American Studies
Facilitators: James Bennett, Religious Studies, and Juliana Chang, English
American Studies is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the United States, past and present. Students approach the study of American cultures through such diverse fields as history, literature, religious studies, art, economics, and environmental studies, and might focus on such topics as popular culture and material culture, ethnic studies and gender studies, empire and globalization. American Studies students analyze America’s relations with the rest of the world, the construction and deconstruction of American identities, and changing and competing definitions of America (including critiques of the very name “American Studies”).
We encourage students to intentionally craft a four-course cluster around a theme or topic of special interest to them. Such intentional focus will also make it easier for students to complete the reflection paper. Below are suggested possible ways of crafting such a cluster or focus, although students should feel free to develop and define their own individualized cluster topic:
- American Regions (i.e., The West and California, America and the Caribbean, Interregionalism, America and the Atlantic)
- Politics and Activism
- Transnationalism and Globalization
- Colonialism/Postcolonialism
- Historical Periods (i.e., The Colonial Period, The 19th Century, Modernism, Postmodernism)
- Gender and Sexuality
- Race and Ethnicity
Associated Courses
Foundations Courses
(Please note that only the specific Foundation course topics qualify for the Pathway requirements,
and only one Foundations course may be applied to a Pathway)
ENGL 2A Imagining History
ENGL 2A American Studies: Popular Culture
Anthropology
ANTH 148 Historical Archaeology
ANTH 157 Family and Culture (cross-listed with WGST 155)
ANTH 170 Women, Gender, and Sexuality (cross-listed with WGST 144)
Art History
ARTH 144 18th & 19th Century American Art and Visual Culture
ARTH 145 20th Century American Art and Visual Culture
ARTH 186 History of Photography
ARTH 188 Women in the Visual Arts (cross-listed with WGST 156)
Communication
COMM 40EL Introduction to Journalism - ELSJ (cross-listed with ETHN 60)
* COMM 137A American Film History/Theory
* COMM 138A Television History/Theory
COMM 147A Theory of News
COMM 168A Race, Gender and Politics in the News (cross-listed with WGST 117)
Economics
* ECON 136 20th-Century Economic History
English
ENGL 31 Survey of American Literature I
ENGL 32 Survey of American Literature II
ENGL 35 African American Literature (cross-listed with ETHN 36)
ENGL 36 Chicano Literature
ENGL 37 Native American Literature
ENGL 38 Asian American Literature
ENGL 39 Multicultural Literature of the United States
ENGL 66 Radical Imagination
ENGL 67 U.S. Gay and Lesbian Literature (cross-listed with WGST 34)
ENGL 69 Literature by Women Writers of Color (cross-listed with WGST 15)
ENGL 100 Literature & Democracy
ENGL 121 Studies in American Film
ENGL 129 California Literature
ENGL 130 Studies in African American Literature
ENGL 131 Studies in Early American Literature
ENGL 132G Studies in 19th-Century American Literature (cross-listed with WGST 164)
ENGL 133 Studies in Modern American Literature
ENGL 134 Studies in Contemporay American Literature: The Short Story
ENGL 134G Studies in Contemporary American Literature (cross-listed with WGST 186)
ENGL 135 Studies in American Fiction
ENGL 137 Studies in American Poetry
ENGL 140 Studies in Chicano Literature
ENGL 155 Studies in Asian American Literature
ENGL 156 Interdisciplinary Gay and Lesbian Studies (cross-listed with WGST 136)
ENGL 158 Studies in Native American Literature
ENGL 158G Native American Women Writers
ENGL 192 American Theatre from the Black Perspective (cross-listed with THTR 161)
Environmental Studies
ENVS 20 The Water Wars of California L&L
Ethnic Studies
ETHN 5 Introduction to the Study of Race and Ethnicity in the United States
ETHN 30 Introduction to African American Studies
ETHN 36 African American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 35)
ETHN 40 Introduction to Asian American Studies
ETHN 60 Intro to Journalism: Focus on America's Diverse, Multi-Racial Identities and Communities (cross-listed with COMM 40EL)
ETHN 65 Drama of Diversity (also listed as THTR 65)
ETHN 95 African American Independent Film Makers
ETHN 96 Race, Class, and Culture Through Film
ETHN 130 Black Political Thought in Action
ETHN 132 The History of Hip Hop (cross-listed with MUSC 132)
ETHN 135 African Americans in Postwar Film (cross-listed with HIST 185)
ETHN 134 Black Social Movements
ETHN 141 Asian American Women
ETHN 142 Asian American Communities
History
HIST 84 Women in American Society (cross-listed with WGST 57)
HIST 85 Introduction to United States Environmental History
HIST 96A Introduction to the History of the United States I
HIST 177 Gays and Lesbians in United States History (cross-listed with WGST 138)
HIST 181 United States Women Since 1900
HIST 182 Sex and Family in American History
HIST 184 American Historical Geography
HIST 185 African Americans in Postwar Film (cross-listed with ETHN 135)
HIST 186 California
HIST 188 The Making of Modern America: The Progressive Era
Music
MUSC 20 Music in American Cultures I
MUSC 21 Music in American Culture II
MUSC 132 The History of Hip Hop (cross-listed with ETHN 132)
Political Science
POLI 1 Introduction to U.S. Politics
*POLI 153 Minority Politics in U.S.
*POLI 154 Women and Politics (cross-listed with WGST 180)
POLI 195 Seminar in U.S. Politics
Religious Studies
*RSOC 51 Religion in America
*RSOC 91 Native Spiritual Traditions
*RSOC 111 Inventing Religion in America
*RSOC 111R RSS: Inventing Religion in America
*RSOC 148R RSS: Religion and the Presidency
*RSOC 164 Religion, Race and Ethnicity in America
*RSOC 184 Race and Religion in the United States
*TESP 60 Hispanic Popular Religion
*TESP 65 U.S. Hispanic Theology
*TESP 109 Hispanic Spirituality: Guadalupe
Theatre and Dance
DANC 62 African American Dance History (cross-listed with DANC 162)
DANC 162 African American Dance History (Cross-listed with DANC 62
THTR 44 Modern American Theatre History: Censorship, Arts Funding and Theatre Unions
THTR 65 Drama of Diversity (cross-listed with ETHN 65)
THTR 161 Amer Theatre from the Black Perspective (cross-listed with ENGL 192)
THTR 165 History American Musical Theatre
Women's Studies
WGST 15 Literature by Women Writers of Color (cross-listed with ENGL 69)
WGST 34 U.S. Gay and Lesbian Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 67)
WGST 50 Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies
WGST 57 Women in American Society (cross-listed with HIST 84)
WGST 110 Native American Women Writers (cross-listed with ENGL 158G)
WGST 111 Asian American Women (cross-listed with ETHN 141)
WGST 117 Race, Gender and Politics in the News (cross-listed with COMM 168A)
WGST 136 Interdisciplinary Gay and Lesbian Studies (cross-listed with ENGL 156)
WGST 138 Gays and Lesbians in United States History (cross-listed with HIST 177)
WGST 144 Women, Gender, and Sexuality (cross-listed with ANTH 170)
WGST 155 Family and Culture (cross-listed with ANTH 157)
WGST 156 Women in the Visual Arts (cross-listed with ARTH 188)
WGST 164 Studies in 19th-Century American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 132G)
WGST 173 United States Women Since 1900 (cross-listed with HIST 181)
WGST 174 Sex and Family in American History (cross-listed with HIST 182)
WGST 180 Women and Politics (cross-listed with POLI 154)
WGST 186 Studies in Contemporary American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 134G)
* Indicates Course Has Prerequisites
