The American Studies Program is designed to provide students with a broad, yet deep, education about the United States.
To ensure breadth, students are required to take interdisciplinary core courses that range widely both with respect to the themes covered and disciplinary perspectives applied. As well, the Program offers a wide selection of courses from participating departments and programs in the Faculty of Arts and Science, giving students broad exposure to fundamental themes of American life. To ensure depth, the American Studies Program relies heavily on upper level courses, including its own capstone seminars at the 400-level. Both Major and Minor Programs are open enrolment programs. Students who have completed 4.0 credits may enrol.
Major & Minor programs in American Studies
Major in American Studies (Arts program)
Completion requirements
7.0 credits specified as follows:
1. AMS200H1 (formerly USA200H1) and AMS300H1 (formerly USA300H1) (total of 1.0 credit).
2. 1.0 credit from the gateway courses in English ( ENG250H1 and either ENG270H1 or ENG235H1), History ( HIS271Y1), Geography ( GGR240H1 and GGR254H1), or Political Science ( POL386Y1 or the combination of POL347H1 and POL386H1), or Cinema Studies ( CIN270Y1).
3. Three of the following selections:
- 1.0 credit from the Politics and Economics disciplinary/thematic cluster
- 1.0 credit from the Society disciplinary/thematic cluster
- 1.0 credit from the Culture disciplinary/thematic cluster
- 1.0 credit from the History disciplinary/thematic cluster
4. 0.5 credit in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical or Mathematical Universe, or another 0.5 credit approved by the CSUS Program Director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency requirement of the program.
5. Additional AMS/USA courses or courses from the American Studies Program disciplinary/thematic clusters to a total of 7.0 credits, including requirement #4 above.
6. At least 2.0 credits of the student’s 7.0 credits must be at the 300-level or above.
7. At least 1.5 credits of the student’s program must be in American Studies (AMS prefix courses), at the 300- or 400-level.
Recommended sequence of courses
First year:
Students are encouraged to take any pre-requisites for the gateway course required, and/or enroll directly in AMS200H1 as a first year student. Of the required gateway courses, POL347H1, POL386H1 and POL386Y1 have pre-requisites of a course that deals substantially with politics; students interested in these courses, therefore, should confer with the instructor as to whether their course work includes a pre-requisite for these courses. Other recommended courses at the first year level include: HIS106Y1.
Second year:
- AMS200H1
- HIS271Y1 (or) ENG250H1 AND either ENG270H1 or ENG235H1 (or) GGR240H1 AND GGR254H1 (or) POL386Y1, or POL347H1 AND POL386H1
Second, third, and fourth years:
- AMS300H1, plus other eligible courses, to a total of 7.0 credits.
- At least 2.0 of these courses must be at the 300-level or above.
- At least 1.5 of these courses must be in American Studies (AMS prefix courses) at the 300- or 400-level. Courses must be chosen in a way that satisfies the disciplinary/thematic variety described above, plus 0.5 credit in Breadth Requirement Category 5, or another half course approved by the CSUS Program Director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency requirement of the program.
*NOTE 1: Other 300+ level courses with 50% or more American content may be allowed; students should seek early approval of program credit for such courses from the CSUS Director.
*NOTE 2: The course designator associated with American Studies is being changed from USA to AMS effective Fall 2021. American Studies courses previously coded as USA are considered equivalent to AMS for purposes of course prerequisites and program completion.
*NOTE 3: POL386Y1 will be discontinued and replaced with POL347H1 and POL386H1 effective Fall 2021.
Minor in American Studies (Arts program)
Completion requirements
4.0 credits, including 1.0 credit at the 300+ level in at least two American Studies Program disciplinary/thematic clusters, categorized as follows: a) Politics and Economics b) Society (e.g. Indigenous Studies, Anthropology, East Asian Studies, Geography) c) Culture (e.g. Cinema Studies, English, Music, Religion) d) History
Second year:
1. AMS200H1 (formerly USA200H1)
2. 1.0 credit from the gateway courses in English ( ENG250H1 and either ENG270H1 or ENG235H1), History ( HIS271Y1), Geography ( GGR240H1 and GGR254H1), Political Science ( POL386Y1 or the combination of POL347H1 and POL386H1), or Cinema Studies ( CIN270Y1).
Second, third, and fourth years:
3.2.5 credits from AMS/USA courses (excluding AMS200H1/ USA200H1) or from the eligible courses listed below.
*NOTE 1: Other 300+ level courses with American content may be allowed; students should seek early approval of program credit for such courses.
*NOTE 2: The course designator associated with American Studies is being changed from USA to AMS effective Fall 2021. American Studies courses previously coded as USA are considered equivalent to AMS for purposes of course prerequisites and program completion.
Disciplinary/Thematic Cluster 1: Politics and Economics
ECO306H1/ POL326H1/ POL327H1/ POL347H1/ POL377H1/ POL386H1/ POL386Y1/ POL326Y1/ POL379H1/ POL404Y1/ POL433H1/ POL443H1/ POL464H1
Disciplinary/Thematic Cluster 2: Society
GGR240H1/ GGR254H1/ GGR336H1/ GGR339H1/ GGR359H1/ GGR458H1/ INS302H1/ INS341H1/ MUN200H1/ SOC306H1/ SOC386H1/ SOC429H5
Disciplinary/Thematic Cluster 3: Culture
CIN211H1/ CIN230H1/ CIN270Y1/ CIN310Y1/ CIN334H1/ CIN335H1/ CIN374Y1/ CIN431H1/ CIN490Y1/ CIN491H1/ CIN492H1/ ENG250H1/ ENG235H1/ ENG270H1/ ENG355Y1/ ENG360H1/ ENG363Y1/ ENG364Y1/ ENG365H1/ ENG368H1/ ENG379H1/ ENG484H1/ MUS306H1/ RLG315H1/ CAR324H1/ JLN427H1/ CDN368H1
Disciplinary/Thematic Cluster 4: History
HIS106Y1/ HIS202H1/ HIS221H1/ HIS222H1/ HIS271Y1/ HIS300H1/ HIS310H1/ HIS343H1/ HIS345H1/ HIS366H1/ HIS369H1/ HIS374H1/ HIS376H1/ HIS377H1/ HIS378H1/ HIS379H1/ HIS389H1/ HIS389Y1/ HIS396H1/ HIS400H1/ HIS401H1/ HIS404H1/ HIS411H1/ HIS463H1/ HIS464H1/ HIS465Y1/ HIS473H1/ HIS479H1/ HIS484H1/ HIS487H1/ HIS497H1
*NOTE: This list of eligible courses is not exhaustive and some courses may not be offered every year.
Note: Effective Fall 2021, courses associated with New College's Caribbean Studies program will have the new "CAR" designator.