American Studies

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dean: Joel J. Kassiola

College of Humanities
Dean: Nancy McDermid

American Studies Program
HSS 336
415-338-2055 or 415-338-1220
Coordinators: Stanley Bailis, Rodger Birt

Undergraduate Advisers: Bailis, Birt

Programs

 B.A. in American Studies

Minor in American Studies

Program Scope

American Studies is a cross-disciplinary program that offers students an opportunity to create an individualized major. The purpose of the major is to study the unity and diversity, the consensus and conflict, the continuity and change, that characterize the many cultures and social structures of past and present United States. Each student creates a program, drawing upon courses from throughout the university, designed to accomplish this attempt to understand the United States as a whole.

Career Outlook

The major is appropriate for students who wish a strong liberal arts experience that focuses on the United States, for those preparing for teaching careers, as well as those seeking a wide ranging background as preparation for later study of the law, public administration, city planning, library and museum work, and specialized graduate study.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN AMERICAN STUDIES

The American Studies major is divided into two parts: a set of required core coursesdesigned to introduce the themes of American Studies described above, and a set of elective courseschosen from at least two disciplines related to a particular topic or theme in American Studies. Students entering this major should choose their theme or topic at least by the middle of the junior year in order to take advantage of courses in various departments appropriate to their topic. The program is directed by a coordinator and a council consisting of faculty from participating departments and students currently completing the major. Each student's program is developed in consultation with the coordinator and advisers, in accordance with the pattern below.

Courses for this program are listed in alphabetical sequence (consult Index for page reference).

Units

Required Courses

AMST 300/SS 410 Social Perspectives on 

American Culture			3

AMST 310/HUM 485 Arts and American 

Culture			3

AMST 400/GEOG 551 American Regional 

Cultures			3

AMST 410/HUM 478 California Culture			3

Special Study course or courses (up to six units) 

on a specific topic connected to prior course 

work, to be developed through consultation 

with the coordinator and faculty from the 


appropriate department		3-6

Total required units		15-18

Elective Courses

 
Courses, by choice and advisement, on a topic 

or themes in American Studies, drawn from 

at least two disciplines. Up to six units 

may be in community college or lower 


division course work		24

Total for major		39-42
Courses especially appropriate as electives for the American Studies major are offered by the following departments (not an exclusive list):

Art, Asian American Studies, Black Studies, California Studies, English, Film, Geography, History, Humanities, Journalism, La Raza Studies, Music, American Indian Studies, Political Science, Social Science, Urban Studies, Women Studies.

MINOR IN AMERICAN STUDIES

 Units

Required Courses

AMST 300/SS 410 Social Perspectives on 

American Culture			3

AMST 310/HUM 485 Arts and American 

Culture			3

AMST 400/GEOG 551 American Regional 

Cultures			3


AMST 410/HUM 478 California Culture			3

Total required units		12

Elective Courses

 
These courses, chosen upon advisement from 

throughout the appropriate departments 

and programs of the university, allow the 

student to explore a particular theme or 

topic in American Studies. Lists of appro-

priate courses are distributed by the 


program each semester		9

Total units		21