B.A. in American Studies

Curriculum Requirements 

¹

AMS 501 can take the form of an individual research project or an internship at a local cultural or civic institution.  For the research option, students will identify an appropriate faculty member to supervise and grade the project, and then obtain approval from the program director before proceeding with the project.  The student must produce a substantial written report or research paper, the format of which will be determined by the faculty member and student in consultation with the program director. For the internship option, students will partner with any number of local institutions and produce a creative and/or scholarly project for evaluation. The internship will be arranged through the program director, in consultation with the Butler Center.  The final product will be evaluated by the program director. 

American Studies majors with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 in AMS courses and an overall GPA of at least 3.0 may earn departmental honors by completing AMS 505. Candidates for departmental honors are responsible for finding a faculty member to serve as thesis advisor. Students then must complete a thesis proposal of approximately 500 words that must be approved by the thesis advisor and the program director. The format and length of the thesis will vary according to the nature of the project. Students would take AMS 501 in the fall semester of the senior year and AMS 505 in the spring to complete the honors thesis.

²

 Students must take three courses, chosen in consultation with an American Studies advisor, in a specialized area of American Studies (200 level or higher).  Students may work in areas including, but not limited to, Ethnic Studies, Caribbean Studies, Latino/a Studies, Environmental Studies, Communication Studies, Women's Literature, Urban Studies, Africana Studies, Religious Studies, or Material Culture Studies. At least one of these courses must be either comparative or non-U.S.-based.

Suggested Plan of Study

Mission

The American Studies program at the University of Miami fosters the interdisciplinary study of American culture and society, and explores the place of the United States in an increasingly interconnected world. Our faculty come from a wide range of fields, including history, literature, religion, art, philosophy, law, music, ethnic studies, anthropology, architecture, sociology, communications, and education. What unites them is the commitment to examining the U.S. from multiple perspectives, highlighting the diversity of people, cultures, and experiences that have shaped the past and present United States. The Program places analysis of globalization at its center, and encourages a hemispheric perspective that allows students and faculty to explore interests in the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Pacific Rim, and other border crossings.

Goals

The undergraduate curriculum in American Studies encourages students to bridge the divide between disciplines by examining specific themes and topics in an engaging, dynamic, interdisciplinary manner. By exposing students to courses that place questions of cultural diversity, regional difference, ethnic and racial identity, gender and sexuality, class dynamics, and popular culture at the forefront of intellectual investigation, the Program in American Studies enables them to situate their own experiences in a wider context. It also exposes them to a multiplicity of perspectives that inform our understanding of the United States and its place in a global society. The Program encourages its majors to study abroad, and faculty members help students plan their curriculum to make that option feasible.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate thorough knowledge of a variety of disciplinary research methodologies that shape the study of the culture, politics, and society of the United States, and the ability to analyze both primary and secondary sources, by using a wide variety of sources in their study of the U.S. in support of interdisciplinary learning.
• Students will demonstrate a thorough knowledge in history, culture, and politics of the U.S. in the context of larger-scale global changes and by making comparisons with other cultures and societies in history.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to directly relate themes, analyses, and methodologies they learned in their courses to their own research projects.