What does it mean (for a person, place, or thing) to be American?
AMS addresses this question by investigating the diverse cultures of those groups and individuals who live within and across the shifting borders of the United States and the Americas. Faculty who teach in AMS represent a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, including history, anthropology, literature, cultural studies, film studies, sociology, ethnic studies, and gender studies. By exploring these fields in an interdisciplinary manner, students will gain the knowledge and tools necessary to understand and analyze the complex patterns of meaning that shape and transform American culture and the definition of what it means to be "American."
Graduating AMS students are ideally equipped to enter various professional fields and graduate programs, working within community-based organizations, and/or pursuing further interdisciplinary graduate education in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Prerequisites
While there are no official prerequisites, students choosing this option will find it helpful to have completed college coursework in American history, culture, and/or social structures.
Transition from Option to Major
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences is transitioning its American Studies option within the Interdisciplinary Studies major to a major in American Studies. Students who are admitted for Autumn Quarter, 2010, and subsequent quarters must declare the major and complete the major requirements. Students who declare the AMS option prior to Autumn Quarter, 2010, may choose to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with an option in American Studies or may declare the major and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies. Students moving from the option to the major must complete the major requirements. Please note course delisting below.
AMS Option Requirements
- BIS 300 Interdisciplinary Inquiry*
(5 credits)
- AMS Option Core (5 credits)
- AMS Option Courses (35 credits)
- Senior Seminar (5 credits)
- Additional IAS Coursework (20 credits)
- General Electives (20 credits)
TOTAL = 90 Credits
AMS Major Requirements
- BIS 300 Interdisciplinary Inquiry*
(5 credits)
- AMS Option Core (5 credits)
- BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research OR BIS 340 Approaches to Cultural Research (5 credits)
- AMS Option Courses (30 credits)
- Senior Seminar (5 credits)
- Additional IAS Coursework
(20 credits)
- General Electives (20 credits)
TOTAL = 90 Credits
- *Should be taken in the first quarter of IAS enrollment.
- Classes in this option and major are offered primarily during day-time hours.
- The 70 major credits must be completed in MATRICULATED STATUS
Delisted Course
As of Autumn Quarter, 2010, one course will NOT count for either the AMS major or the AMS option. If taken prior to Autumn Quarter, 2010, the course will count for the AMS option, but will NOT count if the student decides to declare the major. Click here to view the delisted course.
Areas of Knowledge
Within the above-listed 90 credits, a minimum of ten (10) credits must overlap with Visual, Literary and Performing Arts (VLPA), Individuals and Societies (I&S), and Natural World (NW). They must be taken in IAS courses at the 200, 300, or 400 levels. Multiply-designated courses may not be double-counted as fulfilling two Areas of Knowledge.
200-level Coursework
Up to 35 credits of 200-level coursework taken at UWB may be applied toward designated requirements within the 90 program credits. Please contact an IAS adviser for details.
American Studies Core & Affiliate Faculty and Staff
Linda Watts (faculty coordinator), Bruce Burgett, Cherry Banks, Colin Danby, Michael Goldberg, David Goldstein, Susan Harewood, Kanta Kochhar-Lindgren, Sarah Leadley, Kari Lerum, Dani Rowland, Bill Seaburg, Julie Shayne, Linda Watts