Program in American Studies

Director

Hendrik A. Hartog

Executive Committee

Elizabeth Bergman, Music

M. Christine Boyer, Architecture

Anne A. Cheng, English, African American Studies

Rachael Z. DeLue, Art and Archaeology

Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Religion, African American Studies

William A. Gleason, English

Carol J. Greenhouse, Anthropology

R. Marie Griffith, Religion

Hendrik A. Hartog, History

Beth K. Jamieson, Politics

Stanley N. Katz, Woodrow Wilson School

Paul Lansky, Music

Lee C. Mitchell, English

Daniel T. Rodgers, History

Gideon A. Rosen, Philosophy, ex officio

Lawrence Rosen, Anthropology

Kim Lane Scheppele, Woodrow Wilson School, University Center for Human Values

Leigh E. Schmidt, Religion

Paul E. Starr, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Emily A. Thompson, History

Sarah M. Whiting, Architecture

R. Sean Wilentz, History

The Program in American Studies is an interdepartmental plan of study. The aim is to give students an understanding of American society—its culture, its institutions, its intellectual traditions, and the relationships among its diverse people—by exploring and debating issues raised in the separate disciplines.

The cooperating departments from which the program draws faculty and other resources include anthropology, architecture, art and archaeology, economics, English, history, music, philosophy, politics, psychology, religion, sociology, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Students from all departments are welcome to apply for admission.

Requirements for Admission

The program accepts approximately 45 students each year. Criteria for admission are a strong academic record and particular interest in the multidisciplinary work of the program. Before applying for admission, students must take American Studies 201, preferably during the sophomore year, and achieve a satisfactory standing in the course.

Course of Study

In addition to 201, students must complete two 300- or 400-level American studies courses. The work of these courses involves cooperative study of a major topic in American history or culture and its relation to other aspects of American life. Usually, the course operates as a seminar, with emphasis on independent research and writing. Lectures and discussions led by outside specialists, as well as films or field trips, frequently supplement the work.

Students must also complete three American studies electives, which are courses in the American field offered by departments throughout the University and approved by the program director (pass/D/fail not acceptable).

Students are expected to complete a normal departmental course of study with such emphasis on the American field as that department permits. The senior thesis must be on a topic related to American culture or history.

Certificate of Proficiency

Students who fulfill all requirements of the program will receive a certificate of proficiency in American studies upon graduation.

Courses

AMS 201 American Places: An Introduction to American Studies — Fall HA

An introduction to the key themes of interdisciplinary work on North America, from the 16th century to the modern era. Readings and related material will focus on the study of particular American places. Topics may include native-European contact, the American Revolution, slavery, urbanization, the rise of mass culture, and the computer revolution. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute preceptorial. R. Wilentz, E. Bergman

AMS 303 The Making of Modern Baseball — Fall SA

Modern baseball is a complex game, an international business, and a social and cultural touchstone. Combining a close study of the game’s past with a thorough analysis of its present, this seminar will examine the hows and whys of baseball’s evolution into the sport and industry it has become today. Central topics will include race and ethnicity (the breaking of the color line), labor and economics (free agency), globalization (the rise of the international game), geography (expansion and franchise relocation), architecture and public policy (stadium design and funding), as well as community and culture (journalism, statistical analysis). One three-hour seminar. W. Gleason, S. Bradley

AMS 320 The Ten Commandments in Modern America (see JDS 316)

AMS 329 Immigrant America (also SOC 329) — Fall SA

This course will review historical and contemporary evidence of U.S.-bound international migration. It will examine its types and the forms of economic, political, and linguistic adaptation of immigrant groups to American Society. Other topics will be the role of religion and the character and forms of assimilation of the second generation. One three-hour seminar. A. Portes

AMS 334 Growing Up Jewish in America, 1880s–1960s (also JDS 334) — Fall SA

This seminar looks historically at the nature of American Jewish childhood and adolescence in the 19th and 20th centuries. Drawing on diaries, memoir, novels, parenting manuals, photography, and film, it explores the personal, literary, religious, and institutional responses to the challenges and possibilities of being heir to two traditions. Topics include the rise of the bar and bat mitzvah, summer camping, and college life. One three-hour seminar. J. Weissman-Joselit

AMS 338 Great Moments in Black Existentialism (see AAS 308)

AMS 342 Music in Antebellum America, 1800–1860 (see MUS 352)

AMS 344 Suburban Nation: The Rise and Sprawl of Modern American Suburbia — Spring HA

This seminar will explore the many meanings of suburbia in modern American history. First, we will examine the onset of the urban crisis and the attendant rise of suburbia as an attractive alternative for many. We will then focus on the ways in which the movement to suburbs intersected with the civil rights movement. Finally, we will examine how a diverse array of social and political movements of the postwar era—from liberal causes like feminism and environmentalism to the mobilization of modern conservatism—sprang from suburbia. One three-hour seminar. K. Kruse

AMS 350 Civil Society and Public Policy (see WWS 325)

AMS 356 Migration, Urban Space, and African American Culture (see AAS 356)

AMS 359 From Negro to Black: African Americans and the 1970s (see AAS 309)

AMS 361 Festival, Celebration, and Ritual in American Culture (see REL 361)

AMS 365 Topics in American Literature (see ENG 365)

AMS 375 Defining Moments in American Culture (also ART 375) — Spring LA

A focused look at three key turning points in American history: 1800, 1850, and 1900. The course will study selected expressions in art, politics, literature, and science or technology to see how they embody national aspirations or anxieties of each period. Two continuing themes will receive special attention: the consciousness of self and of nature in American culture. One three-hour seminar. J. Wilmerding