American Studies is one of the oldest interdisciplinary majors at the College, and, like its subject of study, America, our field continues to revise and redefine its identity. Intellectually, the major does not take its subject matter for granted but instead poses vital questions about the world we live in and places those questions in an historical framework. To offer a solid background, you also take a choice of historical surveys in the fields of literature, history, and art history. Other courses include more focused topics from different disciplines, which include courses in social sciences as well as the humanities. And in order to insure a broad perspective on American culture and society, one of the selections is a course on the African American experience and another on groups outside the mainstream of American society, whether immigrants, Native American culture, or Latin America.
All majors work closely with an advisor.
Our requirements provide a structure, an outline, which you flesh out with your own intellectual interests. Many students take advantage of the wide course offerings among the Five Colleges to pursue their special interests or just to find new perspectives. For some students, their interests develop into senior theses on research topics they design in close consultation with faculty advisors. Our faculty is composed of a vibrant, enthusiastic, and dedicated group of professors with a wide variety of expertise. Many with national reputations bring their research interests into the classroom.