Mar 28, 2024  
2014-2015 University Catalog 
    
2014-2015 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

American Studies, BA


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About the Program

American Studies introduces students to the interdisciplinary study of America as a place, a political and social idea, a set of values and traditions, and a people. The program provides students with the opportunity to examine America through the diversity of its ideas, texts, objects, institutions, practices, and histories as well as the complex social and political relationships that have shaped and continue to shape the world to which they belong. The interdisciplinary emphasis of American Studies allows students to explore the nation’s complexity and the dynamics of its national culture and countless subcultures from multiple vantage points and through multiple media.

The major in American Studies strives toward a balance of flexibility and structure. Students are allowed a great deal of freedom in their course selection within a basic framework of required course types and a declared area of concentration. The flexibility and small size of the major permits undergraduates to devise an interdisciplinary academic program best suited to their individual needs and academic interests. The American Studies major is an attractive and practical second major for students already majoring in English, History, Sociology, or Political Science.

Points of Pride

  • With over 130 courses from which to choose, the American Studies major offers self-directed students the chance to integrate theories, practices, and content from over sixteen disciplines on the Purdue campus.
  • Founded in 1964, Purdue’s American Studies program is one of the oldest in the country. Affiliated faculty members from over ten departments and programs share a focus and commitment to the American Studies program and its students.
  • Purdue American Studies has a strong international presence: four current faculty have held Fulbright Scholarships (from Germany to the Philippines) and the program has an ongoing partnership with the American Studies program at East China Normal University in Shanghai, China.

Summary of Program Requirements

The Summary of Program Requirements for American Studies  is a comprehensive list of those categories which a student must fulfill in order to earn their degree. Unlike the full Detailed Program Requirements listed below, complete lists of selectives for any given category are not shown. These summaries are intended to be printer-friendly and less expansive in detail.

Detailed Program Requirements

Please see below for detailed program requirements and possible selective fulfillments.

AMST-BA
AMST
120 Credits

Students must earn a “C-” or better in a course in order for it to count towards the major.

American Studies Major Requirements (30 credits)


Requirements for the Major


A. The following American Studies Foundation Courses (12 credits)


B. Eighteen additional hours selected from the courses listed below (18 credits)


Nine of the eighteen hours MUST constitute an area of concentration designed in consultation with and approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies for American Studies. The Director of Undergraduate Studies for American Studies may approve courses not listed below to be counted for the major’s Area of Concentration if the student proposes a compelling and rigorous plan of study.

No more than three CLA Core Curriculum courses may be used toward requirement B unless approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies for American Studies.

All 50000 level and variable title/credit courses require the permission of the faculty offering the course and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for American Studies before they can be applied to the American Studies Major.

At least twelve (12) credit hours MUST be at the 30000 level or above: (see list on page 3)

Other Departmental /Program Course Requirements (54 - 56 credits)


Other Departmental /Program Course Requirements

Electives (34-36 credits)


University Core Requirements


  • Human Cultures Humanities
  • Human Cultures Behavioral/Social Science
  • Information Literacy
  • Science #1
  • Science #2
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning

Program Requirements


Fall 1st Year


15-17 Credits


Spring 1st Year


15-16 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


15-16 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


  • US Traditions - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Other Cultures - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Natural Science Lab - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • SLC 20200 - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00

15-16 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


  • REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Gender Issues - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Global Perspective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


  • REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Social Ethics - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


15 Credits


Note


Students must earn A “C” or better in a course in order for it to count towards the major.

120 semester credits required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

32 credit hours at the 30000 level or higher required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

Degree Requirements


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

Degree Works is knowledge source for specific requirements and completion

American Studies Selective Requirements Lists


African American Studies


Education: Curriculum and Instruction & Educational Studies


History


Landscape Architecture


Note


# Courses marked with # are variable title and/or variable credit courses. They are generally individualized programs of instruction requiring the consent of the instructor. These courses may be applied to the American  Studies Major only in cases where the content is extensively relevant to American Studies. They require the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies for American Studies before they may be applied to the American Studies Major.

* Courses marked with * fulfill the CLA Core Curriculum requirement.

Foreign Language Courses


Foreign Language proficiency requirements vary by program.  For acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor:

American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, (ancient) Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical. A Critical Course is one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.

Expired Course


Any course without a link to its description is one that has been expired.  However, this course could fulfill the degree requirement historically.

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