It’s never been more important to understand American history and culture, but how do you study something so sprawling, diverse and complex?
The American Studies major lets you combine different fields of inquiry — including history, literary criticism, media studies, art history, architecture, musicology, politics and anthropology. Explore the Civil War alongside comic books, folk music and food cultures, indigenous civilizations and modern visions of the apocalypse. Our majors are able to choose among electives across time periods, topics, fields, and approaches, including courses outside the American Studies department. Students complete a rigorous program of study that focuses on their own interests, offering a generous amount of academic flexibility while still remaining rooted in a shared and coherent curricular experience.
American Studies rewards the engaged student who thrives in small, discussion-focused seminars. Our graduates acquire diverse perspectives and skills that prepare them for a wide range of professions and careers, including education, law, health and medicine, academia, museums, entertainment, business, foreign affairs, and social work. Our majors learn how to interpret the stories that American society tells about itself, to challenge the stories that need changing, and to create new stories for the future.