Support the ProgramAmerican Studies at Miami University
Major & Minor
AMS Major
Program Requirements
34 total credit hours
Core Courses
(16 credit hours)
Students must take all of the following core courses. Students must achieve an average GPA of 2.0 in all 5 AMS core courses to successfully graduate with a major in American Studies.
- Introduction to American Studies (AMS 205, 3 hrs)
- Approaches to American Culture (AMS 206, 3 hrs)
- Practice in American Studies (AMS 301, 3 hrs)
- Transnational America (AMS 302, 3 hrs)
- Capstone in American Studies (AMS 401, 4 hrs)
Areas of Concentration (18 credit hours)
Students must select and take 18 credit hours with at least 12 hours at the 200 level and above, incorporating at least 3 different disciplines, from one of the following areas of concentration.
- American Institutions, Ideas, and Experiences
- This area of concentration focuses on the core institutions, ideas, and expressions that define America as a nation and an ideal. It provides a traditional American Studies track.
- Diversity and Difference
- This area of concentration focuses on the diversity of cultures that come together in the United States, addressing issues of race, gender, class, religion, ethnicity, sexual identity, and other social categories. It provides the equivalent of an ethnic studies track.
- Global Perspectives on American Culture
- This area of concentration focuses on global perceptions and analysis of American culture and values, and on the position of the United States in the global world. This area requires study abroad for a semester at one of our partner institutions and is developed in consultation with an advisor.
- Popular Culture, Media, Consumerism
- This area of concentration focuses on consumer culture, popular culture, and mass media. It addresses issues of representation, visual culture, and the marketplace.
- Public Culture and Civic Engagement
- This area of concentration focuses on the practices and activities of civic engagement, the construction of shared identity and public memory, and the interpretation, presentation, and preservation of cultural resources.
- Student Designed Area of Concentration
- (Must be developed in consultation with advisor) This area of concentration allows a student to work with a faculty advisor to develop an individualized area of concentration in American culture. The proposed concentration needs to be approved by the Director of the American Studies Program before course work is initiated.
AMS Minor
Program Requirements (18 total credit hours)
The American Studies minor requires 18 hours as follows. Credits from internships conducted during the summer and the academic year and transfer credits will be recognized in appropriate categories.
Core Courses (9 credit hours)
Students are required to take the following core courses in American Studies. Core courses introduce students to the study of culture from an interdisciplinary perspective and provide opportunities for critical analysis and individual research from a cultural perspective.
- Introduction to American Studies (AMS 205, 3 hrs)
- Approaches to American Culture (AMS 206, 3 hrs)
- Practice in American Studies (AMS 301, 3 hrs)
OR
Transnational America (AMS 302, 3 hrs)
AMS Culture Focus (9 credit hours)
With the approval from the program director, students take 9 additional semester hours from AMS courses cross-listed with other departments or courses examining U.S. society and culture offered by other departments. Culture focus hours must include two or more disciplines.