2022-2023 Catalog

American Studies

Overview

American Studies is the interdisciplinary exploration of American culture. Situated at the intersection of historical and cultural analyses, students in American Studies interrogate the multiple voices and visions that have shaped American culture both past and present, and analyze debates over the meaning of American identity and culture in the United States and in transnational contexts.

The courses in Oxy’s American studies major offer multiple perspectives on American culture, history, literature, arts, and American domestic and international politics. The curriculum draws upon courses in these subjects plus media arts and culture, psychology, religion, and more. Several American Studies courses are cross-listed with courses in Black Studies, East Asian Studies, Diplomacy & World Affairs, and Latino/a & Latin American Studies. We highly encourage our majors to apply for international and domestic off-campus study, and Oxy’s Los Angeles location offers myriad opportunities for community-based learning and community engagement.

The knowledge you will develop as an American studies major is not only an integral part of the education promised by the College's mission statement, but also prepares students for citizenship in American society and an increasingly globalized world. The major prepares you for a wide range of careers in business, education, law, media, entertainment, public affairs, and non-governmental organizations.

Requirements

Major

The American Studies major consists of a minimum of 10 courses (40 units).  Students must complete three required courses: one introductory course in American Studies (AMST 101); a junior seminar in American Studies Theory and Methods (AMST 390); and the capstone senior seminar (AMST 490). In addition to these courses, students will take seven electives.  These will consist of two courses from each of the two thematic clusters ("cultural productions" and "historical perspectives"); and three additional electives.  Two of the seven electives must be 300-level courses.

Core Required Courses

All majors must take these three courses.

AMST 101Introduction to American Studies

4 units

AMST 390Theories and Methods of American Studies

4 units

AMST 490Senior Seminar

4 units

Please note: AMST 101 is a prerequisite for AMST 390 and AMST 490.

Cultural Productions

Students must select two courses from the list below:

AMST 215Discipline and Desire: The History of Sexuality in the United States

4 units

AMST 220Race, Gender, and Sexuality in American Film and Media

4 units

AMST 233American Queer Novel

4 units

AMST 260/LLAS 260United States Latino Literature and Cultural Studies

4 units

AMST 265/WRD 265Feminist Rhetorics and Social Change

4 units

AMST 270Asian American Literature

4 units

AMST 320Graphic Narratives: From Pulp Fiction to Comix Literature

4 units

AMST 335Queer of Color Critique

4 units

ENGL 289The American Experience in Literature

4 units

ENGL 346/BLST 34619th Century African American Literature

4 units

Students may also apply AMST 295 to the Cultural Productions cluster if they have enrolled in the "Dis/Ability and Care Cultures in the U.S." section of the course.

Historical Perspectives

Students must select two courses from the list below:

AMST 202/LLAS 202Latina/o Cultural and Intellectual History

4 units

AMST 208/BLST 208African American History II: The Great Migration and the Transformation of American Culture

4 units

AMST 256/BLST 256Race Women: African American Women's Protest Culture

4 units

AMST 268/BLST 268Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History

4 units

AMST 272/ASN 272Asian Immigrants in American Society

4 units

AMST 280/DWA 246The United States and East Asia

4 units

AMST 376/BLST 376Slavery, Freedom, and American Memory

4 units

HIST 101United States Culture and Society I

4 units

HIST 102United States Culture and Society II

4 units

HIST 207/BLST 207African American History I: Black Americans and the Making of the Nation

4 units

HIST 309/BLST 309Slavery in the Antebellum South

4 units

Students may also apply AMST 295 to the Historical Perspectives cluster if they have enrolled in the "Origins of the New Right" or "Settler and Native Ecologies of Power in North America" sections of the course.

Additional Electives

Students must take three additional elective chosen either from the list of approved electives below, or one of the thematic clusters above. 

