American Studies

American Studies is an interdisciplinary program for independent thinkers who want to move beyond a single perspective and grapple with pressing questions and complex issues in American history, culture, and society. 

Students, both majors and minors, take courses from multiple departments and programs—including History, English, Political Science, Communications, Art History, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Comparative Race and Ethnicity, Sociology, and more—as they learn to analyze America’s past and present. 

The program stands out for its combination of depth and breadth, rigorous foundations and a flexible, individualized academic experience. Majors design their own distinct, thematic concentration, a set of courses that allow them to pursue the questions and topics most compelling to them. 

Because American Studies nurtures exceptional intellectual dexterity, independent initiative, and creative problem-solving skills, it also serves as excellent preparation for a wide range of future pursuits, including law, journalism, government, business, media and entertainment, non-profits, medicine, the arts, and other fields.