American Studies
Required Courses (6 hours):
AMS 3302 American Cultures (3 semester hours) Study of contemporary American cultures. Examines institutions, culture regions, and the interaction between mainstream American culture and various subcultures. (3-0) Y
BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry (3 semester hours) Core course designed to enhance the student's critical thinking and reasoning in order to understand and utilize the methodologies of scholarly pursuits. To be taken during the student's first twelve hours as a junior in the Interdisciplinary Studies program. May not be taken on a Credit/No Credit basis. (3-0) S
Elective Courses (select 12 hours):
AMS 3300 American Popular Culture (3 semester hours) Examines American culture from the colonial period to the present through some of its most popular cultural forms: fiction, drama, film, magazines, advertising, music, and television. Considers the economics of cultural production, ways of critically reading popular texts, and how consumers make use of popular culture. Pays particular attention to the ways gender, race, and class influence how popular texts are created and consumed. (3-0) Y
AMS 3370 Organized Crime in America (3 semester hours) An examination of how the vast network of organized crime has become an ineradicable part of the nation's special fabric and how it alters the ways in which legitimate business is done. Emphasis is placed on understanding the phenomenon and its implications for American life. (3-0) Y
AMS 3374 Entrepreneurs in America (3 semester hours) An interdisciplinary introduction to various kinds of entrepreneurial ventures. The basic purpose of the course is to discover and understand the factors that govern the success (or failure) of entrepreneurial ventures and the role of the entrepreneur in a capitalist economy. (3-0) R
AMS 4378 Contemporary Studies of America (3 semester hours) Subject matter will vary from semester to semester with emphasis on America in the modern era. May be repeated for credit (9 hours maximum). (3-0) Y
AMS 4379 Topics in American Studies (3 semester hours) Subject matter will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit (9 hours maximum). (3-0) Y
AMS 4384 North American Archaeology (3 semester hours) An introduction to archaeological theories and evidence of the settlement of North America before European Contact. (3-0) T
ISGS 4338 Native American Cultures (3 semester hours) This course provides an overview of the Indian, Eskimo, and Aleuts of North America from first contacts with the European world to the present. Native Americans will be viewed from an interdisciplinary and culture area perspective. Topics discussed include pan-Native American ideologies and problems. (3-0) Y
For additional information, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies
