American Studies
Facilitator: James Bennett, Religious Studies
American Studies is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the United States, past and present. Students approach the study of American cultures through such diverse fields as history, literature, religious studies, art, economics, and environmental studies, and might focus on such topics as popular culture and material culture, ethnic studies and gender studies, empire and globalization. American Studies students analyze America's relations with the rest of the world, the construction and deconstruction of American identities, and changing and competing definitions of America (including critiques of the very name "American Studies").
We encourage students to intentionally craft a four-course cluster around a theme or topic of special interest to them. Below are suggested possible ways of crafting such a cluster or focus, although students should feel free to develop and define their own individualized cluster topic:
- American Regions (i.e., The West and California, America and the Caribbean, Interregionalism, America and the Atlantic)
- Politics and Activism
- Transnationalism and Globalization
- Colonialism/Postcolonialism
- Historical Periods (i.e., The Colonial Period, The 19th Century, Modernism, Postmodernism)
- Gender and Sexuality
- Race and Ethnicity
Associated Courses
| Anthropology (ANTH) |
| 4 Vanished Peoples and Lost Civilizations |
| 148 Historical Archaeology |
| 157 Family and Culture (cross-listed with GNSX 155) |
| 170 Women, Gender, and Sexuality (cross-listed with GNSX 144) |
| Arabic (ARAB) |
| 185 The Arab-American Experience |
| Art History (ARTH) |
| 140 Photography in the United States |
| 143 Women's Work: American Women in the Visual Arts (cross-listed with GNSX 156) |
| 144 Race, Gender, and Nation in 18th and 19th Century American Art |
| 145 Art in the 20th Century U.S. |
| Communication (COMM) |
| 136F Family Melodrama |
| 138A Television History/Theory - Topics Vary |
| 166 News and Democracy |
| Dance (DANC) |
| 62 African American Dance History (cross-listed with DANC 162) |
| 162 African American Dance History (cross-listed with DANC 62) |
| Economics (ECON) |
| 136 20th-Century Economic History |
| English (ENGL) |
| 31 Survey of American Literature I |
| 32 Survey of American Literature II |
| 33 Intro to American Literature |
| 35 Introduction to African-American Literature (cross-listed with ETHN 36) |
| 36 Introduction to Latinx Literature (cross-listed with ETHN 21) |
| 37 Native American Literature |
| 38 Introduction to Asian-American Literature |
| 39 Multicultural Literature of the United States (cross-listed with ETHN 70) |
| 39G Multicultural Literature of the United States |
| 65 Political Literature |
| 67 U.S. Gay and Lesbian Literature (cross-listed with GNSX 34) |
| 68 Literature and Women |
| 68A American Literature and Women |
| 69 Literature by Women Writers of Color (cross-listed with GNSX 15) |
| 69A Literature by American Women Writers of Color |
| 106 Advanced Writing ("American Renaissances" topic only) |
| 120AM American Film Studies |
| 129 American Theatre from the Black Perspective (cross-listed as THTR 161 and ETHN 136) |
| 130 Studies in African American Literature |
| 131 Early American Literature |
| 132 19th-Century American Literature |
| 132G 19th-Century American Literature (cross-listed with GNSX 164) |
| 133 Selected American Authors |
| 134 Studies in Contemporary American Literature: The Short Story |
| 134G Studies in Contemporary American Literature (cross-listed with GNSX 186) |
| 135 Studies in American Fiction |
| 135 African American Literature (cross-listed with ETHN 130) |
| 136 Latino/a Literature and Cultural Studies (cross-listed with ETHN 124) |
| 137 Native American Literature (cross-listed with ETHN 111) |
| 137G Native American Literature (cross-listed as GNSX 110) |
