Why Major in American Studies?
At its most basic level, American Studies focuses on one question: What does it mean to be an American?
- Students grapple with this question by exploring the rich diversity of historical and contemporary cultures of the United States.
American Studies builds understandings through coursework in a wide range of fields, such as history, literature, women's studies, African American studies, the arts, and the social sciences.
This interdisciplinary perspective helps students with broad interests develop invaluable skills in approaching complicated issues from multiple perspectives.
Follow Your Interests
With few required courses and many possible choices, American Studies allows you to follow your interests and design a course of study that meets your goals. Possible areas of focus include:
Social Justice - explore Americans' competing notions of justice and continuing struggles to achieve it.
Arts in Context - explore the development of American expressive forms and how they have shaped Americans' understandings of themselves and others.
American Communities - explore the cultural, political, social, and historical experiences of diverse groups to understand how Americans have shaped and understood identities across categories of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality.
Skills for Work and Life
American Studies students develop skills that are essential in a wide variety of professions. They become effective critical thinkers, hone research and written communication skills, and develop the ability to evaluate and understand different perspectives and interpretations.
The American Studies program also fosters multicultural and multinational awareness and understanding. One goal of the program is for its students to become responsible members, and leaders, of an increasingly diverse and globalized American community.
