斯坦福大學

The mission of the undergraduate program in American Studies is to provide students with a broad understanding of American culture and society. Building on a foundation of courses in history and institutions, literature and the arts, and race and ethnicity, students learn to analyze and interpret America's past and present, forging fresh and creative syntheses along the way. The program is an interdisciplinary major and, beyond the core requirements of the major, students may define and pursue their own interests from fields such as history, literature, art, communication, theater, African American studies, feminist studies, economics, anthropology, religious studies, Chicana/o studies, law, sociology, education, Native American studies, music, and film. The program is designed to provide students majoring in American Studies with excellent preparation for further study in graduate or professional schools as well as careers in government, business, or other specialized fields.

Learning Outcomes (Undergraduate)

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

1、higher order, interdisciplinary, historically informed understanding of how to think about American culture and society, drawing on course work in: history and institutions; literature, art, and culture; comparative race and ethnicity; and each student's individualized thematic focus.

2、ability to identify and critically to assess different disciplinary, methodological, and interpretive approaches to the study of Americans and their past.

3、ability to produce their own persuasive, nuanced, fact-based interpretations reflecting a close critical reading and analysis of relevant primary or secondary sources.

4、ability to express their interpretive and analytical arguments in clear, effective prose.

5、ability to listen actively and to contribute to productive intellectual discussion in class.

The core requirements illustrate how different disciplines approach the study and interpretation of American life and include three courses in each of two main areas: history and institutions; and literature, culture, and the arts. One additional course in comparative race and ethnicity is also required. The required gateway seminar, AMSTUD 160 Perspectives on American Identity, explores the tensions between commonality and difference from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

Beyond the core requirements of the major, American Studies expects students to define and pursue their own interests in interpreting important dimensions of American life. Accordingly, each student designs a thematic concentration of at least five courses drawn from fields such as history, literature, art, communication, theater, political science, African American studies, feminist studies, economics, anthropology, religious studies, Chicana/o studies, law, sociology, education, Native American studies, music, and film. At least one of the five courses in a student's thematic concentration should be a small group seminar or a colloquium. With program approval, students may conclude the major with a capstone honors research project during their senior year.