Learn about Columbia’s American Studies department!

American Studies is a difficult major to describe because it can take a different shape for every major. It’s interdisciplinary, and while the core classes focus on American history and politics, a large part of the major is completely up to you, meaning you can design a personalized course of study. It’s a wonderful way to learn about the phenomenon of America from a variety of lenses. 

Columbia’s Center for American Studies supports the undergraduate major and the Freedom & Citizenship program, a summer seminar, and a year-long civic engagement program for high school students. Majors often work at the program, which is a great opportunity! One note is that the Barnard and Columbia American Studies departments are not connected, so if you’re a Barnard student, check out Jess’ major spotlight here.

The major itself is fairly straightforward. You take two Core courses, two department seminars, four elective classes drawn from at least two departments, and complete a senior project (either a third seminar, an independent essay project, or a full senior thesis). 

Here’s my guide to the major, and my thoughts on the classes I’ve taken so far!

Two Core courses: All majors take AMST 1010: Introduction to American Studies and then take one of HIST 2478: US Intellectual History, 1865-Present or AMST 3931: Freedom & Citizenship in the United States.

• These classes introduce students to the themes and methods of the field. I’m taking Intro to American Studies and US Intellectual History right now, and they are both amazing. They’re taught by well-loved professors and while they’re lectures, I find them very engaging. Intro to American Studies mixes historical and political readings with contemporary films on similar issues, which is a really fun way to approach history!

Two seminars in American Studies: The department offers around seven seminar options per semester, so it’s pretty easy to narrow in on your particular interests. 

• My favorite is AMST 3931: Museums, Memory, and American Public Culture, which brings museum professionals from around the city to every class to discuss issues facing museums today. Other highly regarded classes include AMST 3931: American Cultural Criticism (which I really want to take next year!!) and AMST 3930: Shakespeare in America. 
• Seminars usually require applications, but they are short and usually just want to see that you are a major and have some relevant experience or interest in the subject. 

Four classes in at least two departments: The bulk of the major is up to you! One of the four classes must be a History course and one must deal with America before 1900 (but one class can fulfill both requirements). 

• I took HIST 1401: Intro To American History Before 1865 with Andrew Lipman at Barnard to fulfill the specific requirements, which I highly recommend. It gives you more flexibility with the other courses, and Professor Lipman is a very engaging lecturer. Even having taken US History in high school and other American history and politics classes here, he was able to cast information in a new light. 
• My other courses are drawn from the Dance department and the Journalism School. There is a lot of flexibility in what you choose, and you’ll talk to an advisor to design your courseload. Majors commonly draw from Political Science, Human Rights, History, Sociology, Anthropology, Art History… truly, whatever you’re interested in!

Senior project: There are a few options for your senior project! You can complete a senior research project culminating in a written thesis, write an essay independently under a faculty advisor, or take a third seminar. 

• The one note to consider is that majors are only eligible for departmental honors if they write a thesis. 

American Studies is a flexible major that allows you to pursue your specific interests through the major. I’ve found the faculty to be wonderful in helping me decide on my areas of focus. I can’t recommend it enough, especially if, like me, you’re interested in exploring a variety of fields. I was previously a Political Science major and then a Human Rights major, but settled on American Studies because I wanted to explore as much as possible—to take political science courses, but also classes on arts or journalism or history—and that has been more than possible with this major. 

Hamilton Hall via Bwarchives