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Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences

Humanities

Digressions Magazine

Digressions is the student-run literary magazine sponsored by the Division of Humanities. Students are encouraged to submit original works of poetry, short fiction, artwork and photography for consideration in the magazine, which is published yearly in the winter semester.

American Studies Major

Description

The American studies major is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary learning experience that focuses on critical examinations of American life and culture. This major approaches the question of what defines "America” from many directions, rather than from the perspective of a single discipline. The main disciplines of the major include the arts, literature, history, and humanities. The American studies major gives students a foundation for many types of graduate study, as well as the pursuit of various careers in fields such as law, government, public relations, and education.

Learning Outcomes

A successful American studies graduate is expected to:

  1. Evaluate American civic issues critically;
  2. Synthesize various media and methods from multiple disciplines in an exploration of the construction of the American character;
  3. Evaluate America as a whole cultural category.

Curriculum Requirements

Students must complete one required course (3 credits) and courses from three concentrations (36 credits) for a total of 39 credits. At least 18 credits in the major must be at the 3000/4000 level.

General Education Requirements (30 credits)

Students are required to complete 30 credit hours as part of the General Education Program.

American Studies Major Requirements (39 credits)

Core Course (3 credits)
HUMN 2600 Introduction to American Studies (3 credits)

Students must meet all course criteria in the following areas:

Art and Culture (12 credits)
Select 12 credits from the following courses:
COMM 3100 Gendered Images in Popular Culture (3 credits)
FILM 3040 Women and Film (3 credits)
FILM 3050 Literature and Film (3 credits)
FILM 3060 Film Noir (3 credits)
HUMN 3610 Harlem Renaissance (3 credits)
HUMN 3620 American Transcendentalism (3 credits)

Literature (12 credits)
Select 12 credits from the following courses, including LITR 2020 and LITR 2021:
LITR 2020 American Literature I (required) (3 credits)
LITR 2021 American Literature II (required) (3 credits)
LITR 3230 American Renaissance Literature (3 credits)
LITR 3520 African-American Literature (3 credits)
LITR 4730 Faulkner (3 credits)

History (12 credits)
Select 12 credits from the following courses, including HIST 1030 and HIST 1040:
HIST 1030 American History to 1865 (required) (3 credits)
HIST 1040 American History Since 1865 (required) (3 credits)
HIST 3010 Constitutional History I (3 credits)
HIST 3020 Constitutional History II (3 credits)
HIST 3130 Vietnam (3 credits)
HIST 3230 The Great Depression (3 credits)

The academic program and curriculum requirements listed on this page are from the 2009-2010 edition of the NSU Undergraduate Student Catalog. Students are bound by policies and curricula published in the catalog in effect the semester they enter the university, unless an agreement is made with appropriate NSU administration officials allowing them to abide by policies published in a later catalog.