Interdisciplinary Studies: American Studies Bachelor of Arts degree

Office: 257 Fenton Hall

(716) 673-3848

Shannon McRae, Coordinator

Website: http://www.fredonia.edu/department/interdisciplinary/

American Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines the historical development and contemporary status of American cultures, including those of the American hemisphere. The American Studies major and minor programs are designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the multiplicity of American cultures and to serve as a useful preparation for careers in such fields as business, advertising, public relations, government service, law, journalism, television, and education.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies - American Studies (39 credit hours)

Required Core Courses (9 credit hours):

AMST 202	Introduction to American Studies	3
AMST 296	American Identities	3
HIST 105	United States History I	3
	or
HIST 106	United States History II	3
Total Credit Hours:		9

Exploratory and preparatory courses (6 credit hours chosen from the following course list):

AMST 210	American Popular and Mass Cultures	3
AMST 215	Holidays and American Cultures	3
AMST 289	Comparative North America	3
AMST 338	19th Century American Culture	3
AMST 340	20th Century American Culture	3
AMST 347	United States Immigration	3
AMST 399	Special Topics	3
COMM 102	Mass Media and Society	3
HIST 353	U.S. Consumer Culture	3
POLI 120	American Politics	3
POLI 150	U.S. and World Affairs	3
Total Credit Hours:		6

or other courses as advised.

Capstone project or seminar (3 credit hours):

Students may choose one to fulfill this option

AMST 400	Concepts/Methods of American Studies	3
AMST 401	Independent Study	3
AMST 402	Senior Project	3-15
Total Credit Hours:		3

Concentrations for Interdisciplinary Studies - American Studies major

Special topics courses in one of the five concentrations listed below (21 credit hours)

Courses should come from at least two disciplines, and no more than 12 credit hours can be taken from any one department.

Additionally, no more than 9 credit hours may be taken at the 100- or 200-level. Students should plan their concentrations carefully because they may need to complete additional prerequisites before enrolling in upper-level courses in various disciplines.

A. American Identities in the United States

AMST 347	United States Immigration	3
COMM 373	Gender and Communication	3
CRMJ 100	Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
EDU 215	Education in American Society	3
ENGL 240	Introduction to African American Literature and Culture	3
ENGL 242	American Indian Literature	3
ENGL 340	Black Women Writers	3
ENGL 342	African American Autobiography	3
ENGL 344	Contemporary Multiethnic American Literature	3
HIST 333	African American History to 1877	3
HIST 334	African American History Since 1877	3
HIST 335	American Women	3
HIST 344	African American Social Thought	3
HIST 345	Asian American History	3
HIST 351	Defining America	3
HIST 355	American Religious History	3
HIST 359	Ethnicity and Race	3
INDS 241	Introduction to Latino Literature and Culture	3
INDS 315	Italian American Experience	3
MUS 265	History of Jazz	3
MUS 267	African American Music	3
PHIL 228	American Philosophy	3
POLI 365	American Political Thought	3
PSY 255	Psychology of Women	3
SOC 306	Sex and Gender	3
SOC 316	Minority Groups	3

Or other courses as advised.

B. Cultures of the Americas

AMST 289	Comparative North America	3
ANTH 321	Anthropology of Indian America	3
ANTH 324	Anthropology of the Caribbean	3
COMM 386	International Films	3
FREN 310	The Literature/Culture of Quebec	3
HIST 282	Pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin America	3
HIST 283	Latin America: Revolution and Reform	3
HIST 288	The Atlantic World, 1500-1820	3
HIST 342	The American Century	3
HIST 352	Environmental History of North America	3
HIST 356	American Indian History	3
HIST 357	Indians and Europeans in Early America	3
HIST 378	Canada and the Canadians	3
HIST 380	Pre-Columbian/Colonial Mexico	3
HIST 381	Mexico in the Modern World	3
INDS 241	Introduction to Latino Literature and Culture	3
INDS 304/WGST 304/ENGL 304	Latina Literature and Cultural Studies
LANG 327	Magic Realism in Latin American Literature	3
LANG 371	Canadian Writers	3
LANG 378	Canada Today	3
MUS 334	Music of Latin America	3
POLI 356	U.S. Foreign Policy	3
SPAN 325	Survey of Spanish-American Literature	3
SPAN 425	Spanish-American Fiction	3
WGST 203	Chicana Writers/Visual Artists	3

Or other courses as advised.

C. Democracy and Civic Engagement

HIST 343	Civil Rights Movement	3
PHIL 265	Social/Political Philosophy	3
POLI 120	American Politics	3
POLI 276	Law and Society	3
POLI 313	American Power Structures	3
POLI 323	Elections in America	3
POLI 324	President and Congress	3
POLI 371	Civil Rights and Liberties	3
PSY 358	Psychology and the Law	3
SOC 201	Social Problems	3
SOC 215	Introduction to Public Health	3
SOC 218	Introduction to Social Work	3
SOC 303	Social Class and Inequality	3

Or other courses as advised.

(Students selecting this concentration will be required to include a service-learning component in their capstone project.)

D. Environment and Place in America

BIOL 115	Environmental Biology	3
BIOL 330	Ecology	3
BIOL 331	Ecology Laboratory	1
BIOL 421	Biological Conservation	3
CHEM 113	Chemistry and the Environment	3
CHEM 302	Chemistry in Today's Society	3
ECON 340	Urban and Regional Economics	3
ECON 380	Environmental/Natural Resource Economics	3
ENGL 333	Environmental Literature	3
ENGL 399	Special Topics	1-4
GEO 121	Landform Geography	3
GEO 145	Geology of New York State	1
GEO 359	Vanishing Earth Resources	3
HIST 330	Industrial America, 1890-1920	3
HIST 340	The Westward Movement	3
HIST 352	Environmental History of North America	3
POLI 240	Urbanization and Environmental Challenges	3
POLI 381	Urban Politics and Policy	3
POLI 387	Environmental Policy	3
PSY 373	Human Factors	3

Or other courses as advised.

E. Popular and Visual Cultures

ARTH 102	Art in Culture from 1400 to the Present	3
ARTH 225	Modern Art 1900-1950	3
ARTH 229	Art/Reality - 19th Century America	3
ARTH 329	Art Since 1945	3
COMM 102	Mass Media and Society	3
COMM 350	Telecommunication Technology	3
COMM 375	Mass Media Theory	3
ENGL 381	Narrative Film After 1940	4
ENGL 386	Women in Global Cinema	4
ENGL 399	Special Topics	1-4
HIST 353	U.S. Consumer Culture	3
HIST 376	Film and American Culture	3
MUS 262	American Music	3
MUS 265	History of Jazz	3
MUS 267	African American Music	3
MUS 270	The History of American Popular Music, 1900-1963	3
POLI 326	Media and Politics	3
POLI 345	Film and Politics	4
WGST 203	Chicana Writers/Visual Artists	3

Or other courses as advised.