American Studies Minor

Program Overview

The American Studies Minor explores the ideals and values that shape American identity through a multidisciplinary approach. Students analyze political, social, and cultural issues, develop critical thinking and communication skills, and conduct independent research in American art, literature, music, and history. The program fosters an understanding of the competing perspectives that define the American experience.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Overview:

The American Studies Minor seeks to explore competing ideals and values that frame perceptions of American identity. Students engage with, and analyze the various ways in which citizens and international observers view the American experience. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, students develop their understanding of important political and social issues, cultural trends, and historical periods in the United States. Students strengthen their critical thinking skills through close reading and analysis of materials such as art, literature, music, and popular culture. They improve their writing and communication skills through discussion, written analyses, and presentations. Finally, they develop research skills through independent research projects.

Objectives:

• Identify and demonstrate an understanding of the competing ideals that form the ethos of the United States.
• Demonstrate an ability to think critically and draw connections between changing American values and the expression of those values in our politics and culture.
• Demonstrate cultural literacy through familiarization with classic works of American art, literature, and music.
• Synthesize information effectively in forming oral and written arguments about interdisciplinary topics related to American Studies.
• Conduct independent research in the field of American Studies.

Outline:

Program Requirements:

(18 Credits)

Core Courses:

• AMST 300 - The American Experience (3 credits)
• POLI 406 - American Political Thought (3 credits)

Electives:

• Choose four courses that approach the study of American creative expression, identity, history, or governance.
Student should select courses from at least two of these categories in consultation with the director of the American studies program. The following list of courses is not exhaustive, and additional courses may be selected in consultation with the director of the American studies program.

Creative Expression:

• AMST 303 - American Studies - Literature and/or Art (3 credits)
• AMST 304 - American Studies - Music and/or Theatre (3 credits)
• AMST 305 - American Studies - Popular Culture (3 credits)
• ANTH 314 - Survey of African American Musics (3 credits)
• ENGL 305 - American Literature I (3 credits)
• ENGL 306 - American Literature II (3 credits)
• ENGL 328 - Modern American Writers (3 credits)
• ENGL 333 - The American Novel (3 credits)
• ENGL 336 - Contemporary American Literature (3 credits)
• MUS 257 - American Popular Music (3 credits)
• MUS 258 - Jazz and the American Experience (3 credits)
• POLI 303 - American Government Through Literature and Film (3 credits)
• POLI 306 - American Law through Literature and Film (3 credits)
• RELG 325 - Religion in Contemporary American Film (3 credits)

Identities:

• AMST 306 - American Studies - History and/or Social Issues (3 credits)
• ANTH 317 Q - Gullah Culture and Identity (3 credits)
• ENGL 341 - African-American Literature, 1750-present (3 credits)
• HIST 200 - Introduction to Southern Studies (3 credits)
• HIST 386 - History of American Women (3 credits)
• HIST 389 - The New South (3 credits)
• POLI 309 - African-American Political Thought (3 credits)
• POLI 363 - Southern Politics (3 credits)
• POLI 372 Q - Women and Public Policy (3 credits)
• RELG 365 - Religious Diversity in the South (3 credits)
• SOC 357 - African American Communities (3 credits)
• SOC 470 - Sociology of the South (3 credits)
• WGST 305 Q - Gender, Sexuality, Race, and Class in Popular Culture (3 credits)

Traditions:

• AMST 306 - American Studies - History and/or Social Issues (3 credits)
• AMST 307 - American Studies - Cultural Eras (3 credits)
• HIST 360 - The Early Republic 1783-1820 (3 credits)
• HIST 361 - Antebellum Period 1820-1850 (3 credits)
• HIST 362 - Becoming American (3 credits)
• HIST 367 - Colonial America (3 credits)
• HIST 370 - Revolutionary America (3 credits)
• HIST 371 - Civil War and Reconstruction (3 credits)
• HIST 372 - U.S. History 1876-1917 (3 credits)
• HIST 373 - U.S. History 1917-1945 (3 credits)
• HIST 374 - U.S. History 1945 to the Present (3 credits)
• HIST 393 - Crime and Punishment in Early America (3 credits)

Governance:

• AMST 301 - American Studies - Domestic Political Issues (3 credits)
• AMST 302 - American Studies - Foreign Policy (3 credits)
• POLI 360 - American Political Parties (3 credits)
• POLI 361 - American Politics: Interest Groups (3 credits)
• POLI 362 - Mass Media and American Politics (3 credits)
• POLI 366 - Public Opinion (3 credits)
• POLI 368 Q - Campaigns and Elections (3 credits)
• POLI 371 - Public Policy (3 credits)
• POLI 406 - American Political Thought (3 credits)
• POLI 449 - Constitutional Law I (3 credits)
• POLI 450 - Constitutional Law II (3 credits)
• POLI 451 - The Supreme Court (3 credits)
• POLI 452 - The Judicial Process (3 credits)
• POLI 455 - American Jurisprudence (3 credits)
• POLI 462 - The Legislative Process (3 credits)