Major Requirements

Requirements for the major in American Studies consist of a core set of courses as well as an emphasis area. The core courses provide a common ground for all American Studies majors. They are the "glue" of the major. Their goals is two-fold: first to help you to develop skills for the interdisciplinary study of culture, and second to provide broad perspectives on significant aspects of American society and culture, past and present.

Core Requirements

American Studies Core Requirements consists of six courses:

• AMST 100: “Ideas and Images in American Culture,” an introduction to dominant themes in American culture and history OR AMST 200 “Multicultural America,” a look at the diverse cultures and identities that comprise American culture past and present.
• AMST 290: “Approaches in American Studies,” a small seminar that examines the principal methods of analysis and interpretation used in American Studies.
• AMST 391: “Studies in American Culture,” a junior-level course. Focusing on the American Dream, it expands your knowledge of American cultural values, images, and institutions. ONLY OFFERED IN THE FALL.
• AMST 392: “Studies in American Society,” also a junior-level course. Through an examination of equality and inequality, it deepens your knowledge of American society and sharpens your skills in analyzing social science data. ONLY OFFERED IN THE SPRING.
• AMST 490: “Senior Seminar,” the capstone course, provides you with the opportunity to apply all you have learned by conducting a major research project of your own. Recent seminars have considered such topics as race and racism, the interplay of art and politics, travel and tourism, Baltimore’s history and culture, media and identity, and the ecology of the home.
• One additional upper level American Studies of your choosing rounds out the core of the major.

The core courses should be taken in sequence. While some variations in this sequence are permitted, students should complete 290 before 391 and 392. 490 should not be taken until these courses are completed. Students may register simultaneously for only 2 of these 4 courses. Advisors must approve exceptions.

American Studies Emphasis Areas:

The department offers five options for the emphasis areas. Typically the emphasis area consists of six courses, four of which must be upper-level courses. Three of those courses must be chosen from a short list of courses designated for the particular emphasis area, and the remainder may be chosen from a larger list of courses approved by the department.

Three of the five emphasis areas are focused on particular dimensions of American culture:

• Communications, Media, and the Arts is designed for students interested in popular culture, television, film, music, journalism, advertising, the arts in social, political, and cross-cultural contexts, material culture and museums, and public culture. Studies in this area provide the analytical tools for careers in communication, media, education, public service, public history (including museum or preservation work), and law.
• Community and Diversity provides students with an interdisciplinary program focused on the variety and dynamics of American communities and highlighting the interrelationships of gender, race, class, region, religion, and ethnicity. For students particularly interested in gender politics, this emphasis can be combined with a double major, minor, or certificate in Gender and Women's Studies. Studies in this area cultivate analytical skills integral to careers in social and public service, public policy, social services, education, and law.
• Culture and Policy provides students with a broad interdisciplinary approach to the critical study of those dimensions of American life where culture and policy interact in the public and private sectors, such as environmental studies, public culture, sciences and technology, art and politics, and global studies. Studies in this area provide critical analytical skills for careers in public policy, management of cultural institutions, education, and law.

The fourth area is a Pre-Professional emphasis with several concentrations:

• Early childhood education is designed to prepare teachers for Pre-K through third grade teaching by providing a interdisciplinary approach to understanding childhood, family, and the social and cultural contexts that diverse pupils bring to the education system, the culture of educational institutions, and the ways all these factors contribute to cultural transmission.
• Elementary education with social studies certification provides students planning to teach at the elementary level (defined by state certification practices as grades 1-8) with a broad interdisciplinary perspective while meeting the requirements for social studies certification that is necessary for teaching in the middle schools. In order to meet state certification requirements, students in this emphasis must complete specifically designated courses, rather than choosing from a list as in other emphasis areas.
• Secondary education with social studies certification meets the requirements of the National Council of Social Studies and the Maryland State Department of Education requirements. In order to meet those requirements, students in this area must complete 24 credits in the emphasis area rather than 18.
• Social work allows you to combine American Studies with professional training in Social Work as a double major. It offers excellent preparation for social workers, providing a sharper understanding of America as a multicultural society and richer knowledge of key dimensions of American social life such as family and community.

The final emphasis area is a concentration in American Studies or a Related Field:

This emphasis consists of a student-designed set of courses that focus primarily upon American culture or on cross-cultural perspectives in a single field of study related to American culture. The plan should be worked out in consultation with your advisor.

Additional guidelines for the major:

All courses applicable to the major must carry a grade of "C" or above.

For all American Studies majors, the department strongly recommends at least one course in both American history and American literature, as well as one course in either sociology, psychology, or anthropology.

A maximum of SIX CREDITS maybe applied to the American Studies degree from the second field in dual programs.