American Studies Concentration, BA (Interdisciplinary Programs Major)

Lynn Sacco, History, Interim Chair

American Studies is a shorthand term for the cross-disciplinary study of culture and society in North America. Students in the field explore issues of racial and ethnic difference, structures of power, the arts, historical change, media and politics, sexuality and gender, social movements, material culture, and the role of the United States in larger global contexts. They do so drawing creatively on methods and approaches from several disciplines. UTK’s American Studies faculty represents more than a dozen different departments. Majors and minors take our introductory course (AMST 310 ) and then select from a long list of approved classes to develop a breadth of knowledge and depth of focus in their specific area of interest.

College Requirements

Arts and Sciences

Concentration Requirements

The concentration requires 33 credit hours chosen in consultation with an American Studies advisor in a way that achieves a coherent focus within the field while broadly engaging with differences within North American culture based on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Students are encouraged to count other relevant courses (especially variable topics courses) toward the major by petition.

Complete 6 credit hours:

Select two courses:

Select one upper-division United States history course:

Select one upper-division American literature course:

Select one upper-division anthropology, economics, political science, or sociology course:

Select 12 additional upper-division credit hours:

From the above categories, the following list, or variable topics courses with American Studies content approved by petition. Include courses from at least two other departments beyond those chosen above, so that your total set of upper-division courses (beyond AMST 310 ) draws from at least five departments and/or interdisciplinary programs.

Undergraduates

Graduate Students