American Studies Minor

The minor in American Studies is designed for students majoring in another discipline who wish to learn more about American culture. 

Required Courses
AMST 201INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN STUDIES3
Lower-Division Electives
Select 6 units from the following list of lower-division electives for the AMST major. No more than 3 units may be taken in each area.6
Historical Perspectives
MAIN THEMES IN AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE CIVIL WAR
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE THE CIVIL WAR
HONORS HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE CIVIL WAR
HONORS HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE THE CIVIL WAR
BLACKS IN AMERICA:MYTHS AND REALITY
American Literature
SURVEY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE
MAJOR WRITERS IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE
ETHNIC-AMERICAN LITERATURE
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
Arts and Culture
ANTHROPOLOGY OF AMERICAN CULTURE
MYTHS AND STORIES IN AMERICAN ART
INTRODUCTION TO DANCE: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
HISTORY OF SPORT IN AMERICA
INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC IN THE U.S.
JAZZ HISTORY FOR NON-MAJORS
HONORS HISTORY OF JAZZ FOR NON-MAJORS
AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN THEATRE
AMERICAN WOMEN AND POPULAR CULTURE
Upper-Division Electives
Select 12 units from the following list of upper-division electives for the AMST major. At least 3 units must be selected from each of the 3 areas. Students should select courses in consultation with the American Studies director. 112
American Institutions and Communities
Courses in this area examine the social, political and economic structures that have shaped American life, their histories and the ways individuals and groups have created and challenged these institutions.
NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS
NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL
AMERICAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
MONEY AND BANKING
TOPICS IN BLACK AMERICAN LITERATURE
GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
GEOGRAPHY OF MARYLAND
WOMEN IN 20TH CENTURY U.S. HISTORY
THE AMERICAN COLONIES 1492-1763
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 1763-1800
THE CIVIL WAR
THE FDR ERA
RECENT AMERICAN HISTORY: 1945-1975
UNITED STATES LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, AND QUEER HISTORIES
MAKERS, BUYERS, USERS: THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY 1500-PRESENT
THE AMERICAN WEST
THE CITY IN AMERICAN HISTORY
NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY TO 1900
NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1900
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY TO THE MID-19TH CENTURY
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY FROM THE MID-19TH CENTURY
WORKERS AND WORK IN THE UNITED STATES
HISTORY OF MARYLAND FROM COLONIAL TIMES TO THE PRESENT
WOMEN, GENDER, AND SPORT
URBAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
AFRICAN-AMERICAN POLITICS
THE PRESIDENCY
CONGRESS
JUDICIAL SYSTEM
AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND POLITICS
CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES: THE FIRST AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS
CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS: PERSONAL LIBERTY AND THE RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED.
POLITICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
THE SUPREME COURT
INTEREST GROUPS AND PUBLIC POLICY
Global Connections
Courses in this area investigate Americans' experiences with the world and the ways the global cultures have shaped American culture. Topics include migrations, immigration, globalization and transnational cultures.
TOPICS IN MULTI-ETHNIC AMERICAN LITERATURE
THE UNITED STATES AND VIETNAM:1945-1975
AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY: 1865 - 1950
AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY SINCE 1950
DIPLOMATIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1900
IMMIGRANTS & IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES
LATIN AMERICAN POLICY OFTHE UNITED STATES
UNITED STATES-RUSSIAN RELATIONS
U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
Ideas and the Arts
Courses in this area explore textual, oral and visual representations of American culture and employ multi-disciplinary strategies to understand them.
INTRODUCTION TO MUSEUM STUDIES
MUSEUM AND COMMUNITY
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART
ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE UNITED STATES I: COLONIAL TO 1900
ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE U.S. II: 1900 TO PRESENT
HISTORY OF PRINTS IN AMERICA
RADIO, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY
LITERATURE OF THE AMERICAN ROMANTIC PERIOD
LITERATURE OF THE AMERICAN REALSTIC PERIOD
AMERICAN SHORT STORY
DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN NOVEL: 19TH CENTURY
AMERICAN NOVEL-20TH CENTURY
AMERICAN POETRY THROUGH FROST
MODERN AMERICAN POETRY
CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POETRY
TOPICS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE
ROOTS OF ROCK AND ROLL
SPORT IN FILM
JAZZ HISTORY
AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY
AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Total Units21