American Studies

What You Will Learn

1. You'll be able to demonstrate knowledge of United States histories and cultures.
2. Various methodologies across disciplines.
3. How to analyze evidence.
4. How to conduct a research project in American Studies effectively.
5. The ability to communicate effectively in written form.
6. The ability to communicate effectively in oral form.
    

The major in American Studies consists of 11 courses. Students develop a thematic focus in consultation with their adviser by the beginning of their junior year.

To introduce students to the field of American Studies, students take:

• AMST 103 JT Introduction to American Culture, 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 (one course).

To provide a broad knowledge and set of skills in the field, students take:

• Two U.S. history courses, at least one of which must contain significant pre-1900 content such as: 

HIST070A SC United States History to 1865, or equivalent course: HIST020 PO, HIST 025 PZ , HIST 050A AF , HIST090 CM, HIST114 CM, HIST116 CM, HIST 125 CM 

• A course in Africana, Asian American, or Chicano/a-Latino/a studies; or one course on the histories and/or cultures of Native Americans (one course).

To provide depth as well as breadth, students take:

• AMST 180 SC Seminar in American Studies (one course);
• Four courses drawn from at least two departments that focus on a specific theme (e.g., Race and Social Justice in the U.S.; The U.S. in a Transnational Context) (four courses)

For their capstone experience in American Studies, students must complete:

•  AMST190 SC Senior Thesis Seminar (offered in fall)
•  AMST191 SC Senior Thesis (offered in spring)

All students are required to write a senior thesis by enrolling in this two-course, two-credit sequence. Students will enroll in AMST190 SC, a seminar, in the fall semester. In the spring semester, students enroll in AMST191 SC and complete the thesis under the direction of their thesis adviser and second reader.

Honors:

Students may pursue an honors degree in American Studies by fulfilling the following additional requirements:

1. Maintain a GPA in the major of 3.5 (A-).
2. Receive a grade of A- or better on the thesis.
3. Successfully defend the thesis in an oral examination before a committee of three members (the thesis committee, plus an additional member). At least one reader should be a Pitzer faculty member.

Students interested in the Honors Program should notify the coordinator of the American Studies Program at Scripps in the spring of their junior year.

A combined major in American Studies requires at least nine courses:

1. To introduce students to the field of American Studies, students take:  (1) AMST 103 JT , 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.
2. To provide a broad knowledge and set of skills in the field, students take: (2-3) A two-semester survey of U.S. history (at Pitzer, HIST 025 PZ and HIST 026 PZ or equivalents);  (4) A course in Africana, Asian American or Chicano/a-Latino/a Studies, or one course on the histories and/or cultures of Native Americans.
3. To provide depth as well as breadth, students take: (5) AMST 180 SC , the American Studies Seminar, normally taken in the fall of the junior year; (6-7) 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).
4. For their capstone experience in American Studies, students are required to write a senior thesis by enrolling in a two-course, two-credit sequence. (8-9) 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 adviser from each discipline; at least one adviser must be from the student’s home campus.

The minor in American Studies consists of six courses:

• AMST 103 JT Introduction to American Culture, 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 (one course).
• Two U.S. history courses, at least one of which must contain significant pre-1900 content such as HIST070A SC United States History to 1865, or an equivalent course: HIST020 PO, HIST 025 PZ , HIST 050A AF , HIST090 CM, HIST114 CM, HIST120 CM, HIST 125 CM,  AMST 180 SC Seminar in American Studies
• AMST 180 SC Seminar in American Studies 
• Two additional American Studies-approved courses selected in consultation with student’s adviser.