American Studies
Sponsored by the five undergraduate Claremont Colleges, American Studies is a multidisciplinary major that encourages students to think critically and creatively about culture in the United States. The American Studies Program is coordinated by an intercollegiate faculty whose aim is to introduce students to the complexity of the American experience. Majors take courses in a variety of disciplines such as literature, history, ethnic studies, sociology, anthropology, political science, music, and the visual arts. In addition, majors take multidisciplinary courses that use materials from different disciplines to explore a particular issue in American life. The interdisciplinary approach to this major affords the student many career choices. Some follow graduate study; other paths include the professions of law, library science, journalism, business and museum curatorship.
Learning Outcomes of the Program in American Studies
Department Goals and/or Objectives
Goals are broad statements that describe what the program wants to accomplish
1. Students gain knowledge of the histories and cultures of the United States.
2. Students gain an understanding of a wide range of methods across the disciplines.
3. Students learn how to analyze a wide range of evidence (e.g., written texts, films, paintings, musical compositions, etc.).
4. Students learn how to carry on research in American Studies effectively.
5. Students learn how to communicate effectively about the histories and cultures of the United States in both written and oral forms.
6. Students attain the skills and knowledge necessary for graduate study or a career in American Studies or a related field.
Student Learning Outcomes
Outcomes describe specific knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes students should demonstrate
SLO1: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the United States histories and cultures.
SLO2: Students show comprehension of various methodologies across disciplines.
SLO3: Students are able to analyze evidence.
SLO4: Students will conduct a research project in American Studies effectively.
SLO5: Students will be able to communicate effectively in written form.
SLO6: Students will be able to communicate effectively in oral form.
Pitzer Advisers: B. Anthes, T. Honma, S. Phillips, S. Portillo Villeda, C. Strauss, U. Willoughby.
Major Requirements
A combined major in American Studies requires at least nine courses and a senior thesis.
Required Courses
- AMST 103 JT -Intro to American Cultures , a prerequisite course that is team-taught by members of the intercollegiate faculty in the spring semester to introduce the themes, concerns and methodologies of American Studies.
- two U.S. history survey courses, to provide a broad knowledge and set of skills in the field students take
- a course in Africana, Asian American or Chicano/a-Latino/a Studies, or one course on the histories and/or cultures of Native Americans.
- AMST 180 PZ -American Studies Seminar or AMST 180 SC -American Studies Seminar or AMST 180 PO -American Studies Seminar , normally taken in the fall of the junior year
- two seminar or upper-division courses from different disciplines that focus on a specific theme in American Studies (e.g. Race and Social Justice in the U.S.; the U.S. in a Transnational Context)
- For their capstone experience in American Studies, students are required to write a senior thesis by enrolling in a two-course, two-credit sequence. Students will enroll in AMST 190 JT , a seminar, in the fall semester or a senior thesis seminar in their department of their other major. In the spring semester, students complete a thesis that meaningfully incorporates the approaches of both fields. Their thesis will be under the direction of one advisor from each discipline; at least one advisor must be from the student’s home campus.
American Studies Courses
American Studies
Anthropology
Asian American Studies
Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies
English and World Literature
Environmental Analysis
Geography
History
Political Studies
Religious Studies
Sociology
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