No, I’m not majoring in American history, it’s actually an interdisciplinary study of…

Becoming an American Studies major has truly been one of the most fulfilling college experiences. I tailor my education to my exact interests; if only I could express this to anyone outside the major! If you love History, Sociology, WGSS, Anthropology, English, Africana Studies, or maybe all of the above like me, then you will love the American Studies major! 

The Barnard American Studies department defines American Studies as, “the critical and inter-disciplinary study of race, gender, class, sexuality, Indigeneity, political economy, imperialism and social movements in contemporary, historical, hemispheric and transnational contexts.” To break this down a little, the Barnard American Studies department does so much more than American History, which is what I always hear my friends refer to it as. American Studies takes culture, racial, gender-related, class-based, etc. literature, history, and theory, and combines it into one beautiful range of classes all in one major. It is truly tailored to your interests and great for anyone who can not commit themselves to one field of study. I came into college trying to take as many classes in as many fields as possible to see which one I would want to dedicate the rest of my college years to, and American Studies was able to combine my love for American history (yes I am also an American history buff even though I said that this major is not American history) with many other topics that I am interested in like cultural and gender theory. 

This major is unique because of its interdisciplinary nature. It can pull from many different departments allowing you to have a vast range of lenses and frameworks in your arsenal. The department is closely affiliated with Africana Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Anthropology, and English, among others. The department is also a part of Barnard’s Consortium for Critical Interdisciplinary Studies (CCIS), which has four different interdisciplinary majors that work alongside the Africana Studies and WGSS departments. 

The department is small, faculty and student-wise. This means that though there are not that many professors in the department, they are there to give you the most individualized and guided experience possible. The American Studies faculty are truly some of the kindest and most helpful faculty who work towards fostering an environment that allows students’ individual passions to shine through. Since this major can be somewhat difficult to navigate with its open-ended nature, the faculty does a great job of helping students understand what they need to do to complete these requirements and make the most out of the major.

Requirements

AMST BC1001: What is American Studies?

This is an introductory course on American studies, truly getting to the core of what actually is American Studies. This class is an overview of a broad subject, however, it goes into a lot of relevant subjects of the current day like housing injustice and torture. It is a good overview of the type of things you will be seeing if you become an American Studies major. It is a great class to see if the types of readings and ways of critical thinking are right for you. It is also taught by the head of the American Studies department, Manu Karuka!

Two Historical Foundations courses focused on the Americas before the Cold War

Two history courses pre-Cold War are required for the major. The department defines these as pre-1950s history classes. Though many majors choose from the wide variety of courses on early American history (I chose two classes focused on Indigenous people in the Americas), you can also take classes in other fields like Anthropology, English, Political Science, etc. as long as you petition to make them count for the requirement.

One “Methods” Seminar

Many American Studies majors in their junior year will take a “Methods seminar” that introduces them to a research method that is commonly used in American Studies. I—as a newly declared American Studies major—have not taken one of these courses yet, however, they seem fairly standard to other classes discussing different methods of research.

Two Research Seminars

American Studies students need to complete two research-oriented seminars. Many of these seminars are offered by American Studies or American Studies adjacent faculty, but also you can fulfill this requirement with 3000-4000 level seminars on an “American Studies-related theme” from another department as long as it ends with writing a research paper or capstone project and is approved by a major advisor. The department recommends that students take these before their senior spring semester.

Five Electives

This is honestly where I went wild with the classes I took. You can honestly take most classes in the humanities department, as long as they in some way engage with the topic of American studies (which is most). You can pull from Africana Studies, Anthropology, Art History, CSER, English, History, Political Science, Religion, Spanish, Sociology, Urban Studies, WGSS, and many many more! I personally recommend using these electives to really explore your niche interests within American Studies! This is where you make the major your own!

Capstone Seminar 

When you’ve basically completed all your requirements, you’ll take your Capstone Seminar during the spring of your senior year. This is a specially focused seminar-style course taught by core or affiliated American Studies faculty, where you and a few other seniors will work on refining your research questions, gathering sources, and finally writing your 25-30 page thesis.

Class Recommendations 

Historical Foundations: 

HIST-UN1512: The Battle for North America: An Indigenous History of the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812

HIST-UN2484: Revolutionary America 

HIST-UN2432: US Era of Civil War and Reconstruction

RELI-GU4998: Religion and the Indian Wars

HIST-UN1488: Indigenous History of North America

HIST-BC2549: Early America to 1763

Electives

AHIS-BC2698: American Monument Cultures

CSER-UN1040: Critical Approaches to the Study of Ethnicity & Race

ENGL-UN3486: Out of Her Mind: American Women Writing, 1630-1930 

ENGL-GU4628: US Latino Literature (take this with Frances Negrón-Muntaner if possible!)

HIST-UN2533: US Lesbian and Gay History 

WMST BC-1050: Women and Health

WMST-UN3813: Knowledge, Practice, Power

WMST-BC2140: Critical Approaches to Social and Cultural Theory

All in all, I would highly recommend majoring in American Studies. I have recommended this major to all of my friends and anyone who is even slightly indecisive about what they want to major in. It is seriously catered towards you, which is increasingly rare in majors. The small class sizes and interdisciplinary nature of the major create what I deem to be one of the best majors at Barnard.

Barnard via Bwarchives