American Studies Major

Major Requirements

The major in American Studies requires 9 courses, distributed as follows:

1. Introductory Course (1 course)

AMST103 JT - Introduction to American Cultures

2. United States History (2 courses)

A 2-semester survey of United States history.

3. United States Survey (1 course)

One other survey-level course focusing on the United States in another discipline, such as:

Art History
Government (for example: GOVT 020 CM - Introduction to American Politics )
Literature (for example: LIT 060 CM - American Writers to 1900 )
Music
Sociology

4. Ethnic Studies (1 course)

One course in:

Africana Studies
Asian American Studies
Chicano Studies
Histories and/or cultures of Native Americans

5. Junior Seminar (1 course)

This seminar is normally taken in the fall of the junior year.

AMST180 SC - American Studies Seminar

6. Electives (3 courses)

Three upper-division or seminar courses in a single discipline. For example:

Government
History
Literature

This requirement gives the program depth as well as breadth.

Senior Thesis in American Studies

The senior thesis is a general education requirement and the capstone experience of a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception.

Students interested in receiving honors in American Studies are required to complete a 2-semester project. CMC students interested in a 2-semester thesis project normally enroll in AMST 190 SC - Senior Thesis Seminar, in the fall semester, followed by the senior thesis in the spring semester. The senior thesis and related seminar may not be counted as courses in the major for CMC students.For further information on honors in the major, see Honors in American Studies .

Special Options for Majors

Dual Majors

The dual major in American Studies requires a minimum of 7 courses, distributed as follows:

1. Introductory Course (1 course)

AMST103 JT - Introduction to American Cultures

2. United States History (1 course)

One survey-level course focusing on United States history.

HIST080 CM - Early America: From Invasion to Civil War

3. United States Survey (1 course)

One other survey-level course focusing on the United States in another discipline, such as:

Art History
Government (for example: GOVT 020 CM - Introduction to American Politics )
Literature (for example: LIT 060 CM - American Writers to 1900 )
Music
Sociology

4. Ethnic Studies (1 course)

One course in:

Africana Studies
Asian American Studies
Chicano Studies
Histories and/or cultures of Native Americans

5. Junior Seminar (1 course)

This seminar is normally taken in the fall of the junior year.

AMST180 SC - American Studies Seminar

6. Electives (2 courses)

Two upper-division or seminar courses in a single discipline. For example:

Government
History
Literature

This requirement gives the program depth as well as breadth.

Notes:

Students with a dual major including American Studies are encouraged to write their senior thesis on a topic in American studies. For further information, see Senior Thesis in American Studies above.
Note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in American Studies below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Honors in American Studies

To be eligible for honors in American Studies, students must:

Register with the CMC American Studies advisor at the beginning of their senior year,
Achieve an A- (11.00) or better grade point average in all American Studies courses at the time of graduation, and
Complete a 2-semester, 2-credit thesis project in American Studies and receive grades of A- (11.00) or better for the thesis courses.

General Education Requirements for American Studies Majors

Students with interdisciplinary majors requiring courses in the humanities and/or social sciences are required to take designated courses in 6 different fields of the humanities and social sciences for the general education requirements.

American studies majors must take courses in 3 or 4 of the 4 fields of the social sciences (economics, government, history, and psychology), and in 2 or 3 of the 4 fields of the humanities (literature, philosophy, religious studies, and literature in a foreign language) for a total of 6 courses. American studies majors with a dual or double major in a second field of the humanities or social sciences will usually be required to take an additional course. For further information on general education requirements, see General Education Requirements .

Student Learning Outcomes of the Program in American Studies

Students are able to build an argument effectively using a wide range of evidence across the disciplines.
Students are able to use primary and secondary sources effectively in carrying on research in American Studies.
Students are able to demonstrate awareness of methodological issues.
Students are able to demonstrate effective and appropriate writing skills in communicating the histories and cultures of the United States.