Department of American Studies
Guilford House
Phone 368-4117
Park Goist
American Studies is an interdisciplinary program governed by an interdepartmental Steering Committee and taught by an Associated Faculty from throughout the university. It offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of social change and cultural diversity in the United States. This approach combines American studies courses--which emphasize connections among the economic, intellectual, social, and political facets of culture--with offerings from various traditional academic departments. The goal of the program is to connect contemporary social issues and conditions to their historical origins and to relate them to their local, national, and international cultures.
In addition to preparation for a variety of career options in both the public and the private sector, American studies offers undergraduate and graduate interdepartmental concentrations to students with interests in such areas as women's studies and urban studies. The interdisciplinary goal of the undergraduate program is achieved by a combination of carefully designed required courses and an individualized program of study worked out by each student under the supervision of the program director.
Graduates in American Studies have pursued careers in law, social work, journalism, teaching, historic preservation, business, public health, and government. Graduate study in American studies at CWRU is designed primarily for students already holding a Master's degree or presenting other evidence of academic strength and experience in multi-disciplinary programs. It is also possible, however, to earn a Master of Arts degree. The opportunity to combine the theoretical perspective of American Studies with advanced work in Theater Arts is a special feature of the graduate program.
Park Goist, Ph.D. (University of Rochester)
Associate Professor of Theater Arts and Director of American Studies
American theater and drama
Christa Carvajal, Ph.D. (University of Texas, Austin)
Professor of Theater Arts
History of theater, dramaturgy
Atwood Gaines, Ph.D., M.P.H. (University of California, Berkeley)
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (School of Medicine) Acting Director of American Studies, 1993-1994
Medical and urban anthropology
Suzanne Ferguson, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
Professor of English
Twentieth century American literature
Michael Grossberg, Ph.D. (Brandeis University)
Associate Professor of History and Law, Chair of History
Legal and social history
Gladys Haddad, Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Professor of American Studies
Women's history, regional studies
David Hammack, Ph.D. (Columbia University)
Professor of History
Social and urban policy history
Alexander Lamis, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University), J.D. (University of Maryland)
Associate Professor of Political Science
Elections, political parties
Roger Salomon, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley)
Professor of English
American literature
Kimberly Phillips, Ph.D.(Yale University)
Assistant Professor of History
African-American history, labor History
Students with interests in careers such as law, business, journalism, social work, government, teaching, and public health have found American studies a valuable base for later work or study. The major, which leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree, requires five core courses (four in American studies, one in history) and eight courses (24 hours) in two areas of concentration. An area of concentration consists of either 1) courses in a single department, or 2) courses from more than one department focusing on a theme or issue such as technology and culture, urban studies, literature and society, women's studies, etc. The student will work out a program of study in consultation with the director of the American Studies program. Such a program will include a minimum of four courses (12 hours) in each of the student's two areas of concentration. Additional courses which complement the student's program of study may be recommended, but no more than one course counting toward the American studies major may simultaneously be counted toward the satisfaction of a minor concentration.
The American studies minor offers students with a variety of career or other special interests an opportunity to pursue those interests in the context of a broader appreciation of their social and personal dimensions. A minor consists of five courses, at least three of which must bear the designation AMST, and which focus on a significant period, problem area, or aspect of American civilization. The rationale for selecting such a minor program, and its relation to the student's career or intellectual interests, must be discussed with and approved by the minor adviser.
The following American studies courses may be used to satisfy the Western Reserve Core requirement in history and culture:
- AMST 107. Modernization of America: Values and Institutions in Transition I (3)
- AMST 108. Modernization of America: Values and Institutions in Transition II (3)
Students can take advantage of the American studies sequence to organize a coherent examination of institutions and issues in the American experience particularly relevant to their intellectual or career interests. The sequence consists of four courses, including AMST 107, 108, and two other AMST courses selected in consultation with the American studies sequence adviser.
Majors with a cumulative average of 3.85 in American Studies courses are nominated by the faculty for departmental honors. Candidates present to the faculty a term paper or project of outstanding quality as the basis for the award of honors.
American studies at Case Western Reserve University has, since 1938, challenged canons and traditional disciplinary boundaries. The program has been and continues to be integrative, cross-disciplinary, critical, and highly individualized. It welcomes students who share these objectives and who have the ability to work independently and imaginatively.
While the program is adaptable to individual needs, students will be expected to pursue their studies in some depth in two related fields or disciplines. In addition, one or two American studies core seminars are required, depending upon student preparation. All requirements are interpreted in accordance with individual needs and career objectives.
The program is under the supervision of an inter-departmental American Studies Steering Committee whose members share responsibility for reviewing applications, proposed programs of study, course work, examinations, theses, and dissertations. Students will have at least two faculty advisers from fields related to their areas of interest. These advisers will serve as guides and mentors, assisting students in designing their programs.
Faculty and resources available at Case Western Reserve University and its immediate environs, comprising University Circle, offer particularly strong support for students interested in aspects of urban culture, women's studies, the arts, history, literature, the history of technology and science, anthropology, political science, and sociology. Incoming students will be assisted in seeking out faculty members, from these and other departments, schools, or institutions within the University community, whose specialties are related to their interests. Members of the Associated Faculty serve as advisers for students in American studies.
