American Studies   

You may be interested in American literature, folklore or popular culture; in black history and culture; in women’s studies; in American history, politics or law; in the history of science and technology; in American art, architecture or music—whatever the special focus of your interests, American Studies may be the right concentration for you. American Studies gives you a chance to study American society and culture through its history, literature, art, politics, science, music, etc. by constructing interdisciplinary programs, made up of subjects drawn from different disciplines, centered on your particular interests.

One aim of American Studies is to help you understand the underlying system of beliefs that informs every aspect of American culture—its myths, institutions, politics and literature, its characteristic dreams and rituals. Another is to understand the uses and limits of different methods and intellectual disciplines as tools for exploring the complexities of a culture. And a third, no less important, is to understand the American present in relation to the American past. To these you will add your own objectives.

You can concentrate in American Studies by taking four subjects, at least one of which must be in History and one in Literature (variances are possible). Concentrations may be organized around periods, problems, or themes. A HASS Concentration may include only ONE (1) subject that also counts toward the HASS Distribution Requirement. You may include more than one only if the additional subject will NOT count as a HASS Distribution subject in your degree audit.

A concentration in American Studies will well prepare you for further work not only in the various humanistic fields but also in LAW, URBAN PLANNING, MANAGEMENT, ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, MEDICINE, TEACHING and any of the MEDIA. Consult the American Studies Concentration Advisor with any questions.

Below is a partial listing of American Studies subjects. Other courses may be included in your program at the American Studies advisor’s discretion.

ARTS

21M.215 American Music, HASS-A
21M.226 Jazz, HASS-A, HASS-D
21M.283 Musicals of Stage and Screen, HASS-A
21M.284 Film Music, HASS-A
21M.295 American Popular Music, HASS-A
21M.670J Traditions in American Concert Dance: Gender and Autobiography [WGS.291], HASS-A
21W.742J Writing about Race [WGS.231], HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H

HISTORY

21H.101 American History to 1865, HASS-H
21H.102 American History Since 1865, HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H
21H.107J Introduction to Asian American Studies: Literature, Culture, and Historical Experience [21F.043], HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H
21H.201 The American Revolution, HASS-H
21H.204J The Civil War and Reconstruction [STS.029], HASS-H
21H.205J The Civil War and the Emergence of Modern America: 1861-1890, HASS-H
21H.209 America in Depression and War, HASS-H
21H.211 The United States in the Nuclear Age: Politics, Culture, and Society Since 1941, HASS-H
21H.213J The War at Home: American Politics and Society in Wartime, HASS-S
21H.214 War and American Society, HASS-H
21H.220J Metropolis: A Comparative History of New York City [11.150], HASS-H
21H.226J Riots, Strikes, and Conspiracies in American History [11.015], HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H
21H.227 Constitutional Law in US History, HASS-S
21H.228 American Classics, HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H
21H.229 The Black Radical Tradition, HASS-H
21H.310J Migration and Immigration in US History [11.019], HASS-S
21H.312J Race and Gender in Asian America [21F.069, WGS.237], HASS-H
21H.315 American Consumer Culture, HASS-H
21H.318 The Energy Crisis: Past and Present, HASS-H
21H.320J Gender and the Law in US History [WGS.161], HASS-H
21H.322 Christianity in America, HASS-H

LITERATURE

21L.006 American Literature, HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H
21L.011 The Film Experience, HASS-A, HASS-D, CI-H
21L.430 Popular Culture and Narrative (when appropriate), HASS-H
21L.432 Understanding Television, HASS-H
21L.487 Modern Poetry, HASS-H
21L.501 The American Novel, HASS-H
21L.504J Race and Identity in American Literature [WGS.140], HASS-H
21L.512 American Authors, HASS-H
21L.702 Studies in Fiction (when appropriate), HASS-H
21L.705 Major Authors (when appropriate), HASS-H
24.912J Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies [21A.125, 21H.106, 21L.008, 21W.741, WGS.190], HASS-A/HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

STS.001 Technology in American History, HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H
STS.005 Disease and Society in America, HASS-H, HASS-D, CI-H
STS.011 Ethics and Politics in Science and Technology, HASS-D, HASS-H
STS.027J The Civil War and the Emergence of Modern America: 1861-1890 [21H.205], HASS-H
STS.046J The Science of Race, Sex, and Gender [21A.103, WGS.225], HASS-S
STS.048 African Americans in Science, Technology, and Medicine, HASS-H
STS.050 The History of MIT, HASS-H

SOCIAL SCIENCE

11.013J American Urban History I [21H.217], HASS-H
11.014J American Urban History II [21H.218], HASS-H
11.026J Downtown [21H.321], {11.339}, HASS-H
17.20 Introduction to the American Political Process, HASS-S, HASS-D, CI-H
17.251 Congress and the American Political System I {17.252}, HASS-S
17.261 Congress and the American Political System II {17.262}, HASS-S
17.263 Electoral Politics, Public Opinion, and Democracy, HASS-S
17.265 Public Opinion and American Democracy, HASS-S
17.317 U.S. Social Policy, HASS-S
17.40 American Foreign Policy: Past, Present, and Future, HASS-S, HASS-D, CI-H
17.483 US Military Power, HASS-S
21A.120 American Dream: Exploring Class in the US, HASS-S

Students that have taken the following subjects that are no longer offered can count these subjects toward their concentration:

4.652 Advanced Study in the History, Theory, and Criticism of American Art
11.128 Information Technology and the US Labor Market
14.63 The American Labor Force in a Changing Economy
17.037 American Political Thought
17.245 The Supreme Court, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights
17.253 American Political Economy
17.267 The President
17.271 American Political Development
17.471 American National Security Policy
21A.441 The Conquest of America
21H.103 American Indian History From Columbus to the Present
21H.151J American Women’s History
21M.621J Theater and Cultural Diversity in the US
21M.712 African American Performance
21W.766J Contemporary US Women of Color: Writing and Reading Short Stories
STS.036 Technology and Nature in American History
STS.049J Technology and Gender in American History

[ ] Jointly listed subjects
{ } Meets with

Additional information can be obtained from the Concentration Advisor:
Professor Craig Wilder, E51-255, x4-7537
Or from the History Office, E51-255, x3-4965