American Studies
Offered at IU Bloomington by College of Arts and Sciences.
About
The B.A. in American Studies gives you the skills to critically analyze historical, political, social, and cultural dimensions of the Americas. This comparative approach enables you to differentiate between and use methodologies from various disciplines. This interdisciplinarity encourages you to examine issues from multiple perspectives, paying attention to the distribution of power and privilege. The major's international focus teaches you how to situate the United States in a global context, an important skill in an increasingly interconnected world.
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.
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, make detailed observations, and 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; and
- Demonstrate developed oral and written communication skills.
This B.A. provides excellent preparation for nearly any graduate or professional degree, as well as careers in numerous traditional or nontraditional fields, including the legal profession, social work, politics, academia, and public history.