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Nov 21, 2024
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2024-2025 Academic Catalog
American Studies Concentration
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 Return to: Departments, Majors, Concentrations
American Studies
Chair(s):
P. Albert Lacson
Faculty:
Leah Allen
Stephen Andrews
Jeremy Chen
Karla Erickson
Katya Gibel Mevorach
Michael Guenther
Sarah Purcell
Sharon Quinsaat
Henry W. Rietz
Fredo Rivera
Kesho Scott - Senior Faculty Status
Lesley Wright
American studies is an evolving interdisciplinary field that is anchored by the interrelated study of race, gender, ethnicities, classes, sexuality, religion, and political culture. An acute sensitivity to the historical context of intellectual and social movements, influenced by both regional and global events, is at the core of such a pursuit and constitutes the purpose of a concentration in the 21st century.
The introductory course in the foundations in American studies explores themes through historical and literary documents and other resources. In addition to completing three required courses (the introduction, a 200 level AMS course, and a research project), students plan a structured sequence of courses selected from an elective lists representing a variety of disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
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Concentration requirements: 24 credits as follows:
1. Required Courses: 4 credits
2. One 200-level course in American Studies: 4 credits
3. Elective Courses
Three 4-credit course chosen from the following list. At least one course must be from social studies and one course from humanities.
Additional courses in this category will be listed each semester in the registrar’s Schedule of Courses.
*Special topics courses (295, and 395) and other variable content courses 200 level and above may be counted toward core or elective course requirements with approval from the American Studies Concentration chair.
- AMS 245 - Shaping American Identities in Moving Images 4 credits
- ANT 210 - Illness, Healing, and Culture 4 credits
- ANT 240 - Intentional Communities 4 credits
- ANT 252 - Culture and Agriculture 4 credits
- ARH 232 - Global Abstract Expressionism: Art Since 1945 4 credits
- ARH 233 - American Art 4 credits
- BIO 220 - Racing Through Genetics 4 credits
- BIO 305 - Evolution of the Iowa Flora 4 credits
- ECN 205 - Current State of the U.S. Economy 4 credits
- ECN 215 - Labor Economics 4 credits
- ECN 376 - Seminar in Income Distribution 4 credits
- EDU 210 - Historical Perspectives on U.S. Education 4 credits or the cross-listed HIS 210
- EDU 211 - The Politics of Educational Assessment 4 credits
- EDU 213 - Cultural Politics of Language Teaching 4 credits
- EDU 215 - Reading and Writing Youth and Youth Culture 4 credits or the cross-listed ENG 215
- ENG 227 - American Literary Traditions I 4 credits
- ENG 228 - American Literary Traditions II 4 credits
- ENG 229 - The Tradition of African American Literature 4 credits
- ENG 231 - American Literary Traditions III 4 credits
- ENG 232 - Traditions of Ethnic American Literature 4 credits
- ENG 325 - Studies in Ethnic American Literatures 4 credits *
- ENG 326 - Studies in American Poetry I 4 credits *
- ENG 328 - Studies in American Poetry II 4 credits *
- ENG 329 - Studies in African American Literature 4 credits *
- ENG 330 - Studies in American Prose I 4 credits *
- ENG 331 - Studies in American Prose II 4 credits or the cross-listed GWS 331 *
- GWS 211 - Foundations of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies 4 credits
- GWS 235 - Feminism and Popular Culture 4 credits
- GWS 324 - Critical Race Feminisms 4 credits
- HIS 212 - Democracy in America, 1789–1848 4 credits
- HIS 214 - The American Civil War and Reconstruction 4 credits
- HIS 215 - Foundations of US Popular Culture 4 credits or the cross-listed AMS 215
- HIS 220 - U.S. Environmental History 4 credits
- HIS 222 - Women in American History 4 credits or the cross-listed GWS 222
- HIS 223 - Health and Medicine in American History 4 credits
- HIS 225 - Native American History, 1491–1865 4 credits
- HIS 227 - African American History 4 credits
- HIS 32X* - Advanced Studies in United States History
- LAS 221 - Introduction to U.S. Latinx Studies 4 credits
- MUS 202 - Topics in American Music 4 credits
- MUS 204 - Jazz Traditions 4 credits
- PHI 258 - Classical and Contemporary American Pragmatism 4 credits
- PHI 261 - Philosophy of Race and Gender 4 credits
- PHI 392 - Advanced Studies in Anglo-American Philosophy 4 credits
- POL 216 - Politics of Congress 4 credits
- POL 219 - Constitutional Law and Politics 4 credits
- POL 237 - Political Parties 4 credits
- POL 239 - The Presidency 4 credits
- POL 250 - Politics of International Relations 4 credits
- POL 257 - Nationalism 4 credits
- POL 259 - Human Rights: Foundations, Challenges, and Choices 4 credits
- POL 310 - Advanced Seminar in American Politics 4 credits
- POL 319 - Advanced Seminar in Constitutional Law 4 credits
- POL 352 - Advanced Seminar on the U.S. Foreign Policymaking Process 4 credits
- PST 220 - Foundations of Policy Analysis 4 credits
- REL 240 - Religion is Everywhere 4 credits
- REL 241 - Religion, Law, and Politics 4 credits
- SOC 240 - Social Movements 4 credits
- SOC 260 - Human Sexuality in the United States 4 credits
- SOC 270 - Gender and Society 4 credits
- SOC 275 - Race and Ethnicity in America 4 credits
- SOC 360 - Work in the “New” Economy 4 credits
- SPN 317 - Readings in U.S. Latinx Literature and Culture 4 credits
- SPN 383 - The Latin American Colonial World 4 credits
- THD 310 - Critical Approaches in Dance 4 credits
4. Capstone Research Project: 4 credits
Students may choose one of the following two options for the fulfillment of this requirement:
a. Senior Research
Declaration of the intention to complete a senior research project will occur no later than the second semester of the junior year. The project should integrate previous coursework in the concentration. A proposal stating the research questions and describing a methodology must be submitted to and approved by the concentration in the fall semester of the senior year. Fall semester enrollment is allowed if the proposal is approved in the second semester of the third year.
b. Senior Paper in a Seminar Class
Students may choose to complete a research paper while enrolled as a senior in a pre-approved 300- or 400-level course.
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