AMST 200/POLS 200Democratic Socialism, American Style

4 units

AMST 295Topics in American Studies

4 units

AMST 332Psychic Life of Violence in the United States

4 units

ARTH 285Nineteenth Century Art: Culture, Politics, and National Identity

4 units

BLST 101Introduction to Black Studies

4 units

ENGL 142/BLST 142Joyful Noise! On Black Literature and Musicality

4 units

HIST 312/BLST 312Race, Rights, and Revolution in the Atlantic World

4 units

LLAS 385/PSYC 385Chicanx Identities and Social Institutions: Education, Health, Politics

4 units

POLS 208Movements for Social Justice

4 units

RELS 145Introduction to American Religion

4 units

RELS 245/BLST 245African American Religious Traditions

4 units

UEP 230Climate Justice: Theory and Practice

4 units

Honors in the Major

In general, it is expected that honors students will take both:


AMST 490Senior Seminar

4 units

AMST 499Honors

2 or 4 units

For further information see the Honors Program and the department chair.

Minor

The American Studies Minor consists of five courses for a total of 20 units.  AMST 101 is required along with one elective in the "Cultural Productions" category and one elective in the "Historical Perspectives" category and two additional electives from any category. 

Second-Stage Writing Proficiency

Students majoring in American Studies will satisfy the Second-Stage Writing Requirement by successfully completing the methodology research paper with a grade of B-. Should a student not successfully complete the requirement in AMST 390 during their junior year, they will be required to revise the essay until it meets the passing specifications, which must be done no later than the fourth week of their senior year fall semester.

Comprehensive Requirement

Students fulfill the Comprehensive Requirement by successful completion of a paper and a presentation on a topic in the student's area of emphasis, as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the senior seminar (AMST 490).

Advising Information

Students interested in the American Studies major often start by taking AMST 101, which is a major requirement and is typically offered during the fall semester. In addition, most 200-level AMST courses do not have prerequisites and are open to first-year students.  The major requires students to complete two courses in the Cultural Productions group and two courses in the Historical Perspectives group, as well as three additional electives, AMST 390, and AMST 490AMST 390 is the junior seminar that focuses on the theories and interdisciplinary methodologies of American Studies and prepares students to write their comprehensive theses in the AMST 490 senior seminar. At least two of the seven electives must be 300-level courses.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the American Studies major. 

Sample 4-Year Plan

 

Fall

Spring

Year 1

  • Fall FYS course

  • Foreign Language

  • Core Requirement

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Spring FYS course

  • Core Requirement

  • Core Requirement

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 2

  • AMST 101 (CPUD)

  • Core Requirement

  • Core Requirement

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Cultural Productions

  • Historical Perspectives

  • Core Requirement

  • Core Requirement

Year 3

  • Cultural Productions

  • Historical Perspectives

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • AMST 390

  • Additional Elective (300-level)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 4

  • AMST 490

  • Additional Elective

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Additional Elective

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Curricular Notes

  • Certain designated courses from Departments such as History, Black Studies, Religious Studies, and Art & Art History also count as American Studies Electives.
  • The Junior Seminar (AMST390) is only taught in the spring semester.  Junior American Studies majors who plan to study abroad should plan to do so in the fall of their junior year so they can be back on campus for AMST 390 in their spring semester.

Transfer Credit Policies

The American Studies Program accepts online courses for general elective credit, but will not accept online courses for major or minor credit. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.

Information that can be included in this section include:
  • specific policies for majors/minors
  • AP/IB Exam credit - course equivalencies?
  • Online courses
  • Policies specifically for matriculating frosh, transfer students, returning students after a leave of absence
Information that can be included in this section include:
  • specific policies for majors/minors
  • AP/IB Exam credit - course equivalencies?
  • Online courses
  • Policies specifically for matriculating frosh, transfer students, returning students after a leave of absence
Information that can be included in this section include:
  • specific policies for majors/minors
  • AP/IB Exam credit - course equivalencies?
  • Online courses
  • Policies specifically for matriculating frosh, transfer students, returning students after a leave of absence

Courses

American Studies Courses

Faculty

Tenure and Tenure Track Faculty

Julie Prebel, chair

Associate Professor

Director of Writing Center and Programs

B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., California State University, San Francisco; Ph.D., University of Washington

Heather Lukes

Associate Professor 

B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Xiao-huang Yin

Professor 

B.A., Nanjing University; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University 

Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Alexandra Fine
Visiting Assistant
B.A., Oberlin College; M.A., California College of the Arts; Ph.D., University of California, Davis  

Gregory Toy
Visiting Assistant
B.A., Haverford College; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Other faculty associated with the American Studies department can be viewed here.