2020-2021 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
American Studies, BA
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 Return to: College of Liberal Arts
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. American Studies offers you the freedom to create an academic path that fits your interests and goals by choosing classes within a framework of required courses and a concentration area. The major is a practical second major for students already majoring in English, History, Sociology, or Political Science. 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.
Please visit American Studies for more information.
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Degree Requirements
120 Credits RequiredLiberal Arts Curriculum
Each liberal arts major is designed as a four-year plan of study and includes three types of courses: Major, Core, and Elective. Most students take five courses per semester, with some of each type. Professional academic advisors meet individually with each of our students on a regular basis to help with course selection, academic planning, and career development, as well as to help students find additional resources on campus. Departmental/Program Major Courses (30 credits)
A. American Studies Foundation Courses (12 credits)
Other Departmental (31-55 credits)
The College of Liberal Arts Other Departmental area is designed to be experiential, informative, and relevant to life in a rapidly changing universe. It combines courses that fulfill University Core foundational outcomes, discipline diversity, social diversity, and other languages to produce a well-rounded background for students. Coursework is integrative and collaborative and fosters insight, understanding, independence, initiative, and the desire to reach across divides and redefine our relationship to the peoples and the worlds that surround us. Core I: Disciplinary Diversity (6-18 credits)
Choose 1 course in 6 different disciplines within the College of Liberal Arts. Note: Disciplines are differentiated by course prefix. Undistributed credit does not count to satisfy this requirement. Core II: Social Diversity (1-3 credits)
Culture, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity all play a role in how others perceive us and how we experience the world, and as such, are meaningful categories for analyzing social change and social problems past and present. The purpose of this category is to acquaint students with the pluralistic nature of the world and foster an appreciation and awareness of the diverse range of lived human experience. Courses in this list will expose students to important aspects of human diversity and foster understanding about different world views. Core III: Linguistic Diversity (3-4 credits)
Proficiency through Level IV in one world language. Foundational Requirements (21-30 credits)
Students must complete approved coursework that meet the following foundational outcomes. Many of these can also be used to fulfill Core I, Core II, or Core III.
- Humanities - all approved courses accepted.
- Behavioral/Social Science - all approved courses accepted.
- Information Literacy - all approved courses accepted.
- Science #1 - all approved courses accepted.
- Science #2 - all approved courses accepted.
- Science, Technology, and Society - all approved courses accepted.
- Written Communication - all approved courses accepted.
- Quantitative Reasoning - all approved courses accepted.
- Oral Communication - all approved courses accepted.
Notes
- Double counting of courses is allowed across the various categories.
- All accredited programs whose accreditation is threatened by CLA Core requirement, both professional BAs and BFAs, are exempt from Liberal Arts Core I & II in order to meet accreditation standards and requirements. Liberal Arts Core III: Linguistic Diversity is still required for such programs.
- “Degree +” students (students with a second major outside of Liberal Arts) are exempt from the CLA Core.
Electives (35-59 credits)
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Prerequisite Information:
For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.
Fall 1st Year
- Written Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00 (CLA Core I: 1 of 6)
- CLA Core I: 2 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- CLA Core II: Social Diversity - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Quantitative Reasoning - Credit Hours: 3.00
- World Language Level I - Credit Hours: 3.00
Spring 1st Year
- Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00
- CLA Core I: 3 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Information Literacy - Credit Hours: 3.00
- World Language Level II - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Fall 2nd Year
- AMST 20100 - Interpreting America ♦
- CLA Core I: 4 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science #1 - Credit Hours 3.00
- World Language Level III - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Spring 2nd Year
- AMST 30100 - Perspectives On America
- CLA Core I: 5 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- CLA Core I: 6 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science #2 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- World Language Level IV (CLA Core III) - Credit Hours 3.00
Fall 3rd Year
- American Studies Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- American Studies Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Behavior/Social Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Spring 3rd Year
- American Studies Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- American Studies Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science, Technology and Society - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Notes
- Students must earn a “C-” or better in a course in order to count toward the major. The P/NP option is not available for this requirement.
- 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.
- Liberal Arts Offers a streamlined plan of study for students pursuing a second degree outside CLA. Contact the CLA Advising Office for more information.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor.
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ASL-American Sign Language
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ARAB-Arabic |
CHNS-Chinese |
FR-French |
| GER-German |
GREK-Greek (ancient) |
HEBR-Hebrew (Biblical) |
HEBR-Hebrew (modern) |
| ITAL-Italian |
JPNS-Japanese |
KOR-Korean |
LATN-Latin |
| PTGS-Portuguese |
RUSS-Russian |
SPAN-Spanish |
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Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical.
In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”.
Disclaimer
The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.
The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.
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Return to: College of Liberal Arts
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