| 138 Asian-American Literature (cross-listed with ETHN 145) |
| 139 Topics in American Literature |
| 139G Topics in American Literature (cross-listed with GNSX 165) |
| 152 LGBTQ Studies: U.S. Perspectives (cross-listed with GNSX 136) |
| 169 Women, Literature, and Theory (cross-listed with GNSX 166) |
| 169A Women, Literature and Theory: Race, Sex and Gender (cross-listed with GNSX 166) |
| 192 American Theatre from Black Perspective (cross-listed with THTR 161) |
| Environmental Studies & Sciences (ENVS) |
| 20 The Water Wars of California L&L |
| Ethnic Studies (ETHN) |
| 5 Introduction to the Study of Race and Ethnicity in the United States |
| 12 Native Spiritual Traditions |
| 21 Introduction to Latinx Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 36) |
| 30 Introduction to African American Studies |
| 36 African American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 35) |
| 40 Introduction to Asian American Studies |
| 65 Drama of Diversity (also listed as THTR 65) |
| 69 Literature by Women Writers of Color |
| 70 Multicultural Literature of the United States (cross-listed with ENGL 39) |
| 95 African American Independent Film Makers |
| 96 Race, Class, and Culture Through Film |
| 111 Native American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 137) |
| 124 Latino/a Literature and Cultural Studies (cross-listed with ENGL 136) |
| 130 Black Political Thought in Action |
| 130 African-American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 135) |
| 132 The History of Hip Hop (cross-listed with MUSC 132) |
| 134 Black Social Movements |
| 135 African Americans in Postwar Film (cross-listed with HIST 185) |
| 136 American Theatre from the Black Perspective (cross-listed with ENGL 129 and THTR 161) |
| 137 African-American Pursuit of Freedom: By the Ballot or the Bullet, by Bible or the Gun (cross-listed with HIST 155) |
| 138 Black Migration in the World (cross-listed with HIST 157) |
| 141 Asian American Women |
| 142 Asian American Communities |
| 145 Asian-American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 138) |
| 151 Race, Class, and Gender in the United States (cross-listed with SOCI 153 & GNSX 115) |
| 152 Multi-Racial Identities |
| 153 Minority Politics in the United States (cross-listed with POLI 153) |
| 164 Popular Music, Race and American Culture |
| 166 Race & Religion in U.S. |
| 176 Race & Sex in Modern America (cross-listed with HIST 105 and GNSX 174A) |
| 185 Seminar in U.S. Racial and Ethnic Politics (cross-listed with POLI 195DW) |
| Gender and Sexuality Studies (GNSX) |
| 15 Literature by Women Writers of Color (cross-listed with ENGL 69) |
| 16 Multicultural Literature of the US |
| 34 U.S. Gay and Lesbian Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 67) |
| 50 Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies |
| 56 Literature and Women |
| 57 Women in American Society (cross-listed with HIST 84) |
| 110 Native American Women Writers (cross-listed with ENGL 137G) |
| 111 Asian American Women (cross-listed with ETHN 141) |
| 115 Race, Class, and Gender in the United States (cross-listed with ETHN 151 & SOCI 153) |
| 117 Race, Gender and Politics in the News |
| 136 Interdisciplinary Gay and Lesbian Studies (cross-listed with ENGL 152) |
| 138 Gays and Lesbians in United States History (cross-listed with HIST 177) |
| 144 Women, Gender, and Sexuality (cross-listed with ANTH 170) |
| 155 Family and Culture (cross-listed with ANTH 157) |
| 156 Women's Work: American Women in the Visual Arts (cross-listed with ARTH 143) |
| 164 Studies in 19th-Century American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 132G) |
| 165 Topics in American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 139G) |
| 166 Women, Literature, and Theory (cross-listed with ENGL 169/A) |
| 173 United States Women Since 1900 (cross-listed with HIST 181) |
| 174 Sex and Family in American History (cross-listed with HIST 182) |
