Department of American Studies
Bachelor of Arts in American Studies
Students on Summer 2018, Fall 2018, or Spring 2019 requirements AMSTBA
The Bachelor of Arts in American Studies explores the history, literature, and culture of the United States and the larger Americas from an interdisciplinary perspective. American Studies attracts students with diverse interests who wish to know more about the United States in a comparative, international context. The major provides students with an opportunity to pursue the study of American cultures from a transnational and hemispheric perspective. Courses are designed to examine significant aspects of U.S. institutions, policy, media, and cultural expressions by drawing on a wide range of resources from the social sciences and humanities. The major is excellent preparation for nearly any graduate or professional degree, as well as careers in any number of traditional or nontraditional fields including the legal profession, social work, politics, academia, and public history, among others.
Requirements
The major requires at least 30 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
- Introductory course. One (1) course:
- AMST-A 100 What Is America?
- Intermediate course. Three (3) courses:
- AMST-A 200 Comparative American Identities
- AMST-A 201 U.S. Movements and Institutions
- AMST-A 202 U.S. Arts and Media
- AMST-A 203 American Cultures, Global Connectivities
- AMST-A 204 Race in American Art
- AMST-A 205 American Radicalism and Dissent
- AMST-A 298 Special Topics in Arts and Humanities for American Studies
- AMST-A 299 Special Topics in Social and Historical Studies for American Studies
- NAIS-A 150 Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies
- NAIS-A 275 Indigenous Worldviews
- Advanced courses. 18 credit hours:
- Any AMST-A 300–399
- Any AMST-A 400–499
- Any AMST-E 300–399
- Any AMST-E 400–499
- Any AMST-X 300–399
- Any AMST-X 400–499
- Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
- A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Exceptions to major requirements may be made with the approval of the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires at least 120 credit hours, to include the following:
- College of Arts and Sciences Credit Hours. At least 100 credit hours must come from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines.
- Upper Division Courses. At least 42 credit hours (of the 120) must be at the 300–499 level.
- College Residency. Following completion of the 60th credit hour toward degree, at least 36 credit hours of College of Arts and Sciences coursework must be completed through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College GPA. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.000 is required for all courses taken at Indiana University.
- CASE Requirements. The following College of Arts and Sciences Education (CASE) requirements must be completed:
- CASE Foundations
- CASE Breadth of Inquiry
- CASE Culture Studies
- CASE Critical Approaches: 1 course
- CASE Foreign Language: Proficiency in a single foreign language through the second semester of the second year of college-level coursework
- CASE Intensive Writing: 1 course
- CASE Public Oral Communication: 1 course
- Major. Completion of the major as outlined in the Major Requirements section above.
Most students must also successfully complete the Indiana University Bloomington General Education program.
Upon completion of the B.A. in American Studies, graduates will be able to:
- Set the history, politics, and culture of the United States in a global and comparative context.
- Think logically and analytically, to make detailed observations, and to formulate interdisciplinary interpretations of the literature, art, music, and mass culture of the United States, Canada, and the Americas.
- Collect, document, maintain, and manage evidence, and organize and compose interpretive and research essays.
- Communicate orally and in writing.