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American Studies
In the College of Arts and Letters
Office: Adams Humanities 4207
Telephone: (619) 594-5262
The American studies program is administered through the American Studies Committee. Faculty assigned to teach courses in American studies are drawn from departments in the College of Arts and Letters.
Chair: DuFault (History)
Adviser: Gregory (English)
Committee: Colquitt (English), Deutsch (Child and Family Development), Donahue (Linguistics), DuFault (History),
Ford (Geography), Gregory (English), Griswold (English), Huckle (Women's Studies), Koolish (English), Kornfeld (History), Kornweibel (Africana Studies), Kushner (History), Lewin (Political Science), McCaffery (English and Comparative Literature), Meadows (Music), Real (Communication), Samovar (Communication), Strom (Teacher Education), Vartanian (History), Wall (English)
Major in American studies with the B.A. degree in liberal arts and sciences.
Minor in American studies.
American studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to bridge the division of knowledge into discrete disciplines. Each of the four program clusters combines American studies core courses, which relate materials and methods from various disciplines, with upper division courses from several disciplines. The courses are selected to focus on and bring into interrelation one group of American people, one social or cultural process, one place and one period.
The special integrating work in the student's major program is a series of special studies under the direction of members of the American studies faculty in which the student produces a paper or project interrelating the four focuses of his or her studies. The paper or project must make use of two or more disciplines' analyses of the same material. Because American studies finds its center in the concept of culture, the paper or project must deal at least in part with the cultural connections among the four subjects of focus.
With the approval of the American studies adviser, the student may design a program cluster comparable in format to those listed in this catalog but tailored to his or her individual interests.
The minor in American studies is open to all students and is of special interest to international students. The coursework is intended to provide a broad perspective of the American culture - the heritage, the ideas and dreams, and the failures as well as accomplishments.
The flexibility of this interdisciplinary major allows graduates to enter a broad range of career areas, including journalism, law, law enforcement, environmental planning, teaching, archival work, museum curatorship, international business, librarianship or government service. Competencies gained by the American studies major provide a sound basis for entering graduate study in a variety of areas. Many universities have graduate programs in American studies. Graduate work may be required for entrance into a specific career field.
Business and teaching professions in foreign countries welcome American studies majors who can help them understand the way business and social life is conducted in the United States.
All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major.
All candidates for a degree in liberal arts and sciences must complete the graduation requirements listed in the section of this catalog on "Graduation Requirements."
A minor is not required with this major.
Preparation for the Major. Twelve units selected from Anthropology 102, English 250A-250B (three or six units), History 110A-110B (three or six units). (12 units)
Students should note that a number of the upper division required and recommended courses listed below have lower division prerequisites, but these prerequisites do not constitute requirements per se for the completion of the major.
Foreign Language Requirement. Competency (equivalent to that which is normally attained through three consecutive courses of college study) is required in one foreign language as part of the preparation for the major. Refer to section of catalog on "Graduation Requirements."
Upper Division Writing Requirement. History 430W, English 508W, 581W, or Rhetoric and Writing Studies 500W, or Sociology 396W with a grade of C (2.0) or better.
Major. A minimum of 33 upper division units to include American Studies 499, 580; and nine courses from one of the following clusters or a specially designed cluster.
In the selected cluster, the student will normally take three courses in one area and two courses in each of three other areas. However, the student must take at least one course in each area. The student may take no more than three courses in one discipline on the major program. The student must file with the Office of Admissions and Records a master plan approved by the adviser for the American studies curriculum.
People: Decision Makers
Economics 370; History 496; Management 356; Political Science 335, 422, 436, 531; Public Administration 520; Sociology 531; Women's Studies 530.
Process: Communications
No more than one course in each discipline.
Africana Studies 360, 362, 461, 480; American Indian Studies 430; Art 558; Communication 371, 408, 500, 502, 504; English 524, 525; Mexican American Studies 335; Music 351D; Political Science 426; Psychology 340; Sociology 456.
Place: United States
Geography 321; History 534, 535A, 535B, 546A, 546B, 547A, 547B, 548A, 548B.
Period: Nuclear Age
Two of the following:
English 525; History 536; Natural Science 333; Women's Studies 530.
Special Study: American Studies 499.
People: The Family
Africana Studies 331; Child and Family Development 436; Mexican American Studies 320; Sociology 522.
Process: Material Culture
Anthropology 302; Art 347, 550; English 526 (when offered as American Literature and American Art); Geography 354, 555; Natural Science 333.
Place: The Southwest
No more than one course in each discipline.
History 537B, 538, 541A, 541B; Mexican American Studies 320, 335, 350A, 350B, 376.
Period: Colonial
No more than one course in each discipline.
Anthropology 446; History 530, 548A.
Special Study: American Studies 499.
People: Ethnic Community
Sociology 355 and one of the following: Africana Studies 471B; American Indian Studies 440; Anthropology 446; Mexican American Studies 320 or 350B.
Process: Development of Identity
Africana Studies 362 or 461; Mexican American Studies 335; Music 351; Political Science 531; Sociology 430 or 457; Women's Studies 352 or 553 (when American in content).
Place: The City
Economics 458; Geography 354 or 555; Mexican American Studies 303; Political Science 422; Public Administration 512; Sociology 557.
Period: 1840 to the Present
No more than one course in each discipline.
English 523, 524, 525, 527, 528 (when appropriate); History 534, 535A, 541B, 548B; Women's Studies 341B or 530.
Special Study: American Studies 499.
People: The Middle Class
Art 560; History 548B; Political Science 531; Sociology 531; Women's Studies 530.
Process: Tradition and Change in the Evolution of American Goals and Values
No more than one course in each discipline.
Anthropology 444; Economics 474; English 525; History 435, 545A, 545B, 548A, 548B; Management 356, 456; Political Science 334, 335, 345, 346, 348; Sociology 433, 456, 457, 537.
Place: United States
English 523, 524, 525, 527; Geography 370; History 540, 546B, 547A, 547B; Political Science 305.
Period: Twentieth Century
Economics 338; English 525; History 310B, 535A, 535B, 536; Management 356; Music 351D; Women's Studies 341B.
Special Study: American Studies 499.
American Studies Minor
The minor in American studies consists of a minimum of 15 units to include six units selected from History 546A-546B or 547A-547B or 548A-548B; and nine units selected from the courses listed below-six units from one grouping and three from the other, with no more than six units from any one department's or program's offerings:
Humanities: American Studies 580; Art 560; English 522, 523.
Social Sciences: Anthropology 444; Economics 338; Geography
354; Political Science 305; Sociology 433.
With the consent of the American studies adviser, six units in courses not listed here may be included in the student's program. Courses in the minor may not be counted towards the major but may be used to satisfy preparation for the major and general education requirements. A minimum of six upper division units must be completed in residence at San Diego State University. In designing their American studies minor program, students may not include courses drawn from their major department.
Courses
296. Experimental Topics (1-4)
Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.
496. Experimental Topics (1-4)
Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.
499. Special Study (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Individual study in interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences work. Maximum credit six units.
580. Topics in American Studies (1-3) I, II
Topics dealing with cultural images and myths, social protest, folklore; themes focusing upon fear, alienation and nationalism; problems around racism, minorities and counter-cultures. See Class Schedule for specific content. May be repeated once with new content; and with the approval of the adviser, more than once by American studies majors. Maximum credit six units applicable to a master's degree in American studies.
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