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American Studies

Courses & Requirements

Thematic Concentrations

American Studies students identify a thematic concentration, or intensive study centered on either an era (such as antebellum America or the United States since the Cold War) or a topic (such as the emergence of mass culture, social justice, or race and ethnicity in American life). In consultation with his or her American Studies academic advisor, the students will select and take courses that fit the theme. The following are possible thematic concentrations (these are only suggestions; there are many more possibilities).

  • Rural America and Regional Traditions
    • EGL-318 Junior Seminar: Literature of the American South
    • HST-217 American Folk Music/American History
    • HST-311 Frontiers in the Americas
    • PSC-263 The Politics of Poverty and Welfare
  • American Media and Popular Culture
    • ANT-236 Youth and Popular Cultures
    • AAH-366 Contemporary Art and Theory
    • EGL-234 The Beats and Contemporary Culture
    • EGL-287 Science Fiction
    • EGL-286 Film: The American Western
    • EGL-285 Film as Fictive Art: American and European Films
    • HST-333 Hollywood Film: An American History
    • HST-129 History of Sports in America
    • HST-331 Representing America: United States History in Film
    • AMU-130 American Music
    • AMU-131 Music of Black America
    • AMU-132 The History of Jazz
    • PSC-269 Media and Politics
  • American Industrialization: The Environment, Society and Labor
    • ANT-241 Environmental Anthropology
    • ECO-225 Economics of Sin
    • ECO-228 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
    • ECO-233 Public Policy and American Industry
    • ECO-237 Gender Issues in Economics
    • ECO-339 Public Finance
    • ECO-344 Economics of Education
    • ECO-345 Nonprofits, Cooperatives, and Other Non-Traditional Firms
    • ECO-387 Seminar in Labor
    • EGL-210 Nuclear Technology in War and Peace: A Study of Issues and Choices
    • EGL-229 American Realism and Naturalism
    • ENS-209 Renewable Energy Systems
    • HST-121 The Depression and New Deal
    • HST-335 American Environmental History
    • HST-215 Revolutions in Americans’ Lives
    • PHL-264 Philosophy of American Education
    • PHL-273 Environmental Ethics
    • PSC-111 Introduction to U.S. Politics
    • PSC-272 The Environment, Energy, and U.S. Politics
    • PSC-263 The Politics of Poverty and Welfare
    • SOC-270 Social Movements, the Environment, and Society
  • Progressive America: Civil Rights and Social Justice
    • AAH-460 Seminar: Visual Culture, Race and Gender (GSW)
    • ECO-345 Nonprofits, Cooperatives, and Other Non-Traditional Firms
    • EGL-274 Introduction to Black Poetry
    • HST-213 Women in Modern America (GSW)
    • HST-312 History of Women’s Rights in the United States (GSW)
    • HST-231 The Civil Rights Movement
    • HST-217 American Folk Music/American History
    • HST-411 Seminar in U.S. History: Socialist Tradition
    • HST-222 Other Voices:Women in the History of American Ideas (GSW)
    • PHL-264 Philosophy of American Education
    • PSC-111 Introduction to U.S. Politics
    • PSC-246 Contentious Politics
    • PSC-261 Public Opinion
    • PSC-283 Social and Political Movements (SOC 270)
    • PSC-371 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
    • PSC-385 Women and Politics (GSW)
  • American Creativity in the 20th Century
    • AAH-260 Art of the United States
    • AAH-222 History of Photography
    • AAH-363 Early American Modernism, 1900-1945
    • AAH-366 Contemporary Art and Theory
    • AAH-460 Seminar: Visual Culture, Race and Gender
    • ADA-052 Dance in America
    • ADA-140 American Musical Theater and Dance (ATH-140)
    • ATH-140 American Musical Theater and Dance (ADA-140)
    • EGL-217 American Literature in Historical Context: 1900-1960
    • EGL-218 American Literature in Historical Context: 1960-Present
    • EGL-219 African-American Literature in Historical Context: 1900-Present
    • EGL-229 American Realism and Naturalism
    • EGL-233 New York Modern
    • EGL-234 The Beats and Contemporary Culture
    • EGL-239 American Indian Women Writers
    • EGL-240 Black Women Writers
    • EGL-243 Introduction to American Indian Literature and Film
    • EGL-244 Asian American Literature and Film
    • EGL-254 Literary Hauntings
    • EGL-255 Discourses on the Vietnam War: Literature, Film and History on the Conflict in Vietnam
    • EGL-286 Film: The American Western
    • EGL-287 Science Fiction
    • EGL-260 Modern American Novel
    • EGL-261 American Fiction Since 1960
    • EGL-262 American Regionalism
    • EGL-270 Modern Poetry
    • EGL-274 Introduction to Black Poetry
    • EGL-285 Film as Fictive Art: American and European Films
