American Studies Program

Introduction

The American Studies Program at Manhattanville College offers an innovative and flexible interdisciplinary approach to the study of North American culture and society. Students in the Program study North America through materials an interpretive approaches from a wide range of disciplines, including English, History, Music, Film Studies, Art History, Political Science,Philosophy, World Religions, and Sociology.

Students at Manhattanville may choose either to major (33 credits) or to minor (15 credits) in American Studies.

Manhattanville's American Studies graduates have found that the creativity and critical thinking skills they have developed in their interdisciplinary course of student have prepared then extremely well for life beyond graduation. They are pursuing careers in teaching, historic preservation, museum work, publishing, marketing, academic administration, nonprofit work, business, journalism, librarianship, and broadcasting. They have also completed graduate level academic programs in American Studies, History, Management, Political Science, and Law.

Degree

Bachelor of Arts

Optional Minors

Students can also choose to minor in American Studies

Career Ideas

Teacher/Educator, Lawyer, Administrative Law Judge, Archivist/Librarian, Editorial Writer, Academic Administrator, Funds Development Administrator, Preservationist/ Historian, Museum Curator, Publications Editor, Social & Community Service Manager, Social & Human Service Specialist.

Program Administrators

Professor Colin Morris, Program Chair, (914)323-5144, Colin.Morris@mville.edu

Program Overview

Manhattanville College offers American Studies as both a major and a minor. Completion of the major or minor in American Studies requires the interdisciplinary study of North America’s social and political institutions, intellectual and religious traditions, economic systems, and art.

The major's foundational course sequence is composed of American Places I: Cities on a Hill and American Places II: Frontier Nation. It provides an introduction to interdisciplinary methods in American Studies through study of major themes in the American cultural landscape.

The American Studies Program prides itself on flexibility and an individualized approach which puts the students in the driver’s seat to self-design much of their program of study through other participating departments including Art History, Education, English, History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and World Religions.

A grade of C- or better is required for a course to be counted toward a major or minor in American Studies.

Faculty and Staff

Program Director

Colin Morris — American Places, literary and intellectual history

Affiliated Faculty

Lawson Bowling — U.S. social and economic history

Carmelo Comberiati — Music in American culture

Elizabeth Faber — American media and literature

Gillian Greenhill Hannum — American art history

Patrick Redding — 19th and 20th c. American literature and intellectual history

Van Hartmann — 19th c. American literature, American film

James Jones — African American religions

Mohamed Mbodj — African-American history

Gregory Swedberg — Mexican History