Major Requirements

Major Requirements

The American Studies major requires thirteen courses, detailed below.

• Five (5) core courses form the foundation of the program. Ideally, majors should complete these prior to the start of their senior year.​
  1. Foundational course, Critical American Studies: AMS 201 (generally offered Winter quarter);
  2. Introduction to Historical Methods and Sources:  HST 298 (offered every quarter);
  3. U.S. history course (see first list below).
  4. Intersectional & Transnational Approaches course (from second list below)
  5. Additional Method/Theory course (from third list below). Ideally, this will be connected to the student’s concentration & selected in consultation with your Major Advisor.
• One (1) American Studies Capstone course
  • AMS 301: ​During the fall quarter of their senior year, students should take AMS 301. Students will be sent instructions on how to prepare for the Senior Seminar by the Autumn Quarter instructor for the course. Students must earn a C- or better in this course. This course is waived for Honors students who are producing an Honors capstone thesis project and Double Majors when AMS is a student's secondary major AND the student completes a thesis project through a capstone course in their primary major; in these cases AMS 301 must be replaced with a 300-level AMS course. Students seeking these exceptions must discuss with the AMS Program Director in advance.​ 
• Five (5) interdisciplinary courses are selected to form one of six (6) possible concentrations:
  • Popular Culture and Media Studies;
  • Standard Concentration
  • Social and Literary Movements;
  • Politics, Institutions and Values;
  • Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies; or
  • Material Culture and the Built Environment. 
    At least three of the concentration courses must be at the 300-level.​
• Two (2) Major Elective courses are selected to complement one's work in American Studies.
  • In consultation with an advisor, students select two additional courses from outside the concentration.​ 

Distribution Requirements

• For the concentration and the electives, no more than three courses for the major should be from any one department outside of AMS.
• Also, from the combination of concentration courses AND elective courses at least three courses should carry an AMS designator.
• At least three of the concentration courses should be at the 300-level.
• In no instance may a course double count within the major; in other words, a course taken to fulfill the method or theory course requirement in the core may not also simultaneously fulfill credits within the concentration or electives, etc. Likewise, a course taken to fulfill the "Additional Method/Theory" requirement may not also simultaneously fill the "Intersectional & Transnational Approaches" requirement, etc. 

• Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain or Honors requirements. If students double major or minor in AMS, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major or the minor.  Likewise, students in the Honors program may double-count Honors courses for the AMS double major or minor. To be eligible, these double-counted courses must be primarily U.S.-focused (have at least 50% U.S. content). If you are unsure whether a course may be eligible, please consult with the AMS Director. 

To fulfill the U.S. History requirement, one of the following may be taken (please note that these courses may NOT double count to fulfill any other AMS requirement):​

To fulfill the Intersectional & Transnational Approaches core requirement, one of the following may be taken (please note that these courses may NOT double count to fulfill any other AMS requirement):

To fulfill the Methods/Theory core requirement, one of the following may be taken (please note that these courses may NOT double count to fulfill any other AMS requirement. Please consult your Major advisor so you might select a course that will complement your concentration):​ 

To fulfill the AMS Major Electives Requirement, two of the following may be taken (please note that these courses may NOT double count to fulfill any other AMS requirement):

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