    • EGL-304/5 Junior Seminars:
      • Bob Dylan
      • Harlem Renaissance
      • Feminist Literary Study
      • The Independent Press and Contemporary Poetry
      • Literature of the American South
      • Hughes and Hurston
    • HST-223 Twentieth Century American Intellectual History
  • The Cold War Era
    • EGL-218 American Literature in Historical Context: 1960-Present
    • HST-123 Postwar America and the Origins of the Cold War
    • HST-125 Coming Apart? America in the Sixties (GSW)
    • HST-215 Revolutions in Americans’ Lives
    • HST-218 Death in America
    • PHL-264 Philosophy of American Education
    • PSC-111 Introduction to U.S. Politics
    • PSC-283 Social and Political Movements (SOC 270)
    • PSC-369 Seminar: U.S. Politics
  • American Identity: Race, Class and Gender
    • AMU-131 Music of Black America
    • AMU-132 The History of Jazz
    • EGL-304 Junior Seminar: Feminist Literary Study
    • EGL-405 Senior Seminar: Hughes and Hurston
    • HST-312 History of Women’s Rights in the United States (GSW)
    • HST-212 Women in Colonial and Victorian America (GSW)
    • HST-213 Women in Modern America (GSW)
    • HST-222 Other Voices: Women in the History of American Ideas (GSW)
    • HST-231 The Civil Rights Movement
    • MLT-203 Asian American Film and Performance (AIS and GSW)
    • MLT-285 From Virgin to Sex Goddess: Re-Envisioning the Chicana Experience Through Art and Literature
    • PSC-263 The Politics of Poverty and Welfare
    • PSC-240(R) Comparative Ethnic and Racial Politics
    • PSC-241(R) Religion and Politics
    • PSC-267 Race and the American Political System
    • PSC-371 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
    • PSC-385 Women and Politics (GSW)
    • PSC-434 Feminist Film (GSW-495)
    • SOC-230 African-Americans in Contemporary Society
    • SOC-231 Sex and Gender in American Society (GSW)
    • SOC-233 Race, Class, and Gender in American Society(GSW)
    • SOC-284 Sociology of Women & Health (GSW)o Matter (WGS)
  • America in the World
    • EGL-255 Discourses on the Vietnam War: Literature, Film and History on the Conflict in Vietnam
    • ECO-234 Japanese-American Finance and Trade Relations
    • HST-127 America in the Vietnam War
    • HST-332 Transnational America
    • PSC-240(R) Comparative Ethnic and Racial Politics
    • PSC-241(R) Religion and Politics
    • PSC-251 American Foreign Policy
    • PSC-257(R) U.S. Empire in Crisis
    • PSC-355(R) Defense Policy
    • PSC-362 CIA and the Art of Intelligence
  • Comparative American Ethnic Studies
    • ANT-180 North American Indians
    • ECO-234 Japanese-American Finance and Trade Relations
    • EGL-254 Literary Hauntings
    • EGL-255 Discourses on the Vietnam War: Literature, Film and History on the Conflict in Vietnam
    • EGL-239 American Indian Women Writers
    • EGL-243 Introduction to American Indian Literature and Film
    • EGL-244 Asian American Literature and Film
    • EGL-405 Senior Seminar: Hughes and Hurston
    • HST-128 The American Jewish Experience
    • HST-215 Revolutions in Americans’ Lives
    • HST-332 Transnational America
    • AMU-131 Music of Black America
    • AMU-132 The History of Jazz
    • MLT-203 Asian American Film and Performance (AIS and GSW)
    • MLT-282 North/South Relations and Diasporic Politics
    • MLT-285 From Virgin to Sex Goddess: Re-Envisioning the Chicana Experience Through Art and Literature
    • MLT-289 Literature of the Mexican-American Border
    • MLT-203 Asian American Film and Performance (AIS and GSW)
    • SPN-350 Vision and Voices: Chicana Icons from Myth to Matter (GSW)
    • PSC-240(R) Comparative Ethnic and Racial Politics
    • PSC-267 Race and the American Political System
    • SOC-230 African-Americans in Contemporary Society
    • SOC-233 Race, Class, and Gender in American Society (GSW)
    • SOC-346 African American Women: Unheard Voices and Contemporary Lifestyles (GSW)
  • African American History and Culture**
    • AAH-460 Seminar: Visual Culture, Race and Gender
    • AMU-131 Music of Black America
    • AMU-132 The History of Jazz
    • EGL-216 African-American Literature in Historical Context: Beginnings to 1900: Vision and Re-Vision
    • EGL-219 African-American Literature in Historical Context: 1900-Present
    • EGL-240 Black Women Writers
    • EGL-274 Introduction to Black Poetry
    • EGL-304 Junior Seminar: Harlem Renaissance
    • EGL-405 Senior Seminar: Hughes and Hurston
    • HST-131 African-American History I
    • HST-132 African-American History II
    • HST-231 The Civil Rights Movement
    • HST-322 Slavery and Freedom
    • PSC-267 Race and the American Political System
    • SOC-230 African-Americans in Contemporary Society
    • SOC-233 Race, Class, and Gender in American Society (GSW)

