American Studies Minor

The minor in American Studies is a multidisciplinary program that investigates the content and meaning of American culture within the United States. It combines the insights and methods of all the disciplines in humanities and social studies to examine the United States from the standpoint of history, social and political institutions, literature, and the arts.

Students select elective courses from at least two departments from among the following:

Black and Latino Studies
Communication Studies
English
Fine and Performing Arts
History
Modern Languages
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology and Anthropology

Requirements for the Minor

Required Course

AMS 4900

Topics in American Studies

3 credits

Electives

Choose any two additional related courses from one or more of the four categories of electives: Culture and Society, Myths and Identities in the American Context, The Political Sphere, and Urban Studies. Students must select those courses from at least two different academic departments.

Culture and Society
Myths and Identities in the American Context
The Political Sphere
Urban Studies

Culture and Society

ART 3250	Art of the United States	3 credits
BLS 3013	Mass Media and the Black American	3 credits
CMP 4900	Hispanic Writers in New York City	3 credits
COM 3060	Media Analysis and Criticism	3 credits
COM 3062	Studies in Electronic Media	3 credits
COM 3067	American Television Programming	3 credits
ENG 3020	Survey of American Literature I	3 credits
ENG 3025	Survey of American Literature II	3 credits
ENG 4500	Contemporary American Literature (formerly The Main Currents of Literary Expression in Contemporary America)	3 credits
ENG 4510	The American Novel	3 credits
HIS 3455	Science and Technology in American Life	3 credits
MSC 3022	Popular Song in America	3 credits
MSC 3024	Jazz: From Its Origins to the Present	3 credits
MSC 3036	Commercial Music and the Media	3 credits
POL 3008	Religion and Politics in the United States ( REL 3008)	3 credits
POL 3310	Public Opinion	3 credits
PSY 4051	Psychology of the Family	3 credits

Myths and Identities in the American Context

BLS 3011	The Black Family	3 credits
BLS 3024	Women of Color	3 credits
ENG 3032	Asian American Literature (formerly Ethnic Literature)	3 credits
ENG 3034	Survey of African American Literature	3 credits
ENG 3835	Black Women Writers	3 credits
HIS 3550	The Immigrant in American History	3 credits
HIS 3650	Women in America	3 credits
SOC 3125	Race and Ethnic Relations ( ANT 3125), ( BLS 3125), ( LTS 3125)	3 credits
SOC 3141	Sociology of Religion	3 credits
THE 3043	Theatre of Color in the United States ( BLS 3043)	3 credits

The Political Sphere

BLS 3014	Civil Rights Legislation and Litigation	3 credits
HIS 3044	The Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1880	3 credits
HIS 3410	History of American Business Enterprise	3 credits
HIS 3450	History of American Medicine	3 credits
HIS 3460	Topics in American History	3 credits
HIS 3552	The Great Depression, 1929-1940	3 credits
POL 3005	Social Welfare Policy ( HIS 3005)	3 credits
POL 3102	American Conservatism: Origins, Development, and Contemporary Controversies ( HIS 3102)	3 credits
POL 3311	Political Parties and Elections	3 credits
POL 3314	Civil Liberties	3 credits
POL 3315	Government and the American Economy	3 credits
SOC 3136	Social Welfare Institutions	3 credits

Urban Studies

ART 3254	Architecture and the City	3 credits
BLS 3015	Black Economic Development: 1860 to the Present	3 credits
HIS 3472	American Urban History	3 credits
HIS 3551	History of the People of the City of New York	3 credits
POL 3323	Politics and Government of New York City	3 credits
POL 3422	Urban Public Policy	3 credits
SOC 3155	Urban Sociology	3 credits

Students are expected to complete the minor requirements in place at the time they are officially accepted into their programs. Please review the College Bulletin for the relevant academic year.