Bachelor of Arts

African American Studies

Asian American Studies

Chicano/Latino Studies

Courses of Instruction



Taper Hall of Humanities 331m
(213) 740-2992
(213) 740-8409 (FAX)
E-mail: nelms@mizar.usc.edu

Director: Mauricio Mazon, Ph.D.

Director, American Studies: Thomas Gustafson, Ph.D.

Director, African American Studies: Thomas C. Cox, Ph.D.

Director, Asian American Studies: Vincent Cheng, Ph.D.

Director, Chicano/Latino Studies: George Sanchez, Ph.D.

The program in American Studies and Ethnicity integrates humanistic and social scientific perspectives and brings them to bear on an examination of the United States with a particular emphasis on comparative study of the peoples, cultures, history and social issues of the Western United States. The program offers four separate majors and minors in American Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, and Chicano/Latino Studies. Drawing upon the cultural resources of a cosmopolitan city on the Pacific rim and upon the strength and diversity of its professional schools as well as departments in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, these majors and minors provide a richly interdisciplinary curriculum that is unique for its constitution of American Studies and Ethnic Studies as a comparative and interethnic program that takes as its focus a region - Los Angeles, California and the West - marked by challenging social and cultural changes.

Undergraduate Degrees

American Studies

American Studies offers challenging and diverse opportunities to study the peoples, cultures and institutions of the United States in interdisciplinary courses. Combining the study of history with literature, the arts and the social sciences, American Studies seeks to bring together these various disciplines and modes of inquiry in a common project: the effort to understand the diverse peoples and cultures that have composed the United States and to provide critical perspectives on the words, deeds, myths and material practices that have shaped this country in its full regional, ethnic, class and gender diversity. An education in American Studies will be particularly appropriate for students interested in pursuing careers in law, journalism, government, foreign service, social work, international business, public administration and education.

The program in American Studies is administered by an Advisory Committee comprising a director and two other faculty members, one from the social sciences and the other from the humanities. These faculty members serve as advisors to majors and minors, thus providing, in conjunction with the sequence of courses, a unique opportunity for students to undertake an interdisciplinary concentration under close faculty supervision.

Bachelor of Arts

Program Major Requirements

Ten courses in American Studies or courses certified for American Studies credit are required. The required courses include: ENGL 263 American Literature; HIST 200 The American Experience; AMST 301 America, the Frontier and the New West; AMST 498 Senior Seminar in American Studies.

Students must choose the remaining six courses required for the major from the approved list of American Studies courses and in terms of an area of concentration. Concentrations include: (1) American Cultural and Intellectual Life; (2) American Social and Institutional Life; and (3) Gender and Ethnicity in America. Only one of the six concentration courses can be taken below the 300 level. Of the six concentration courses, no more than three can be taken in one department.

On choosing a major in American Studies, the student must consult with the program chair about the assigned advisor, whom the student will be expected to consult in choosing a series of courses with intellectual coherence and sufficient range and depth. In exceptional cases, a student has the option of structuring his or her own concentration. The rationale for and content of such an individual program must be submitted in writing to the program chair for approval by the program chair and the steering committee.

Program Minor

Course Requirements

For the minor in American Studies, 24 units in American Studies and related fields are required. These units must be distributed as follows: ENGL 263; HIST 200; AMST 301 and 498; and two additional courses. These additional courses must be chosen from the courses certified in American Studies, at the 300 level or above.

Students will be required to follow general education requirements.

Concentrations

American Cultural and Intellectual LifeUnits
AHIS 370Modern Art II, 1900-19454
AHIS 479Studies in American Art4
ARCH 409American Architecture andUrbanism4
CNTV 392History of the American Film, 1925-19504
CNTV 393History of the American Film since 19504
CNTV 464Film Genres4
CNTV 469Film Style Analysis4
ENGL 440American Literature to 18654
ENGL 441American Literature, 1865-19204
ENGL 442American Literature, 1920 to the Present4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
ENGL 448Chicano and Latino Literature4
ENGL 451Periods and Genres in American Literature4
ENGL 470Women in English and American Literature after 18004
HIST 346American Intellectual History4
JOUR 461Literature of Journalism4
LING 315Language, Society, and Culture4
MUHL 100xJazz, Ragtime, and Blues4
MUHL 486Jazz Masters of the 20th Century2
PHIL 425American Philosophy4
POSC 375American Political Thought4
REL 341Ethics in a Technological Society4
REL 461Business and Society4
REL 469Black Religion in America4
REL 481History of Religion in America4
American Social and Institutional LifeUnits
ANTH 305Medicine and Politics4
ECON 348The American Economy4
ENGL 441American Literature, 1865-19204
ENGL 442American Literature, 1920 to the Present4
GEOG 222Geography of American Politics4
GEOG 310Approaches to the Study of Cities4
GEOG 331Geography of the United States and Canada4
GEOG 425Historical Geography of the United States4
HIST 341American Social History4
HIST 342War and the American Experience4
HIST 356The Old South4
HIST 357The New South4
HIST 457The American West4
HIST 472History of the Mexican American4
JOUR 466Minorities and the Media4
JOUR 467Women, Men, and the Media4
POSC 300Principles, Institutions, and Great Issues of American Democracy4
POSC 320Urban Politics4
POSC 333Stigma and Society: Physical Disability in America4
POSC 334Interest Groups and Elite Behavior4
POSC 422Political Attitudes and Behavior4
POSC 423Presidents and the Presidency4
POSC 425Legislative Process4
POSC 435Politics and the Economy4
POSC 437Mass Media and Politics4
REL 469Black Religion in America4
REL 481History of Religion in America4
SOCI 331Cities4
SOCI 345Social Institutions4
SOCI 360Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power4
SOCI 369The Family in a Changing Society4
SOCI 435Women in Society4
Gender and Ethnicity in AmericaUnits
ANTH 315North American Indians4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
ENGL 448Chicano and Latino Literature4
ENGL 470Women in English and American Literature after 18504
ETST 202Minority Cultures in the United States4
HIST 250History of the Black American4
JOUR 466Minorities and the Media4
JOUR 467Women in the Media4
LING 375Sociolinguistics4
POSC 333Stigma and Society: Physical Disability in America4
POSC 381Sex, Power, and Politics4
POSC 421Ethnic Politics4
POSC 427Black Politics in the American Political System4
REL 302Religious Vision and American Women Writers4
REL 469Black Religion in America4
SWMS 301Introduction to Feminist Theory and the Women's and Men's Movements4
SWMS 364Racial and Ethnic Women in America4
SOCI 342Race Relations4
SOCI 360Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power4
SOCI 435Women in Society4

