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Undergraduate Record 2015-2016 [ARCHIVED RECORD]
American Studies
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Requirements for a Major in American Studies
The American Studies major combines interdisciplinary methods to study US culture in its regional, national, and global forms.
Admission to the American Studies major is by Application. This is a process that takes into account the student’s GPA, intellectual interests, and plans for study. There is NO DEADLINE for submitting application material. Applicants will be notified within a week after all materials have been submitted.
Students are encouraged to apply in their 2nd and 3rd years of study. There is NO DEADLINE for submitting application materials.
The American Studies major requires a minimum of 10 courses (30 credits).
Course Distribution
Students must complete with a grade of C or better:
Southern Studies
Drawing on the University of Virginia’s unique and historic strength in the study of the US South, students in the Southern Studies concentration pursue their interests in the region across multiple disciplines, including English, music, history, art history, film studies, the history of photography, and architectural history. Recent students in this concentration have conducted their own research on southern foodways, applied comparative approaches to the study of southern literatures, designed and conducted oral history projects, investigated the history of local music, and made documentary films.
American Studies faculty members with expertise in this area include Anna Brickhouse, Jennifer Greeson, Grace Hale, and Maurie McInnis.
Students concentrating in Southern Studies must take at least 2 courses from the following Core classes. The 2 courses must be from different departments.
Popular and Visual Culture
The Popular and Visual Culture concentration explores contemporary or historical artifacts of US popular culture and visual images in their expanding variety. Recent students interested in popular culture have worked on digital and social media (blogging, Twitter, Instagram), popular music (country music, alt rock, hip hop), genre fiction from crime to YA, and consumer culture (including advertising, the fashion industry, and the intersection of technology and style).
Students interested in visual culture have worked on photography and popular uses of photographic images, film studies including the impact of Hollywood cinema, and visual aesthetics across the mediums of paintings, drawings, and lithographs. Students in this concentration pursue their intellectual interests in American Studies and across the disciplines of art history, studio art, music, media studies, and literature.
Faculty members with particular expertise in this concentration include Sylvia Chong, Lisa Goff, Grace Hale, Jack Hamilton, Matt Hedstrom, Carmenita Higginbotham, Sandhya Shukla.
Students concentrating in Popular and Visual Culture must take at least 2 courses from the following Core classes. One must fulfill a Popular Culture requirement and one must fulfill and Visual Culture requirement. The 2 courses must be from different departments.
Race and Ethnicity
Students concentrating in Race and Ethnicity must take at least two core courses. One must fulfill a comparative ethnicities requirement and one must focus on a single ethnic or racial formation. The core courses for the comparative ethnicities are: AMST 2220 Race, Identity and American Visual Culture; ANTH 2250 Nationalism, Racism, Multiculturalism; SOC 3410 Race and Ethnic Relations; PLAP 3700 Racial Politics. The courses focusing on a single ethnic or racial formation are: AAS 1010 or 1020 Intro to African American Studies; AMST 3180 Asian American Cultural History; AMST 2300 Intro to Latino/a Studies. Core courses taken beyond the required two will count towards the total courses required. The remaining four electives must come from an approved list of courses maintained by the program and available on the program website. Student - Designed
American Studies students with a particular interest not covered by the aforementioned concentrations may design their own concentration. Working closely with American Studies faculty members, students may design, propose and execute their own academic plan.
The Self-Designed concentration includes consulting with faculty on a specific topic, selecting Core courses that will shape this academic specialty, and identifying electives that will provide a comprehensive and rigorous understanding of a specific field of interest.
Previous Self-Designed concentration topics have included Consumer Culture, Gender and Sexuality, Native American Studies,Transnationalism, and Social Media.
If you are interested in a Self-Designed concentration, please contact the American Studies Director of Undergraduate Programs.
Distinguished Majors Program
The Distinguished Majors Program provides a selected group of students the opportunity to complete original and significant research on a specific area of interest. In close consultation with a faculty advisor, DMP students work during their Fourth year to craft a critical argument, researching and writing on topics that have engage in the contemporary study of American Culture. DMP students demonstrate intellectual rigor and a strong work ethic. The end result is a substantive piece of scholarship, a thesis of approximately fifty pages in length.
Current third-year students with at least a 3.4 GPA in the College of Arts and Sciences and a 3.6 GPA in the major are eligible to pursue Distinction. DMP students take an independent study in the fall of their fourth year with a faculty advisor. In the spring of their fourth year they must enroll in AMST 4999, the Distinguished Majors Thesis Seminar, with the DMP Director.
Students apply to this program in the spring semester. Please contact the American Studies Director or the Director of Undergraduate Programs for more information.
Requirements for a Minor in Asian Pacific American Studies
Students are required to complete a minimum of six courses (18 credits) for the Asian Pacific American Studies minor. Students must complete three required courses and three electives. No more than three courses (9 credits) can come from the same department. No courses taken for the minor may be double-counted towards another major. No more than one course taken outside of UVa (study abroad or transfer credits) can be counted towards the minor. 1. One survey course on Asian Pacific American Studies:
2. One course on theory relevant to the study of Asian Pacific America, or on comparative racial formations in America:
3. One course on modern Asian transnational or Asian diasporic experiences from a pre-approved list, adjusted per semester depending upon availability.
Eligible courses include:
Elective Courses
Three additional courses from a pre-approved list, adjusted per semester depending upon availability. One of the three courses must be a 4000-level seminar course in AMST or related discipline. Eligible courses include: Minor in U.S. Latina/o Studies
Requirements
Students are required to complete a minimum of six courses (18 credits) for the U.S. Latina/o Studies minor. Students most complete 2 required courses and 4 electives. No more than 3 courses (9 credits) can come from the same department. No courses taken for the minor may be double-counted towards another major. No more than one course taken outside of UVA (study abroad or transfer credits) can be counted towards the minor. 1. Students must take one of the following U.S. Latina/o studies general survey courses, or another course approved by the director:
2. Students must take one of the following survey courses on comparative race and ethnicity theory/history in the fields of Asian American or African American studies, or another course approved by the director:
Elective Courses
Students must take four additional elective courses. These must be from a pre-approved list maintained by the department. Some of the options include but are not limited to: |
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