Multidisciplinary Studies Center

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in American Studies

The American Studies major offers students the opportunity to examine American history, culture, and social life within an interdisciplinary framework. This approach, drawing on faculty members in departments such as English, Art and Art History, Political Science, Religion and Classics, Music, Anthropology, Philosophy, History, and Film and Media Studies, allows for especially rich explorations of such topics as: the arts in American society, race, class, gender, ethnicity, and religion as aspects of American identity; and ideas and institutions that have shaped the United States, past and present. The Major enables students to range freely across disciplinary boundaries while developing an area of focus. Students also consider the role of the American nation in a global context.

Major Advisor

Professor Joan Rubin – History Department
363 Rush Rhees Library
joan.rubin@rochester.edu
(585) 275-9347

Goals of the major:

  • Mastery of critical reading, thinking, and expository writing skills, as practiced by the constituent disciplines. These include close analysis of historical and literary texts, interpretation of evidence, understanding of different points of view, and the construction of arguments.

  • Mastery of the theories and methods of research in one or more of the major’s constituent disciplines.

  • Mastery of ability to synthesize diverse materials across disciplinary boundaries in order to explore intellectual questions.

  • Appreciation for both diversity and commonality in the United States, past and present.

  • Understanding the role of the United States as a global actor.

  • Preparation for participating in American democracy as a liberally educated citizen.

  • Preparation for careers such as law, social service, teaching, art, business, and any endeavor that demands clear, cogent thinking and writing.

Curriculum

American Studies is a ten-course interdisciplinary major. Students who complete 6 of the 10 courses in the Humanities (H) will fulfill the College’s Humanities requirement; students who complete 6 of the 10 courses in the Social Sciences (S) will fulfill the Social Science Requirement.

A. Introductory required courses (2 courses)

ENG 115—Introduction to American Literature (H)

HIS 251—American Culture to 1876 (S)
             or
HIS 252—American Culture Since 1876 (S)
             or
HIS 267—American Thought I (S)
             or
HIS 268—American Thought II (S)

B. Required American Studies seminar (1 course)

AMS 200—The Idea of America (H)

C. Interactions of America

At least one course that examines the interaction of America with other cultures.  This requirement may be fulfilled using a course within the specialization (section D) or with the capstone research (section E) or elective course (section F).

D. Specialization (5 courses)

Students will choose 5 courses from one of the following specialized tracks. In order to make the tracks interdisciplinary, no more than three of the courses can be in the same department.

1.) The Arts in American Culture

Except for the HIS courses below, all courses on this track are in the Humanities.

AH 103—Ways of Seeing: Art of the Americas
AH 213—Race and Gender in Popular Film
AH 214—Beyond the Boundaries: Folk, Outside, & the Visionary Arts
AH 237—Modern Architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright
AH 255—Arts in American Culture
AH 256—Vernacular Architecture in the USA
AH 264—Films of the 1930s
AH 259—Women, Cloth and Culture
AH 266—African-American Visual Culture
AH 274—Cultural History of American Architecture
AH 276—Gender and Representation in Native American Art
AH 280—Native American Art and Religion
AH 281—Art and the City
AH 284—Modern Architecture and Urbanism: LA Modern
AH 368—Art of the Colonial Encounter
AH 385—The Visual Culture of Heritage and Identity

ENG 116—Intro to African-American Literature
ENG 225—American Romantics
ENG 226—American Realists
ENG 227—American Moderns
ENG 228—African-American Drama
ENG 230—Studies in American Literature
ENG 243—Major Authors: Toni Morrison
ENG 244—Contemporary American Memoir
ENG 259—Popular Film Genres: The Gangster Film
ENG 265—Issues in Film: Documentary, Mock Documentary, Reality TV
ENG 286—Presidential Rhetoric
Upper-level courses in American literature

FMS 213—Race and Gender in Popular Film
FMS 222—Art and the City: New York in the 1970s

HIS 251—American Cultural History to 1865 (S)
HIS 298—Music-Made America (S)
HIS 307W—Transatlantic Twenties (S)
HIS 311W—History of American Popular Culture (S)
HIS 313W—The Power of Print (S)
HIS 337W—American Culture in the Great Depression & World War II (S)
HIS 381W—Topics in Nineteenth-Century American Culture (S)
HIS 382W—Topics in Twentieth-Century American Culture (S)
HIS 383W—Topics in Twentieth-Century United States History (S)

MUR 122—History of Jazz
MUR 123—Music of Black Americans
MUR 125—History of Rock
MUR 127—The Blues
MUR 133—Musical Theater Workshop
MUR 135—Sondheim and the Modern Musical Theater
MUR 140—Religion & Hip Hop Culture
MUR 145—High Voltage:Heavy Metal Music and Its History
MUR 203—Susan B. Anthony and Her World
MUR 233—Advanced Musical Theater Workshop