    * *Note: Minor in this area done through Africana Studies Program

  • Latino/as in the U.S. History and Culture
    • AAH-460 Seminar: Visual Culture, Race and Gender (GSW)
    • HST-135 Latinos(as) in U.S. History
    • HST-215 Revolutions in Americans’ Lives
    • MLT-282 North/South Relations and Diasporic Politics
    • MLT-285 From Virgin to Sex Goddess: Re-Envisioning the Chicana Experience Through Art and Literature
    • MLT-289 Literature of the Mexican-American Border
    • PSC-267 Race and the American Political System
    • SOC-233 Race, Class, and Gender in American Society (GSW)
    • SPN-350 Vision and Voices: Chicana Icons from Myth to Matter (GSW)
  • Contemporary America: c. 1960-present
    • AAH-366 Contemporary Art and Theory
    • AAH-460 Seminar: Visual Culture, Race and Gender
    • AMU-130 American Music
    • AMU-131 Music of Black America
    • AMU-132 The History of Jazz
    • ECO-233 Public Policy and American Industry
    • EGL-218 American Literature in Historical Context: 1960-Present
    • EGL-255 Discourses on the Vietnam War
    • EGL-234 The Beats and Contemporary Culture
    • EGL-261 American Fiction Since 1960
    • EGL-272 American Poetry Since 1960
    • EGL-393 Studies in a Major Film Director: David Lynch
    • EGL-304/5 Junior Seminars:
    • Bob Dylan
    • The Independent Press and Contemporary Poetry
    • HST-125 Coming Apart? America in the Sixties (GSW)
    • HST-126 Since Yesterday: United States History, 1974-2000 (GSW)
    • HST-127 America in the Vietnam War
    • HST-129 History of Sports in America
    • HST-218 Death in America
    • HST-331 Representing America: United States History in Film
    • PHL-264 Philosophy of American Education
    • PHL-341 Twentieth Century Philosophy
    • PSC-111 Introduction to U.S. Politics
  • American Modernism
    • AAH-222 History of Photography
    • AAH-260 Art of the United States
    • AAH-363 Early American Modernism, 1900-1945
    • EGL-217 American Literature in Historical Context: 1900-1960
    • EGL-233 New York Modern
    • EGL-270 Modern Poetry
    • EGL-304 Junior Seminar: Harlem Renaissance
    • HST-120 The Progressive Era and the Great War, 1890-1920
    • HST-129 History of Sports in America
    • HST-215 Revolutions in Americans’ Lives
    • HST-218 Death in America
    • HST-223 Twentieth Century American Intellectual History
    • PHL-264 Philosophy of American Education
    • PSC-283 Social and Political Movements (SOC-270)
  • 19th Century America
    • AMU-130 American Music
    • EGL-215 American Literature in Historical Context: The 19th Century
    • EGL-228 The American Renaissance
    • EGL-319 Junior Seminar: Emily Dickinson
    • HST-118 Civil War and Reconstruction
    • HST-215 Revolutions in Americans’ Lives
    • HST-218 Death in America
    • PHL-264 Philosophy of American Education
    • PSC-111 Introduction to U.S. Politics
    • PSC-332 American Political Thought to World War I
  • American Revolution through the Civil War
    • AAH-250T The Architecture of the Federal Capital
    • AAH-260 Art of the United States
    • EGL-209 American Literature in Historical Context: Beginnings to 1800
    • EGL-215 American Literature in Historical Context: The 19th Century
    • EGL-304 Seminar on Charles Brockden Brown
    • HST-118 Civil War and Reconstruction
    • HST-215 Revolutions in Americans’ Lives
    • HST-216 The Writing and Ratification of the Constitution
    • HST-218 Death in America
  • The Colonial Era
    • AAH-260 Art of the United States
    • EGL-209 American Literature in Historical Context: Beginnings to 1800
    • HST-101 History of the United States to the Civil War
    • HST-114 The American Revolution
    • HST-212 Women in Colonial and Victorian America (GSW)
    • HST-216 The Writing and Ratification of the Constitution
    • HST-218 Death in America
    • PSC-111 Introduction to U.S. Politics
    • PSC-332 American Political Thought to World War I

Forms