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, Theater Arts; Director of American Studies Program
American theater and drama
Christa Carvajal, Ph.D. (University of Texas, Austin)
Professor, Theater Arts
History of theater, dramaturgy
Atwood Gaines, Ph.D., M.P.H. (University of California, Berkeley)
Professor, Anthropology; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Medical and urban anthropology
Suzanne Ferguson, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
Professor and Chair, English
Twentieth century American literature
Gladys Haddad, Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Professor of American Studies
Women's history, regional studies
David Hammack, Ph.D. (Columbia University)
Elbert Jay Benton Professor of History
Social and urban policy history
Alexander Lamis, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University), J.D. (University of Maryland)
Associate Professor, Political Science
Elections, political parties
Roger Salomon, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley)
Oviatt Professor of English
American literature
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, etc. The student will work out a program of study in consultation with the program director. 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 be counted simultaneously 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 advisor.
The following American studies courses may be used to satisfy the History, Philosophy, and Relgion protion of the college's General Education Requirements:
AMST 107. Modernization of America: Values and Institutions in Transition I (3)
AMST 108. Modernization of America: Values and Institutions in Transition II (3)
Sequence (Case Core)
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 advisor.
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.
Since 1938, American studies at Case Western Reserve University has 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 advisors from fields related to their areas of interest. These advisors 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 advisors 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 advisors, with the other advisor 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 also may 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 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 108, Modernization of America 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 310, Conflict/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 of American society discussed.
AMST 327, American Theater and Playwrights, 3
Designed to provide students an overview of the development of theater in the United States and to familiarize them with the work and themes of selected American playwrights.
AMST 337, Writing Regional Drama, 3
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to regional materials (letters, diaries, journals, etc.) as a basis for the creation of plays for the theater. The course has three parts: 1) reading, seeing and discussing plays based on regional materials; 2) becoming familiar with source material at local historical societies, such as the Western Reserve Historical Society and the CWRU archives; and 3) writing theater pieces based on research in regional source materials.
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 ends? Examples of American Studies contributions serve as the basis for class discussion and for oral and written critiques. Limited to majors in American studies.
AMST 427, American Theater and Playwrights, 3
Designed to provide students an overview of the development of theater in the United States and to familiarize them with the work and themes of selected American playwrights.
AMST 601, Independent Study, 1-36
(Credit as arranged.)
AMST 651, Thesis M.A., 1-36
(M.A.) (Credit as arranged.)
AMST 701, Dissertation Ph.D., 1-36
(Ph.D.) (Credit as arranged.)
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