American Studies, B.A.

Requirements for the Major:

A minimum of thirteen (13) courses, including three (3) required core courses (at least one core course must be from English and one from History), should be completed by the end of a student’s junior year. The choices for core courses are any 200-level English class on American Literature (must take a 100-level class as prerequisite) and the following:

• HST 101 - History of the United States to the Civil War
• HST 102 - History of the United States Since the Civil War
• HST 113 - The Origins of American Society
• HST 131 - African-American History I
• HST 132 - African-American History II
• HST 212 - “Remember the Ladies”: American Women to 1900 or
• HST 213 - Work, Wars, and Wombs: American Women from 1900

Additional Requirements

In consultation with his or her American Studies academic advisor, a student must complete five (5) courses of intensive study around a specific theme centered on either an era (such as antebellum America or the United States since the Cold War) or a topic (such as the emergence of mass culture or ethnicity and race in American life). For example, a concentration on 19th Century America might include:

• AMU 130 - American Music
• EGL 232 - (228) The American Renaissance
• HST 118 - Civil War and Reconstruction
• HST 215 - Revolutions in Americans Lives
• PHL 341 - The Contemporary Crisis of Truth and/or
• PSC 332 - American Political Thought To World War I

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• Or a thematic concentration on progressive America; civil rights and social justice might include:

• AAH 360 - (460) Seminar: Visual Culture, Race & Gender
• EGL 248 - (274) Introduction to Black Poetry
• HST 231 - The Civil Rights Movement
• HST 312 - “Bonds of a Woman”:History of Women’s Rights in the United States
• PHL 264 - Philosophy of American Education 
• PSC 266 - Women and Politics
• PSC 283 - Social Movements, the Environment and Society and/or
• PSC 371 - Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Additional Themes

Additional possible themes are listed at the Union College website. One of the five theme courses must come from Division I (Arts and Humanities) and one from Division II (Social Sciences). In addition, the thematic courses must come from at least three different departments. Every student must complete an American Studies course selection list with his/her American Studies advisor to determine which courses would best fit his/her theme and to find out how often the courses are offered. All courses counted towards the major must have American Studies course approval. (See list of courses below.)

A student must take an additional two (2) American Studies approved courses, which can be at any level and may be outside the student’s thematic concentration.

During the junior year, a student must take one (1) additional upper level American Studies approved course that is preferably both a WAC and a methods or theory course. If possible, the course should be related to the student’s thematic concentration. If not taken in the junior year, this course must be completed by the end of the student’s senior year.

During the senior year, a student must complete a two-term written thesis or two-term senior project (AMS-498 & 499) related to his/her thematic concentration. To fulfill the Writing Across the Curriculum (WS) requirement, the senior project (which may be done in a non-text medium such as audio, video, or multi-media) must have a written component in the form of a journal that results in a final paper of at least fifteen pages. A student will work with a primary, or first, thesis advisor and a second thesis advisor from a different department whom the student must consult early during the research portion of the project to better ensure the interdisciplinary focus of the thesis. Both thesis advisors will participate in the oral defense of the thesis at the completion of the project. A student must consult with the American Studies program director by the third week of spring term of his/her junior year and submit a thesis proposal listing his/her preferred first and second thesis advisors.

One of the thirteen (13) courses must cover issues of race and ethnicity or gender in America, and no course can double count towards the student’s minor if one is being pursued. At least four (4) of the 13 courses must be from Division I (Arts and Humanities), and at least four (4) from Division II (Social Sciences.) At least one of the non-core courses must be an approved WAC course.

Requirements for Honors:

To receive honors as an American Studies major or an ID major, a student must (1) have a cumulative grade point average of 3.3; (2) maintain a grade point average of 3.3 in his or her American Studies approved courses; (3) successfully complete a two term senior thesis with a grade of A or A-; (4) receive a high pass or pass with distinction for the oral thesis defense; (5) give an oral presentation at The Steinmetz Symposium in the spring of his or her senior year; and (6) place a copy of the thesis in the library archives. Further guidelines for the senior thesis and honors are available from the program director.