PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
American Studies at Tulane is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental major designed to
provide an analysis of American thought, culture, and society past and present. Students
majoring in American Studies must take the seven required courses listed below, including
three interdisciplinary seminars, in addition to seven elective courses selected from a
list of appropriate courses grouped in three major categories and offered by participating
departments. The first of the program's seminars focuses on cultural analysis and issues
in multiculturalism; the second focuses on a variety of applications/expansions of such
analysis (with a particular stress on Louisiana and the region); and the third focuses on
the representation (s) of American culture in the varying forms of media. These seminars
are interspersed with four required courses in American literature and history and seven
elective courses grouped in three major categories: American Arts, American Thought and
Experience, and American Institutions and Social Processes.
Normally, the elective courses are selected from above the 100 level and at least three of
the seven courses must be above the 300 level. Students must focus their electives in two
or three distinct areas of concentration chosen in consultation with the director. In
addition, at least two of the seven electives must be taken from different categories.
With the exception of American Studies 301 and 501, all of the required courses should
normally be completed by the junior year. Students interested in American Studies should
consult with the director as soon as possible so they can arrange their program with an
eye to the American studies requirements. The director also maintains an up-to-date list
of acceptable new electives. Full descriptions of the courses are provided by the
participating departments.
