American Studies Undergraduate Major (BA, BS, HBA, HBS)

Studying in the American studies major, you will engage contemporary questions about American culture in their historical and global contexts. You will examine these complex issues and processes through a variety of media-film, music, literature, history, politics and art. Because teaching faculty members come from several different disciplines, you learn to approach course objectives from many scholarly vantage points. This kind of skillful thinking is more important today than ever before. Today, all of us are confronted with information from a variety of different sources-television, film, prints and electronic news sources-and we seek to teach the strategies and the tools necessary to navigate the complexities of an information society. We are convinced that equipping you to navigate a global world means teaching the skills needed to reflect deeply on issues of equity, environment and cultural diversity. Across the country, American studies majors go on to apply knowledge in a broad number of fields, sparking new thinking and practices in business, education, art, law, medicine and politics. Over and over again American studies graduates prove the immeasurable value and applicability of liberal arts training and education. We are certain that providing you with the skills and resources to think critically, globally and democratically is at the heart of what a modern university must do to achieve relevance for the world in which all of us live. Outcomes: Broad, critical knowledge of American cultural history Capacity to write clear, analytical prose Ability to read and assess documentary evidence from a variety of written genres Capacity to compare and integrate knowledge from several disciplinary perspectives Developed research skills, including handling of primary and secondary sources, library use and online scholarly search tools Ability to interpret and synthesize the meaning in American culture of a range of material objects Developed sense of engaged, critical citizenship Familiar with the importance of American cultural contexts in a global society Potential Career Options in American Studies: Archivist Community Educator Content Manager Curator Editor Education Director Filmmaker Foreign Service Officer Freelance Writer Fund Raiser Grant Writer Historian Historical Consultant Interpreter Journalist Lawyer