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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
AMERICAN STUDIES
(AMS)

2043 Approaches to American Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Introduces students to a variety of approaches to the study of American culture. Course materials will focus on key concepts such as race and ethnicity, transnationalism and border studies, and gender and sexuality. Students will be encouraged to integrate community-based resources such as local museums, archives, and research centers into course-required projects.

2103 Introduction to African American Studies
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Offers an interdisciplinary introduction to major topics in African American Studies. Course materials will address basic contours of the black experience in the United States. Topics may include historical, autobiographical, political, cultural, sociological, literary, and/or popular responses to and representations of African Americans in the United States. (Same as AAS 2013. Credit cannot be earned for AMS 2103 and AAS 2013.)

3013 Early American Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Examines the influences that shaped American culture to the 20th century. Topics may include the impact of colonialism, the Enlightenment, the frontier, industrialism, ethnicity, race, religious reform, and other factors in the development of a distinctive society.

3023 Modern American Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Examines major trends in American culture during and after the industrial revolution, with special attention to the consequences of urbanization, suburbanization, industrialization, race relations, popular culture, technology, and secularization.

3123 Applications of American Studies
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Applications of theories and methods of American Studies to particular areas of U.S. culture. Course addresses concepts of nationalism, citizenship, and nation building, inclusion and exclusion in American society, as well as how American cultural and group identities exist in relation to each other.

3243 Studies in Transnationalism
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Exploration of borders, boundaries, crossings, and exchange in American Studies, with special reference to questions of national identity, material culture, transnationalism, and the impacts of globalization. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

3343 Studies in Race and Ethnicity
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
The study of historical, social, cultural, and material influences on race and ethnicity. Course will use texts from literature, sociology, history, and other disciplines. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

3443 Studies in Gender and Sexuality
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Examination of topics such as masculine, feminine, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered definitions of gender and sexuality. Course will use texts from literature, sociology, history, and other disciplines. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

4823 Topics in American Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An in-depth study of a selected issue or topic in American Studies. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

4913 Independent Study
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission in writing (form available) of the instructor, the student's AMS advisor, the Department Chair, and Dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts. Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor's degree.

4933,6 Internship in American Studies
3 or 6 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of AMS program coordinator.
Supervised experience relevant to American Studies within selected community organizations. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours may be earned through Internship in American Studies. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Only 3 semester credit hours can be applied to the major in American Studies.

4973 Advanced Seminar in American Studies
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: AMS 2043, AMS 3123, and one of the following: AMS 3243, AMS 3343, AMS 3443, or with consent of instructor. An in-depth study of a central theme, problem, or topic in American Studies. Focuses on research methods and preparation of senior portfolio required for the major degree.

4983 Senior Thesis
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Approval of an AMS Faculty Advisor. Supervised research and preparation of a senior thesis in the student's last semester.

4993 Honors Thesis
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Enrollment limited to candidates for Honors in American Studies during their last two semesters; completion of honors examination and consent of the Honors College. Supervised research and preparation of an honors thesis. May be repeated once with advisor's approval.

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