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Undergraduate Program

In our undergraduate program, American Studies students learn essential knowledge and skills for understanding and researching American culture and society in the present and the past. An undergraduate degree in American Studies is designed to prepare students for careers in education, government, journalism, non-profits, community-organizing, law, media, marketing and other fields where knowledge of American culture, interdisciplinary research methodologies, and strong communication skills are valued.  In addition, a degree in American Studies will prepare students for more advanced study in any field in the humanities and social sciences, public health,  environmental studies, education, law, and other programs.

The Department of American Studies offers a 36 Unit Major and a 21 Unit Minor. Because of our commitment to interdisciplinarity, we have designed both degrees to count some upper division courses from other departments if they examine some element of American culture and society and are approved by an AMST advisor.  Because of this, students often double major in American Studies and an additional field.

We recently updated the requirements for our major and minor so please check your catalog year to ensure you know the correct requirements. If it is prior to Fall 24, you fall under the older requirements. If it is Fall 24 or beyond, you fall under the new requirements.  If you have any questions, please consult our Undergraduate Advising page.

The Major (Pre-Fall 24)

The 36-unit undergraduate major requires 12 units of American Studies core courses and 24 elective units in American Studies and related fields.

Required Core Courses (12 units):

·       AMST 201 - Introduction to American Studies

·       AMST 301 - The American Character

·       AMST 350 - Theory & Method of American Studies

·       AMST 401T - Proseminar in American Studies

Electives (24 units) must be chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor. They are subject to the following requirements:

Students may take all eight elective courses (24 units) in American Studies courses or they may include up to four courses (12 units) from other departments upon approval of a faculty adviser.
All courses taken outside American Studies must be upper-division. All non- American Studies coursework must be substantive rather than skill or how-to courses and must have an American focus or a cross-cultural focus involving America. 

Once students have earned 85 units, they should apply for graduation. To complete a grad check in American Studies, students should email an American Studies faculty advisor with their CWID or visit faculty office hours.

The Major (Fall 24 and Beyond)

Foundational (6 units)

  • AMST 201 - Introduction to American Studies (3)
  •  Plus 3 units from the following:
    • AMST 300 - Introduction to American Popular Culture (3)
    • AMST 301 - American Experiences (3)
    • AMST 320 - Women in American Society (3)
    • AMST 324 - American Immigrant Cultures (3)
    • AMST 332 - Science and Modern America (3)
    • AMST 345 - The American Dream (3)
    •  AMST 395 - California Cultures (3)
    • Adviser-approved AMST 300-level course (3)

Advanced (6 units)

  • AMST 350 - Seminar in Theory and Method of American Studies (3)
  • AMST 401T - Proseminar in American Studies (3

Electives (24 upper-division units)

  •  400-level AMST course (3)
  •  300- or 400-level courses (21) *

Students may take all 24 units in American Studies or, with adviser approval, may include up to 12 upper-division units from other departments, such as Art, African American Studies, Anthropology, Asian American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Communications, Criminal Justice, English, History, Human Services, Geography, Liberal Studies, Music, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology. These courses may be used to pursue a particular theme or subject, such as race and ethnicity, law and society, gender roles, urbanization, technology, education, the child and the family, and popular culture.

* AMST 101, AMST 131, AMST 132 or an adviser-approved AMST 100-level course may substitute for one 300-level course

The Double Major

You might want to consider pursuing coursework in American Studies as part of a double major. You can double count 12 units in another major, applying those units to degree requirements in both American Studies and the other major.

Approximately 40% of American Studies majors are double majors. The most common double majors combine American Studies with Communications, History, or Political Science.

The Minor (Pre-Fall 24)

The 21-unit undergraduate minor requires 9 units of American Studies core courses and 12 elective units, three of which may be in a related field.

Required Core Courses (9 units):

AMST 201 - Introduction to American Studies
AMST 301 - The American Character*
AMST 401T - Proseminar in American Studies
 * Students with a catalog year prior to Fall 2020 may take AMST 345 instead of AMST 301.
Electives (12 units) must be chosen in consultation with a faculty adviser. They are subject to the following requirements:

3 units may be lower division, for example, AMST 101 - Introduction to American Culture Studies.  
3 units may be from another department upon approval of an American Studies Department adviser.

The Minor (Fall 24 and Beyond)

The 21-unit undergraduate minor requires 6 units of Foundational courses, 3 units of a Foundational Advanced course, and 12 elective units, 3 of which m

Foundational (6 units)

  • AMST 201 - Introduction to American Studies (3)
  • Plus 3 units from the following:
    • AMST 300 - Introduction to American Popular Culture (3)
    • AMST 301 - American Experiences (3)
    • AMST 320 - Women in American Society (3)
    • AMST 324 - American Immigrant Cultures (3)
    • AMST 332 - Science and Modern America (3)
    • AMST 345 - The American Dream (3)
    •  AMST 395 - California Cultures (3)
    • Adviser-approved AMST 300-level course (3)

Foundational Advanced (3 Units)

  • AMST 401T -  Proseminar in American Studies (3)

Electives (12 Units)

  • 400-level AMST course (3)
  • 300- or 400-level courses (9) *

Students may take all 12 units in American Studies or, with adviser approval, may include one upper-division elective from other departments, such as Art, African American Studies, Anthropology, Asian American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Communications, Criminal Justice, English, History, Human Services, Geography, Liberal Studies, Music, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology.

* AMST 101, AMST 131, AMST 132 or an adviser-approved AMST 100-level course may substitute for one 300-level course