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The purpose of the American Studies major is to give students a
comprehensive understanding of American culture both in the past
and present. An interdisciplinary program combining work in the
humanities, social sciences, and the arts, it offers courses
ranging from Race and Ethnicity in the United States and Religion,
Magic, and Science in Early America to Social History of North
American Art: The Twentieth Century and History of Jazz.
American Studies encourages students to think creatively and
critically about American culture. The greatest strength of the
major is its flexibility. Each year the course American Culture
is team-taught by two or three professors from different fields,
including English, history, art, music, and sociology. The class
covers consumer culture, the frontier, religious conservatism,
and civil rights, using fiction, film, and historical texts to
identify what is distinctive about American culture and to
appreciate its diversity. Each year, an American Studies seminar
is offered for majors in which students are introduced to theoretical
problems in an interdisciplinary field of study. Required classes in
literature and history form a foundation on which to build an individual
program of study. The faculty maintains a close advising relationship
with majors, and students may take courses from faculty at the other
Claremont Colleges. Most American Studies majors choose to study abroad.
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