American Studies Minor

This is a survey course of the history of the U.S. from colonial times to the present, including the political, economic, social, and cultural development at each phase of the country's growth and progress. Phases of study will include colonization, independence, early nationhood, sectional strife culminating in the Civil War, reconstruction, economic expansion, prosperity, depression, imperialism, reforms, two world wars, and contemporary tensions.

Basic theories and approaches to the scholarly study of significant popular movements and customs in modern western civilization will be presented in this course with special attention paid to the evolution of media and its effect on group identity, especially American popular culture in the 20th century.

The role of religion in American public life will be examined in this course with a special emphasis on the interpretation and impact of the First Amendment and the concept of "separation of church and state" on religious and political life in the United States.

This course will analyze ethnicity in contemporary urban society including the relationship between subcultural communities and the larger society and examine the factors and processes in the formation of minority groups as well as strategies for changing dominant-minority patterns.

A survey of American literature from its beginning to 1850, this course will include journals, diaries, sermons, and pamphlets, with an emphasis on the writings of Irving, Hawthorne, Poe, and Melville. Prerequisite: ENG 201 or CENG 201 or 202.

A survey of American literature from 1850 to 1945, this course will emphasize the literary movements of Realism, Naturalism, as well as the roots of modern American literature. Prerequisite: ENG 201 or CENG 201 or 202.

Extensive reading and in-depth study of one or more significant American authors with special attention to their themes, literary techniques, and traditions is the focus of this course. Prerequisites: ENG 201 or CENG 201 or 202, ENG 271, 341, or 342.

The origins of the American political system from the end of the Seven Years' War through the Louisiana Purchase and Marbury vs. Madison. Focuses on government under the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention, ratification controversies, the first political party system and Jeffersonian vs. Hamiltonian approaches to government.