American Studies (BA)

Program Description

American Studies at NYU is one of the country’s top-ranked programs in this dynamic field. An interdisciplinary program housed in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, it studies United States society in national, hemispheric, and global frameworks. It draws on faculty strength in a wide range of fields, including history, area studies, literature and film, gender studies, critical ethnic studies, political economy, and urban and environmental studies. The program interprets “American” in a broad sense to include assessments of the historical role of the United States in the Americas and, more generally, in world affairs. Students are exposed to a range of methodologies in the social sciences and humanities, including ethnography, textual analysis, archival research, and cultural studies.

Honors Program

Majors who have completed 48 credits of graded work in CAS and have a 3.65 GPA or higher (overall and in the major) are encouraged to register for SCA-UA 92 Senior Honors Seminar in the fall semester of their senior year. Upon successful completion of the seminar requirement, students will be eligible to register for SCA-UA 93 Senior Honors Thesis in the spring.

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply. 

Program Requirements

The American studies major requires nine 4-credit courses (36 credits) completed with a grade of C or better (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count) as outlined below.

¹

The foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as elective credit.  For a complete list of Intermediate language courses that fulfill this requirement, click here.

²

Four of the six courses must be taught by SCA faculty.

Language and Linguistic Competency

The type of rigorous intercultural study promoted within the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis requires students to recognize the complex modes of communication at work both within and across different social groups. The department therefore strongly encourages its students to develop advanced skills in language and linguistics by any of the following means: taking elective courses in sociolinguistics; studying a language other than English beyond the minimum level required by the College of Arts and Science; studying languages especially germane to the department's fields of study; pursuing community-based internship fieldwork necessitating the development and use of specific language skills; or undertaking study or research away in contexts entailing the exercise of key language or linguistic capabilities.

Sample Plan of Study

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Chosen from designated American Studies Electives. Of the six Major Elective courses, four must be taught by SCA faculty.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have developed:

1. Critical thinking tools for the analysis of social, cultural, and political formations.
2. Familiarity with theories for the study of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, space, and nation.
3. Proficiency in written and oral communication.
4. The ability to produce original research on topics relevant to the major using textual/literary, archival, ethnographic, and/or quantitative research methods.
5. Engagement and familiarity with primary texts in American Studies.

Policies

Program Policies

Policy on Double Counting of Courses

Major

Majors may share (double count) two courses with a second major, with permission from the other department/program.

Minor

Minors may share (double count) one course with a major or a second minor, with permission from the other department/program.

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

College of Arts and Science Policies

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.