AMSTU-MIN - American Studies (Minor)

The mission of the undergraduate program in American Studies is to provide students with a broad understanding of American culture and society. Building on a foundation of courses in history and institutions, literature and the arts, and race and ethnicity, students learn to analyze and interpret America's past and present, forging fresh and creative syntheses along the way. The program is an interdisciplinary major and, beyond the core requirements of the major, students may define and pursue their own interests from fields such as history, literature, art, communication, theater, African American studies, feminist, gender & sexuality studies, economics, anthropology, religious studies, Chicana/o-Latina/o studies, law, sociology, education, Native American studies, music, and film. The program is designed to provide students majoring in American Studies with excellent preparation for further study in graduate or professional schools as well as careers in government, business, journalism, entertainment, public service, the arts, and other fields.

Units from courses taken from other Departments/Programs within Stanford may count for Major/Minor requirements if course equivalence is petitioned and approved by the the Director or Program Coordinators. Units from courses taken at institutions that are not Stanford may count for Major/Minor requirements if course equivalence is petitioned and approved by the Associate Director.

The program expects undergraduate majors to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

1. ability to think about American culture and society in sophisticated, interdisciplinary, historically-informed ways, drawing on coursework in: history and institutions; literature, art, and culture; comparative race and ethnicity; and each student's individualized thematic focus

2. ability to identify and critically to assess different disciplinary, methodological, and interpretive approaches to the study of Americans and their past

3. ability to produce their own persuasive, nuanced, fact-based interpretations reflecting a close critical reading and analysis of relevant primary or secondary sources

4. ability to express their interpretive and analytical arguments in clear, effective prose.

5. ability to listen actively and to contribute to productive intellectual discussion in class