| 174A Race & Sex in Modern America (cross-listed with HIST 105 and ETHN 176) |
| 180 Women and Politics (cross-listed with POLI 154) |
| 186 Studies in Contemporary American Literature (cross-listed with ENGL 134G) |
| History (HIST) |
| 60/160 America's Immigrants |
| 65 Parties and Presidents |
| 70 The American Revolution |
| 71/171 The New Nation: U.S. From Hamilton to Jackson |
| 72/172 The Civil War Era |
| 72B/172B Reconstruction through Progressive Era |
| 75 Natives & Newcomers: Early North America |
| 82B Childhood in the US |
| 84 United States Women's History (cross-listed with GNSX 57) |
| 85 US Environmental History |
| 86B Silicon Valley Histories |
| 96A Introduction to the History of the United States I |
| 96B Globalization, Reform, and War: The United States, 1877 to Present |
| 105 Race and Sex in Modern America (cross-listed with ETHN 176 and GNSX 174A) |
| 119 Gender, Sexuality & Social Movements in the 20th U.S |
| 155 African-American Pursuit of Freedom: By the Ballot or the Bullet, by Bible or the Gun (cross-listed with ETHN 137) |
| 157 Black Migration in the World (cross-listed with ETHN 138) |
| 158 Turmoil and Reform: U.S. 1877-1920 |
| 165 Parties and Presidents |
| 170 The American Revolution |
| 175 Natives & Newcomers: Early North America |
| 176 Contemporary America: 1980 to the Present |
| 177 Gays and Lesbians in United States History (cross-listed with GNSX 138) |
| 181 United States Women Since 1900 |
| 182B Childhood in the US |
| 184 American Historical Geography |
| 185 African Americans in Postwar Film (cross-listed with ETHN 135) |
| 186 California |
| 188S The Making of Modern America: The Progressive Era (formerly HIST 188) |
| 189 American Metropolis: Urban History of the US |
| Italian (ITAL) |
| 185 The Italian-American Experience |
| Military Science (MILS) |
| 176 US Military History |
| Music (MUSC) |
| 20 Music in American Cultures I |
| 21 Music in American Culture II |
| 132 The History of Hip Hop (cross-listed with ETHN 132) |
| 134 Popular Music, Race and American Culture |
| Philosophy (PHIL) |
| 33/H Ethics and Race |
| Political Science (POLI) |
| 1 Introduction to U.S. Politics |
| 151 The U.S. Congress |
| 153 Minority Politics in the U.S. (cross-listed with ETHN 153) |
| 154 Women and Politics (cross-listed with GNSX 180) |
| 163 State and Local Politics |
| 173 Sports & Politics in the U.S. |
| 195 Seminar in U.S. Politics |
| 195DW Seminar in U.S. Politics (cross-listed with ETHN 185) |
| 195L Constitutional Theory, Constitutional Politics (formerly 195P) |
| 195P Seminar in U.S. Politics |
| Religion, Theology, and Culture |
| Religion and Society (RSOC) |
| 21 Urban Religion |
| 51 Religion in America |
| 51H Religion in America |
| 61 Atheism in America |
| 91 Native Spiritual Traditions |
| 111 Inventing Religion in America |
| 111R RSS: Inventing Religion in America |
| 128 Religion and Popular Culture |
| 148 Religion & U.S. Politics |
| 148R RSS: Religion and the Presidency |
| 164 Religion, Race and Ethnicity in America |
| 175 Mapping Living Religion |
| 184 Race and Religion in the United States |
| Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality (TESP) |
| 60 Hispanic Popular Religion |
| 65 U.S. Hispanic Theology |
| 109 Hispanic Spirituality: Guadalupe |
| Sociology (SOCI) |
| 33 Social Problems in the United States |
| 132 Inequality and the American Dream |
| 150 Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Experiences |
| 153 Race, Class, and Gender in the United States (cross-listed with ETHN 151 & GNSX 115) |
| Spanish (SPAN) |
| 176 Spanish and Latinos in the U.S.: Race, Identity, and Inequalities |
| Theatre (THTR) |
| 44 Modern American Theatre History: Censorship, Arts Funding and Theatre Unions |
| 65 Drama of Diversity (cross-listed with ETHN 65) |
| 161 American Theatre from the Black Perspective (cross-listed with ENGL 129 and ETHN 136) |
| 165 Broadway! |