banner image loc panorama

American Studies Program

Interdisciplinary Clusters in
American Studies

Current Clusters Listing (Revised September, 2008)

Please click on a cluster above for more information about and specific requirements of that cluster.

Clusters, comprised of five courses, give American Studies majors the opportunity to focus on a particular theme or topic from an interdisciplinary perspective by selecting relevant courses from at least two different departments/programs throughout the university. At least two of the courses counting towards the cluster must be at the 100 level, and no more than one independent reading course or internship will count. Students have flexibility on course selection in completing their clusters, but the cluster as a whole should be intellectually coherent, not merely a random selection of courses. All students must fill in a Cluster Declaration Sheet (indicating your plans for completing a particular cluster theme), which must be signed by your advisor and returned to the American Studies office no later than December of your junior year.

Cluster declaration form

American Studies core or affiliate faculty with expertise relating to each of the clusters should assist students in selecting the specific contents of their cluster from the lists provided. Courses not appearing on these lists might be accepted with approval of the Director of American Studies. Students' Senior Special Project or Honors Thesis are to be considered capstone projects and therefore must be on a topic related to the cluster.

In addition to the clusters listed below, there are several areas of inquiry relevant to American Studies that are represented in other interdisciplinary programs such as Women's Studies, Environmental Studies, Peace and Justice, and Communication and Media Studies. American Studies majors interested in areas that are not represented in existing clusters can either choose to combine their American Studies major with a minor or second major, or create an independently designed cluster. Independently designed clusters should reflect the goals articulated in the American Studies mission statement. Students seeking to design their own cluster must obtain approval from the Director by submitting a written rationale for the proposed cluster and course selection, and a letter of support from an American Studies affiliate who has agreed to supervise the cluster.

Any questions? Feel free to contact the Director, your adviser or the Program Coordinator.

NOTE: Students who declared a major under the old cluster requirements (4 courses to complete the cluster) and using the old cluster list can choose to complete their cluster as it was described at the time they declared their major; the old cluster requirements and list are archived on this website.  Students who declared their major under the old requirements and using the old list may also choose to complete their cluster according to the new list and requirements, which are described below.   Students declaring their major as of Spring 2009 must observe the new requirements, and choose their cluster from the new list (unless they choose to design their own cluster).  

View Clusters Listings Prior to September, 2008

The courses listed are guides only for helping students structure their clusters. While several of these courses are offered on a regular basis, others are offered in one semester only, alternate years, etc. Other courses which are new might not have made this list at this time, and alternatively, some courses might have been dropped. Therefore, always check course availability on the respective department websites before committing any course to your schedule.

These lists will be updated frequently as needed. Please stop by the American Studies Office if you have questions, or email Christina Sharpe, the Director of American Studies or Kathy Spagnoli, the Program Administrator.