What does it mean (for a person, place, or thing) to be American?
AMS addresses this question by investigating the diverse cultures of those groups and individuals who live across the shifting borders of the United States and the Americas. Faculty who teach in AMS represent a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, including history, anthropology, literature, cultural studies, film studies, sociology, ethnic studies, and gender studies. By exploring these fields in an interdisciplinary manner, students will gain the knowledge and tools necessary to understand and analyze the complex patterns of meaning that shape and transform American culture and the definition of what it means to be "American."
Graduating AMS students are equipped to enter various professional fields and graduate programs, to work within community-based organizations, and/or to pursue further interdisciplinary graduate education in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Prerequisites
While there are no official prerequisites, students choosing this major will find it helpful to have completed college coursework in American history, culture, and/or social structures.
AMS Major Requirements:
- BIS 300 Interdisciplinary Inquiry* (5 credits)
- AMS Core (5 credits)
- BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research OR BIS 340 Approaches to Cultural Research (5 credits)
- AMS Courses (30 credits)
- BIS 499 Portfolio Capstone (3 credits)
- Additional IAS Coursework (20 credits)
- General Electives (22 credits)
TOTAL = 90 Credits
*Should be taken in the first quarter of IAS enrollment.
- Classes in this major are offered primarily during day-time hours.
- The 70 major credits must be completed in MATRICULATED STATUS
Admitted Prior to Autumn Quarter, 2010?
Students admitted prior to Autumn Quarter, 2010 who are interested in pursuing the major rather than the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with an option may choose to do so. One course has been delisted and will not count toward the major. It will count toward the option ONLY IF TAKEN PRIOR to AUTUMN QUARTER, 2010. If taken AUTUMN QUARTER, 2010, OR LATER, it will not count toward the option. Click here for more information.
Areas of Knowledge
Within the above-listed 90 credits, students must complete 10 credits each in Visual, Literary and Performing Arts (VLPA), Individuals and Societies (I&S), and Natural World (NW) within the IAS curriculum. Multiply-designated courses may not be double-counted as fulfilling two Areas of Knowledge.
200-level Coursework
Up to 35 credits of 200-level coursework taken at UW Bothell may be applied toward designated requirements within the 90 program credits. Please contact an IAS adviser for details.
American Studies Learning Objectives:
The American Studies Curriculum advances the four core IAS learning objectives . Students taking courses and/or majoring in American Studies:
1) Explore how histories of power, privilege, and migration shape the cultures of the United States and the Americas.
2) Conduct research using a variety of cultural materials, including film, fiction, photographs, comics, newspapers, oral histories, sound recordings, artifacts, historical manuscripts, and government documents.
3) Produce and communicate new knowledge about the United States and the Americas.
4) Work with others to make and share that knowledge with multiple constituencies and collaborators.
American Studies Core & Affiliate Faculty and Staff
Linda Watts (faculty coordinator), Jennifer Atkinson, Cherry Banks, Bruce Burgett, Colin Danby, Michael Goldberg, David Goldstein, Susan Harewood, Kanta Kochhar-Lindgren, Sarah Leadley, Dani Rowland, Bill Seaburg, Julie Shayne.