The American Studies major offers students the opportunity to explore the experience and values of the people of the United States as embodied in their history, literature, politics, art, and other enduring forms of cultural expression. The program seeks to prepare students to confront with historical awareness the pressing problems that face our society. In order to foster critical thinking, the American Studies curriculum requires deep and wide reading in works of cultural criticism, history, and social analysis. The program seeks to take advantage of our location in New York by involving students with the life of our incomparable city, and by inviting leading figures on the New York political and cultural scene to participate in colloquia, public conferences, and in the classroom. It is a demanding interdisciplinary program designed to be open and flexible while taking seriously the challenge of striving for a liberal education that helps prepare students for responsible citizenship.

NOTE: the following requirements apply to the class of 2009 and thereafter; click here for the previous requirements (pre-class of 2009) for the American Studies major and concentration.

Each American Studies student is assigned an academic advisor. Coursework consists of a series of required courses and an individualized program of study developed by the student in close consultation with his or her advisor.

Please be aware that the program of individualized, interdisciplinary coursework required by American Studies is a rigorous one. The program of study entails more coursework than many other majors, and our classes often demand extra time commitments for field trips, attendance at lectures and colloquia, and research projects. These requirements are what make undertaking a degree in American Studies a meaningful and rewarding experience. But they also mean that it may not be appropriate for students with schedules that would not allow for the completion of required coursework and a full commitment to the senior project. Prospective majors are encouraged to visit the American Studies program office to meet with an advisor to determine whether they are strong candidates for the major.

American Studies Policy on Grades: Any grade lower than a C- cannot be counted towards a degree in American Studies. A grade of C- can be counted only with the approval of the Director or Associate Director of the program.

The major requirements include  

— "Introduction to American Studies: Major Themes in the American Experience," a lecture course (designated as AMST W1010x or y) to be taken in the sophomore or junior year:
— two selections from a list of core courses that cover a broad sweep of American literature and history;
— two special-topic seminars or the equivalent.

In addition, each student will designate an area of emphasis consisting of five courses either within a particular discipline or forming a thematic sequence. Working closely with his or her advisor, each student will justify his or her emphasis with a written statement providing an intellectual rationale for the selection of courses. The Statement of Emphasis must be submitted no later than the end of the student's junior year and approved by a faculty committee.

SENIOR RESEARCH PROJECT

The final requirement for the major in American Studies is completion of a Senior Research Project to be written in the spring of senior year. Students may fulfill this requirement by taking an additional seminar where a major paper is required. They may also work independently under the supervision of a faculty member. Students who undertake the Senior Research Project take the Senior Research Seminar offered in the spring of each year. Whether working independently or in the Senior Research Seminar, students are strongly encouraged to take the Senior Research Colloquium in the fall of the senior year.


Courses

A minimum of 36 points is required to complete the major

Required courses (15 points):

—  Introduction to American Studies: Major Themes in the American Experience (3 pts)
—  Two seminars in American Studies (8 pts)
—  Senior Research Project or Additional Seminar (4 points)

American Studies Core Courses (6 points): Two of the following courses are required to complete the major. Each course must come from a different discipline. At least one of these courses must focus on the period before 1900. Students are encouraged to take more than two of these courses.

—  Foundations of American Literature I: American Literature from the Puritans to the Civil War (ENGL W3267) (3 pts)
—  Foundations of American Literature II: American Literature from the Civil War to 1945 (ENGL W3268) (3 pts)
—  U.S. Intellectual History, 1865-Present (HIST W3478) (3 pts)
—  American Beginnings (HIST W3406) or an equivalent course on pre-1900 American History (3 pts)
—  A course on nineteenth or twentieth-century American History (such as HIST W3448x America Since 1945; W3407 America Since 1960; W3431 America in the Age of Jackson (3 pts each)

Area of emphasis (15 points): In consultation with the advisor, the student will determine a series of five interrelated courses emphasizing a particular theme or period within American Studies. These courses must be drawn from at least two departments. A written statement of the intellectual rationale unifying these courses must be submitted by the end of the student's junior year.

RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE

Religion was a major force in the settlement of North America in the colonial period, and when the colonies organized themselves as a nation in the eighteenth century, they wrote religious toleration into the new Constitution. Ever since, the United States has been different from the rest of the Western world in the high level of religious belief and the diversity of churches, sects, and movements--Christian and otherwise. Religion has been an important factor in American literature and education, and to the amazement of many foreign observers, religion continues today to play a major role in American politics and foreign policy. I want to study the range and dynamics of religious belief in the United States, past and present. I am interested in such questions as where the boundary line should be drawn between church and state, and what accounts for the vitality of religion in a culture that is also regarded in much of the world as highly secular and even decadent.

COURSES

—  ENGL W3267	Foundations of American Literature I
—  RELI V3602	Religion and American Culture I
—  RELI V3603	Religion and American Culture II
—  RELI V3651	Evangelicalism
—  RELI W4670	Native American Religions

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WOMEN IN AMERICAN CULTURE

Women in American Culture is a program of study that emphasizes the stories of women's lives and work, seeking to better understand women's often unrecognized contribution to American culture, and to study spaces and issues that have historically been associated with the feminine (childrearing and family, the domestic sphere, helping professions). I am also interested in theories of gender and sexuality, which will help to guide my analysis of American culture. The classes I have identified look at women and gender issues through a variety of disciplinary lenses, including history, economics, and literature. Within the emphasis, I am particularly interested in studying minority women, so I have chosen one English class, and two Women's Studies classes that are about women of color. When I have completed this program of study, I expect to have deepened my knowledge of the history and culture of women in the United States.

COURSES

—  HIST BC3567	American Women in the 20th Century
—  ECON BC2010	The Economics of Gender
—  ENGL BC3144	Minority Women Writers in U.S.
—  WMST BC3121	Black Women In America
—  WMST BC3136	Asian American Women's Literature

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OTHER EXAMPLES


CULTURES OF NEW YORK CITY

—  AHHS 4403	Robert Moses and the Modern City
—  AHIS BC3948	The Visual Culture of the Harlem Renaissance
—  DNCE BC2570	Dance In New York City
—  HIST W3535	History of the City of New York
—  ANTH V3960	The Culture of Public Art and Display in New York City

ETHNICITY AND RACE IN AMERICAN CULTURE

—  CSER W1012	History of Racialization in the United States
—  ENGL W3271	American Lit and Culture: U.S. Latino Literature
—  ENGL W3401	Asian American Literature and Culture
—  AFAS C3500	African-American Intellectual History: 20th Century - Malcolm X
—  ECON W4438	Economics of Race In the U.S.

JAZZ IN AMERICAN LIFE

—  HIST W3449	American Urban History
—  JAZZ W3100	American Culture: Gender, Race, Jazz
—  MUSI V2016	Jazz
—  AHIS C3643	American City: Urban Form
—  HIST W3407	America since 1960
—  ANTH V3932	Anthropology of Jazz

A minimum of 21 points is required to complete the concentration

Required course (3 points):

—  Introduction to American Studies: Major Themes in the American Experience (3 pts)


American Studies Core Courses (minimum 6 points of which 3 points must be in Literature and 3 points in History):

—  Foundations of American Literature I: American Literature from the Puritans to the Civil War (ENGL W3267) (3 pts)
—  Foundations of American Literature II: American Literature from the Civil War to 1945 (ENGL W3268) (3 pts)
—  U.S. Intellectual History, 1865-Present (HIST W3478) (3 pts)
—  American Beginnings (HIST W3406) or an equivalent course on pre-1900 American History (3 pts)
—  A course on nineteenth or twentieth-century American History

Area of emphasis (12 points): In consultation with the advisor, the student will determine a series of four interrelated courses emphasizing a particular theme or period within American Studies. These courses must be drawn from at least two departments. A written statement of the intellectual rationale unifying these courses must be submitted by the end of the student's junior year. Please see above examples.

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The buttons below will connect you to worksheets (pdf files) you can print; the worksheets are meant to help you can keep track of your courses and requirements.