The Master of Arts degree requires 27 credit hours, with 21 hours of course work and 6 hours devoted to writing the thesis.
The focus of the Master of Arts program is the thesis, an interdisciplinary research project leading to an extended integrative essay. The thesis will be supervised by one of the student's advisers, with the other adviser acting as a second reader. It must also be approved by at least one other member of the Steering Committee, or another member of the Associated Faculty. These three faculty members will constitute the committee before which the student will present an oral defense of the thesis.
Doctor of Philosophy degree candidates in American Studies can prepare for careers in a number of fields that require advanced research and analytical skills coupled with a broad perspective on the American experience. These include, in addition to academic teaching and research, government media, business, the arts, and similar public or private agencies.
Requirements for the Ph.D. in American Studies include a minimum of 18 hours of course credits beyond the master's degree, plus 18 hours of dissertation work. It is anticipated that additional course work beyond this minimum will be necessary to enhance the balance between a student's two fields and his/her interdisciplinary research. The Steering Committee may also evaluate graduate work in excess of the hours earned for the master's degree, in light of the student's program of study, for possible credit toward the Ph.D. The student must meet the residency requirement as established by the School of Graduate Studies.
American Studies (AMST)
AMST 107. Modernization of America: Values and Institutions in Transition I (3).
Social and cultural developments which occurred as America emerged from a few scattered wilderness settlements in the 17th century into an industrial nation by 1900. The focus is on how various communities were formed and then changed, and how ordinary people were affected by those changes. AMST 107 and 108 may be used to satisfy the Western Reserve Core requirements in history and culture.
AMST 108. Modernization of America: Values and Institutions in Transition II (3).
Social and cultural changes as America became an urbanized nation. Media such as radio, movies, journalism and television, and technologies such as automobiles, airplanes, appliances and computers examined to trace the development of 20th century society. AMST 107 and 108 may be used to satisfy the Western Reserve Core requirements in history and culture.
AMST 310. Conflict and Change In American Culture (3).
Major themes and continuing issues in the analysis of American civilization. Specific topics may vary, but readings are selected from among such classic works as Tocqueville's Democracy in America and The Education of Henry Adams, and from leading examples of contemporary scholarship.
AMST 326. Social Values in Recent American Drama (3).
Discussion of what 20th-century American playwrights have been saying about America in their plays. Literary and theatrical aspects of plays and judgments made by major dramatists about values in American society discussed.
AMST 327. Contemporary American Playwrights (3).
An intensive study of selected playwrights who are making a contribution to theatrical experimentation with an emphasis on minority issues.
AMST 336. Town and City in American Culture (3).
Various responses to the large city and to urbanization, particularly in the early decades of the 20th century. How small-town Americans and other nonurban groups attempted to come to terms with the industrial metropolis. Materials range from autobiographies and novels to urban reform and sociology.
AMST 370/HSTY 353. Women in American History I (3).
The images and results of women's social, political, and economic lives in early America. Uses primary documents and biographers to observe individuals and groups of women in relation to legal, religious, and social restrictions.
AMST 371/HSTY 354. Women in American History II (3).
With AMST 370/HSTY 353, forms a two-semester introduction to women's studies. The politics of suffrage and the modern woman's efforts to balance marriage, motherhood, and career. (AMST 370/HSTY 353 not a prerequisite.)
AMST 376. Approaches to American Civilization (3).
Specific topics vary, with a continuing focus on crucial, revealing problems or aspects of American culture.
AMST 380. Cleveland Community Internship (3).
Individual projects, developed by the student in consultation with a faculty adviser, combining field experience at a community institution and a written report relating the experience to the student's American studies area of concentration.
AMST 390. Independent Study (1-3).
AMST 391. American Studies Senior Seminar (3).
What does American studies do? What are its goals and how does it attempt to realize these end? Example of American studies contributions serve as the basis for class discussion and for oral and written critique. Limited to majors in American Studies.
AMST 448. Seminar: Problems in American Material Culture (3).
AMST 470. Women in American History I (3).
(See AMST 370.)*
AMST 471. Women in American History II (3).
(See AMST 371.)*
*Graduate Students registered for these 400-level courses share class with undergraduates registered for the corresponding 300-level course. Students registered at the 400 level may be expected to attend an additional seminar and/or meet additional requirements beyond those demanded of students registered at the 300 level.
AMST 501. Explanation in American Studies (3).
An interdisciplinary approach to the development of American Studies as a way of thinking about culture in the United States. The course will consider the efforts of twentieth century American Studies scholars who have sought new ways of understanding the experiences of Americans.
AMST 536. Town and City in American Thought (3).
The American search for community investigated within the context of two contrasting environments: traditional small towns and modern large cities. The response of small-town Americans to the late 19th and early 20th-century industrial metropolis.
AMST 601. Independent Study (credit as arranged).
AMST 651. Thesis (M.A.) (credit as arranged).
AMST 681. Course Planning in American Studies (credit as arranged).
Selected graduate students, under faculty supervision, design and prepare the syllabus for an undergraduate course on topics and issues central to American civilization.
AMST 682. Supervised Teaching in American Studies (3).
Teaching of an undergraduate course, previously planned by the student, on topics or issues central to American civilization. Regular meetings and evaluations with faculty supervisor. Prerequisite: AMST 681.
AMST 701. Dissertation (Ph.D).
(credit as arranged).
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