American Studies Program
Introduction
American Studies is a quintessentially interdisciplinary endeavor that seeks to cut across disciplinary boundaries in its analysis of U.S. society and culture. It examines the historical, social and cultural underpinnings of what is commonly referred to as the "American experience." The intellectual signature of Tufts' American Studies Program is its emphasis on how the intersecting dynamics of race, ethnicity, class, and gender produce dissimilar "American" experiences for individuals and groups, and how political, economic and social systems shape crucial public domains such as education, health, work and the environment. We are also interested in critical studies of representation in the performing arts, the visual arts, humanities and popular culture. American Studies has also been increasingly concerned with the ways that other countries perceive and interpret the United States, and conversely, how people in the United States perceive and represent their neighbors inside and outside of the Western hemisphere.
Established in 1980, the American Studies Program at Tufts University offers a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies. The sequence of courses starts with introductory surveys that analyze power structures and compare systems of difference and inequality. Students continue with American Studies seminars on featured topics and a "cluster" of courses drawn from departments throughout the university focusing on one of several themes. Finally, in the senior year, American Studies students design a capstone special project or honors thesis related to their cluster. As a part of its educational philosophy, the American Studies Program also encourages majors to engage with and contribute to the public sphere as interns, artists, activists and scholars. For this reason, many of our students choose to double major in English, History, International Relations, Political Science, or Sociology, and in programs such as Peace and Justice, Environmental Studies, Community Health, Women's Studies, and Communication and Media Studies. The American Studies Program at Tufts enables students to develop the critical skills and intellectual flexibility necessary to prepare them for life and work in an increasingly fragmented, complex, and diverse society.