Major Requirements

The American Studies major consists of a minimum of 10 courses (40 units).  Students must complete five required courses: one introductory course in U.S. History; one introductory course in U.S. literature; one course on theory and methods (AMST 290); junior seminar (AMST 390) or approved 300-level AMST course; and the capstone senior seminar (AMST 490). In addition to these courses, students will take five electives. These will consist of two courses from each of the two thematic clusters ("cultural productions" and "historical perspectives"); and one additional elective. 

REQUIRED COURSEWORK

Introduction to History

Choose one of the following:

HIST 101	United States Culture and Society I	4 units
	Or
HIST 102	United States Culture and Society II	4 units

American Literature Survey

Choose one of the following:

ENGL 189	The American Experience in Literature	4 units
	Or
ENGL 289	The American Experience in Literature	4 units

Theory and Methodology

The majority of students will fulfill this requirement by completing both AMST 290 and AMST 490. In rare circumstances, a student may substitute a theory and methodology course from another department for AMST 290 in consultation with their advisor and with approval from the chair of AMST.

AMST 290	American Studies Theory and Methodology	4 units
AMST 490	Senior Seminar	4 units

 

 

Junior Seminar

AMST 390	Junior Seminar	4 units
AMST 310	The American South	4 units
AMST 320	Graphic Narratives: From Pulp Fiction to Comix Literature	4 units
AMST 325/BLST 325	Toni Morrison and African-American Self-Fashioning	4 units
AMST 346/ENGL 346	Beautiful Democracy: 19th Century African American Literature	4 units
AMST 376/BLST 376	Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory	4 units

Cultural Productions

Students must select two courses from the list below:

AMST 240/BLST 240	African American Women Writers	4 units
AMST 260/LLAS 260	United States Latino Literature and Cultural Studies	4 units
AMST 270	Asian American Literature	4 units
AMST 320	Graphic Narratives: From Pulp Fiction to Comix Literature	4 units
AMST 325/BLST 325	Toni Morrison and African-American Self-Fashioning	4 units
AMST 346/ENGL 346	Beautiful Democracy: 19th Century African American Literature	4 units
BLST 252/MAC 252	African-American Film: 1967–Present	4 units
CTSJ 233	Queer Literature and Culture	4 units

Historical Perspectives

Students must select two courses from the list below:

AMST 202/LLAS 202	Latina/o Cultural and Intellectual History	4 units
AMST 242/BLST 242	The Great Migration	4 units
AMST 256/BLST 256	Race Women: African American Women's Protest Culture	4 units
AMST 268/BLST 268	Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History	4 units
AMST 272/EASN 272	Asian Immigrants in American Society	4 units
AMST 280/DWA 246	The United States and East Asia	4 units
AMST 310	The American South	4 units
AMST 376/BLST 376	Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory	4 units

Additional Electives

Students must take one additional elective chosen either from the list of approved electives below, or one of the thematic clusters above. 

AMST 101	United States Redux: Introduction to American Studies	4 units
AMST 200/POLS 200	Democratic Socialism, American Style	4 units
AMST 295	Topics in American Studies	4 units
AMST 296/DWA 287	Transnational Liberation: Black Radical Thought in the Middle East and North Africa	4 units
AMST 375/PSYC 375	Sociopolitics of Race: Color-blind/Color-insight	4 units
BLST 110	Introduction to Black Studies	4 units
CTSJ 232	Introduction to Cultural Studies	4 units
HIST 312/BLST 312	Race, Rights, and Revolution in the Atlantic World	4 units
LLAS 385/PSYC 385	Chicanx Identities and Social Institutions: Education, Health, Politics	4 units
POLS 208	Movements for Social Justice	4 units
RELS 245/BLST 245	African American Religious Traditions	4 units
RELS 347	Religious Liberty and the Law	4 units