American Studies Major

Requirements for the Major

An essential component of the American Studies curriculum is AMST 103 JT , a prerequisite course that is team-taught by members of the intercollegiate faculty in the spring semester. This course is an excellent introduction to the themes, concerns and methodologies of American Studies.

Before the junior year, majors consult with a member of the intercollegiate faculty to plan a program of courses. Beyond the course mentioned above, majors are required to write a senior thesis (discussed below) and to complete ten additional courses approved by an American Studies faculty member. These include:

• A two-semester survey of U.S. History (HIST 025 PZ  and HIST 026 PZ  at Pitzer, or equivalent courses at the other Claremont Colleges).
• One other survey-level course focusing on the U.S. in another discipline, such as Art History, Literature, Music, Sociology.
• One course in Asian American, Africana, or Chicano Studies.
• The AMST 180 SC - Seminar in American Studies , which is normally taken in the fall of the junior year.
• The AMST 190 JT - Senior Thesis Seminar  taught in the fall and AMST 191 PZ - Senior Thesis  in the Spring. The Senior Thesis Independent Study will be directed by the student’s two thesis readers/advisers, at least one of whom must be from the student’s home campus.

In order to give the program depth as well as breadth, three courses a student takes must be seminar or upper-division level courses in a single discipline (for instance anthropology or English).

Honors:

Students whose GPA equals or exceeds 3.5 both overall and in the four core courses required for the major (AMST 103 JT , AS 18JT, HIST 025 PZ  and HIST 026 PZ ) and who have completed the senior thesis with a grade of A, are eligible for honors in American Studies. Candidates for honors also must pass an oral examination on the thesis, administered by a committee consisting of the two thesis readers plus one outside reader. The awarding of honors in American Studies is at the discretion of this oral examination committee.