American Studies
School of Humanities and Sciences
An interdisciplinary undergraduate major that seeks to convey a broad understanding of American culture and society in all their complexity.
What You'll Study
The Program in American Studies is an interdisciplinary undergraduate major for independent thinkers. The major provides students with a multifaceted understanding of the United States in all its complexity and diversity. Rooted in courses in history and social sciences, literature and the arts, and race and ethnicity, it invites students to develop fresh, insightful interpretations of America’s past and present, while also preparing them for the future as deft critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers.
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 & Institutions; and Literature, Art, and Culture. The required gateway seminar, "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, cultural and social 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.
Degrees Offered
- BA
- Minor
- Honors
More Information
Learn more about American Studies in the Stanford Bulletin
Exploratory Courses
AMSTUD 107
Introduction to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (CSRE 108, FEMGEN 101, TAPS 108)
AMSTUD 114
Imagining the American Frontier in Popular Culture and Fiction. (CSRE 114, FEMGEN 114A)
AMSTUD 124A
The American West (ARTHIST 152, ENGLISH 124, HISTORY 151, POLISCI 124A)
AMSTUD 125C
The Lost Generation: American literature between the World Wars (ENGLISH 125C)
AMSTUD 143X
Starstuff: Space and the American Imagination (ARTHIST 264B, FILMEDIA 264B)
AMSTUD 146A
AMSTUD 150
Introduction to English II: American Literature and Culture to 1855 (ENGLISH 11B)
AMSTUD 156H
Women and Medicine in US History: Women as Patients, Healers and Doctors (FEMGEN 156H)
AMSTUD 160
Perspectives on American Identity (ENGLISH 165)
AMSTUD 215
Understanding Jews (JEWISHST 215)
AMSTUD 68N
Mark Twain and American Culture (ENGLISH 68N)