper with a grade of B-. Should a student not successfully complete the requirement in AMST 390 during their junior year, they will be required to revise the essay until it meets the passing specifications, which must be done no later than the fourth week of their senior year fall semester.
Comprehensive Requirement
Students fulfill the Senior Comprehensive requirement by successfully completing AMST 490 and a 25-page research essay in the fall
semester of senior year.
Students will receive a final grade for the AMST 490 course. Completion of the 25-page essay will determine a large portion of that grade, but not its entirety; other course requirements (meeting deadlines, class participation, presentations, in-class work) factor into the final grade in AMST 490.
The AMST 490 instructor is the primary Senior Comprehensive advisor; students will also have a second reader from the department for the comps essay. The comps advisor and second reader provide feedback through the draft-revision process and assess the final comps essay to determine distinction, pass, or fail.
Transfer Credit Policies
The American Studies Program accepts online courses for general elective credit, but will not accept online courses for major or minor credit. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.
- specific policies for majors/minors
- AP/IB Exam credit - course equivalencies?
- Online courses
- Policies specifically for matriculating frosh, transfer students, returning students after a leave of absence