REL 151—The Blues
REL 220—Jewish Women’s Writing

2.) Identity and the American Nation

AH 214—Beyond the Boundaries: Folk, Outside & Visionary Arts
AH 246−Representing African American in the African Imagination
AH 259—Women, Cloth, and Culture
AH 260—Cultural Tourism
AH 276—Gender and Representation in Native American Art

ENG 243—Major Authors: Toni Morrison
ENG 244—Contemporary American Memoir
ENG 286—Presidential Rhetoric

REL 151—The Blues
REL 153—Islam in America
REL 157−African-American Religious History
REL 167W—Speaking Stones
REL 168−Material Life of Religion
REL 170—Religion & Hip Hop Culture
REL 178—Religion and American Foodways
REL 214—Imagining the Jew
REL 216—Jews and Multiculturalism in American
REL 220—Jewish Women’s Writing
REL 236—Catholicism in American Life
REL 238—Native American Art and Religion

SP 282—U.S. Latinos/Latinas

ANT 245—American Culture
ANT 276—Gender and Representation

HIS 172—Indians and Other Americans
HIS 204—History of Federal Indian Law
HIS 250—Women in History [not currently offered regularly]
HIS 269—Archaeology of Early America
HIS 304W—The Beats and Beyond
HIS 315W—Topics in the History of Women [not currently offered regularly]
HIS 316W—Maritime History of the Atlantic World
HIS 338W—Immigration, Gender, and Ethnicity in American History
HIS 341/341W—Topics in the History of Ethnicity in the US
HIS 344W—When New York was the Wild West
HIS 351W—Approaches to the History of Women [not currently offered regularly]
HIS 373W—Sex and Gender in the American City
HIS 376W—Topics in American Social History

HIS 110—Introduction to African-American Studies
HIS 165—African-American History I
HIS 166—African-American History II
HIS 171—Civil Rights in America
HIS 247—Lincoln, Douglass, and Black Freedom
HIS 249—The Civil War
HIS 253—History of the American South, 1792-1896
HIS 254—History of the American South, 1896-1945
HIS 258/258W—History of Race in America
HIS 259—African-American Women’s History
HIS 340W—The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom
HIS 343W—Race and the American City
HIS 380W—Topics in African-American History
HIS 383W—Topics in Twentieth-Century United States History
HIS 386W—African-American Popular Culture

PSC 121−Democracy in America
PSC 209—Interest Groups in America
PSC 224—African-American Politics
PSC 225−Race and Political Representation
PSC 226−Black Political Leadership
PSC 228 - Race & Ethnic Politics
PSC 237—Domestic Social Policy

3.) American Thought and Institutions

Except for PHL 221 and NAV 250, all of the following courses are in the Social Sciences

PHL 221—Philosophical Foundations of American Revolution (H)

HIS 120—United States History to 1865
HIS 145—Early America
HIS 146—Democratic America
HIS 147—Industrial America
HIS 148—Recent America
HIS 173—American Military History
HIS 219/219W—Seward Family's Civil War
HIS 245—The City in American History
HIS 249—The Civil War
HIS 260—Progressive America
HIS 265—America and the "Good War"
HIS 267—American Thought I
HIS 268—American Thought II
HIS 270—Women and Work in the Americas
HIS 280—China-U.S. Relations
HIS 286—American Foreign Relations

HIS 305W—American Health Policy and Politics
HIS 308W—Modernity and Modernism
HIS 309W—History of Psychoanalysis
HIS 332W—Topics in American Social Thought
HIS 334W—America and the World II
HIS 335W—American Thought
HIS 374W—Rochester and Its Radicals
HIS 377W—Topics in Early American History
HIS 378W—Topics in Revolutionary America
HIS 383W—Topics in Twentieth-Century United States History

NAV 250—Seapower and Maritime Affairs

PSC 103—Great Debates in American Democracy
PSC 105—Introduction to American Politics
PSC 121—Democracy in America
PSC 194/194W—Rochester Politics and Places
PSC 209—Interest Groups in America
PSC 210—Development of the American Party System
PSC 212—Supreme Court in U. S. History
PSC 213—The U. S. Congress
PSC 215—American Elections
PSC 216—Legislative Politics
PSC 218—Emergence of the Modern Congress
PSC 222—The Presidency
PSC 223—Constitutional Structure and Rights
PSC 224—African-American Politics
PSC 225—Race and Political Representation
PSC 226—Black Political Leadership
PSC 228—Race & Ethnic Politics
PSC 234—Law and Politics in the U.S.
PSC 237—Domestic Social Policy
PSC 246—Environmental Law & Policy
PSC 249—Sports and the American City
PSC 275—American Foreign Policy
PSC 291—First Amendment and Religion in America

E. Capstone Research (1 course)

A capstone research experience consisting of one course that involves writing a major research paper, either within a departmental course or as an independent study project. This course satisfies one-half of the upper-level writing requirement. All History courses numbered 350-399 offer this opportunity, as do upper-level courses in other Departments which include a 'W' section.

F. One writing-intensive elective (1 course)

This elective fulfills one-half of the upper-level writing requirement. Students may choose any upper-level writing course on America, including taking an additional course in their specialization.