Overall Curricular Goals of the American Studies Major 

  1. To answer the question of national identities: "What does it mean to be or to become American (in the present and in the past)?"
  2. To understand past and present assertions of American "exceptionalism" and to critique these notions. 
  3. To comprehend how diverse groups of people are integral to national politics and cultures 
    a. To analyze systems of power in relation to race/gender/class/ sexuality/citizenship 
    b. To understand how categories of race, gender, class and sexuality have changed over time
  4. To situate U.S. national cultures in global contexts, including borderlands, empire, hemispheric, and comparative contexts. 
  5. To use effectively multiple disciplinary methods and approaches in research projects that engage aspects of American identities, cultures, and/or politics. 
  6. To demonstrate the connection between classroom learning and public life.