This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of American Studies. Students will analyze various primary and secondary sources relate to the understanding and evolution of 'American identity,' different worldviews that make up 'American culture,' and the image of America in the world. Concepts to be explored may include identity, law, policy, gender, history, culture, nation, class, race, sexuality, society.

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in American Studies (AMST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in American Studies (AMST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This study exposes students to the history of the United States through the anthropological lens of ethnology (i.e., the study of the characteristics of various peoples and the relationships between them). Students will compare the experiences of various ethnic, religious, gender, and racial groups, and the results of their social interactions in order to better understand the development of the US from the people themselves. The intent of this study is to utilize the concepts, materials, and tools employed by the disciplines of history and ethnology to uncover the various perspectives that make up US identity. Prerequisite (must complete before registering): US History to 1865: What Does it Mean to be a Free Nation? (HIST 2025), or equivalent Note: Pairs well with HIS 4000 American Ethnic History.

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Social Science Gen Ed, Liberal

This advanced study explores the history of American medicine and public health from colonial times to the present. Topics include early American epidemics such as smallpox, colonial medicine, midwifery, the professionalization of medicine in America, 19th century health reform, the Civil War, modern medicine and the welfare state, biomedical research, vaccines, 20th century epidemics such as AIDS, and many other topics. Students read primary documents and scholarly articles, and write scholarly essays. Students must possess advanced college level research and writing skills to succeed in this course.

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal

This advanced study explores the history of the United States through its films. Students will learn how films both reflect and shape American history, culture and society. Students will view and analyze films in terms of their historical placement and content as well as utilize interdisciplinary methods to explore themes.

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal

This course focuses on the systematic enslavement of Africans in colonial North America from the seventeenth century to emancipation. The course will explore ideas of race, racism, identity, and oppression in the United States as enduring effects of the institution of slavery. Students will examine ways in which nationalism, economics, and politics have been racialized to justify discrimination and exploitation of various groups across the U.S. In addition, the course will demonstrate how legacies of slavery persist in contemporary societies as forms of forced labor, abuses of power, coercion, or various ways of silencing, and human trafficking. Prerequisites: None. Corequisites: none.

Attributes: *Diversity Gen Ed, Liberal

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in American Studies (AMST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This advanced study is designed for students who have taken the course, Reel America, or who have a background in film history from another source. Students must know how to view and evaluate films from a historical (rather than technical, literary or other mode of analysis) perspective before they begin this study. Students will select an era of American film history (e.g., Early 20th Century, The Great Depression, World War II, The film noir era, The Cold War, etc.) and do a focused historical study of the films pertinent to that era. Prerequisite (must complete before registering): Reel America (AMST 3025)

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal

This advanced study explores perceptions of and treatments for mental illness in America from colonial times, when mentally ill persons were sold with their cages to the highest bidder, to today's explosion of mental illness diagnoses, and the drugs used to treat them. Prerequisites: US History Survey or equivalent Students should possess advanced college level reading and writing skills.

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in American Studies (AMST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.