The core of the American Studies curriculum is exploring one central question or issue about American culture and society by employing the methods and material from a variety of disciplines, according to American Studies Director Maurie McInnis, who is also an associate professor of art history.
"You essentially design your own major, and that's the beauty of the American Studies major," McInnis said. "We encourage students to design a program that is around a central question or issue."
There are three core American Studies seminars that must be taken after students apply and are accepted in the spring of their second year. Beyond the basic requirements, students design their own course of study with their advisors, drawing from at least three different departments.
This system of designing individual areas of study encompasses "a combined intellectual package" that is "usually student motivated," McInnis said.
There are roughly 17 other departments that can be drawn from for the major, ranging from Art History to Environmental Sciences.
Fourth-year American Studies major Katie Appel drew up her program from the departments of History, Anthropology and English, she said. Appel said the major teaches students a whole new way of approaching issues within a range of aspects of American culture.
"Instead of just learning what happened, you're trying to figure out why it happened," Appel said.
Within the seminar classes, Appel said students examine different texts, which can be literature, magazines, movies or even something like the Tupperware from a specific time period.
The American Studies major "teaches you how to not take things for granted in history and American culture, because it also teaches you how to see one event, movement or time period from different perspectives," Appel said.
Appel's favorite aspect of the program is the closeness of the community. Typically 60 to 70 students apply for the American Studies major and 30 to 35 students are accepted. Students find themselves in the classes with the same students for at least two years, which is a rare occurrence within larger majors. Appel said she has also been invited over to her advisor's apartment, who hosted a dinner for her students.
"I think the most important thing about the major is that it is a small and engaging intellectual community with only 30 majors per year," McInnis said.
While American Studies is not technically a department itself, the faculty members that teach the classes are from various other disciplines, and are commonly jointly appointed between American Studies and their home department. American Studies has only been a major for about four years. Before becoming its own program and major, American Studies was a concentration under the English department.
Nevertheless, Appel said there is not one definition of the American Studies major, and it means something different to everyone. Appel said what most students agree on is American Studies helps students learn to think critically and improve writing skills.
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