To be successful, an interdisciplinary program must integrate the various approaches to which its students are exposed. A curriculum is not interdisciplinary simply because it provides courses in several different academic disciplines. Undergraduates sometimes study a subject for no other reason than because it seems interesting, and while such experimentation should be encouraged, it can become a form of dilettantism that leads to superficial knowledge of various fields without comprehension of how these different aspects of human experience relate to one another. American Studies confronts this problem by offering its majors a coherent plan of study. Majors enroll in required seminars that address specific topics in a broadly interdisciplinary perspective.
Seminars are limited to twenty students.
Each quarter is taught by a professor from a different discipline. In these seminars, students examine how established departments deal with their specific subjects, and by the end of the year they can discover for themselves the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. This type of integrated interdisciplinary experience helps majors to formulate important and intriguing questions, to analyze different kinds of data, and to design innovative research projects. American Studies is also a flexible major that promotes intellectual independence and responsibility. In addition to the seminars, each student plans with an adviser a course of study that best fulfills his or her particular academic needs.