African American Studies

African American Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide students with a critical understanding of the historical, cultural, social and political experience of African Americans, with a particular emphasis on the development and culture of the African American communities in California and the West as well as on both historical and contemporary effects of global issues on African American communities. By drawing upon courses in American Studies and by emphasizing comparative as well as interdisciplinary study, this program offers training in the analytic tools and methods of interpretation appropriate for studying the African American experience in its particularity and ethnic and cultural study in general. The program is particularly appropriate for students interested in integrating studies in the humanities and social sciences and for students preparing to work and interact with diverse communities and cultures in the United States and abroad in such fields as education, human services, business, journalism and public administration.

The program in African American Studies is administered by an advisory committee comprising a director and two other faculty members, one from the social sciences and one from the humanities. These faculty members serve as advisors to majors and minors, providing, in conjunction with the sequence of courses, a unique opportunity for students to undertake an interdisciplinary concentration under close faculty supervision.

African American Studies Major

Degree: B.A., American Studies and Ethnicity (African American Studies)

Core RequirementsUnits
AMST 202Interethnic Diversity in the West4
AMST 301America, the Frontier, and the New West4
AMST 350Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods4
200/300/400-Level Required CoursesUnits
One course from each of the following categories:
History
HIST 250History of the Black American4
HIST 455Advanced Topics in African-American History4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 246xIntroduction to African-American Literature4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
Social and Political Issues
POSC 427Black Politics in the American Political System4
California and the West
GEOG 326Los Angeles Landscapes4
HIST 457The American West4
HIST 458History of California4
PPMT 408aLos Angeles Semester4
American Comparative Ethnicities and/or Gender
ANTH 315North American Indians4
ANTH 316North American Indians in American Public Life4
ANTH 328Culture Change and the Mexican People4
ANTH 371Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs4
ENGL 445The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives4
ENGL 448Chicano and Latino Literature4
ENGL 449Asian-American Literature4
ENGL 470Women in English and American Literature after 18004
ENGL 476Images of Women in Contemporary Culture4
HIST 354Mexican Migration to the United States4
HIST 378Introduction to Asian American History4
HIST 472History of the Mexican-American4
GERO 433Ethnicity and Aging4
JOUR 466Minorities and the Media4
LING 375Sociolinguistics4
POSC 421Ethnic Politics4
POSC 441Cultural Diversity and the Law4
SOCI 342Race Relations4
SOCI 356Immigrants in the United States4
SOCI 366Chicana and Latina Experiences4
SOCI 375Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity and Social Change4
SPAN 479Comparative Chicano/Mexican Cultures4
SWMS 305Sex/Gender/Sexuality as an Issue in American Public Life4
SWMS 364Racial and Ethnic Women in America4
SWMS 384Overcoming Prejudice4

Upper Division Electives

Units
Two courses from:
COLT 385Pan-African Literature and Culture4
CTCS 407African American Cinema4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
HIST 356The Old South4
HIST 455Advanced Topics in African-American History4
MUHL 486Jazz Masters of the 20th Century2
REL 469Black Religion in America4

Program Minor

Core RequirementsUnits
AMST 202Interethnic Diversity in the West4
AMST 301America, the Frontier, and the New West4
AMST 350Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods4
200/300/400-Level Required CoursesUnits
One course from each category:
History
HIST 250History of the Black American4
HIST 455Advanced Topics in African-American History4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 246Introduction to African-American Literature4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
Social and Political Issues
POSC 427Black Politics in the American Political System4
Upper Division ElectiveUnits
One course from:
COLT 385Pan-African Literature and Culture4
CTCS 407African American Cinema4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
HIST 455Advanced Topics in African-American History4
MUHL 486Jazz Masters of the 20th Century2
REL 469Black Religion in America4

Asian American Studies

Asian American Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide students with a critical understanding of the historical, cultural, social and political experience of Asian Pacific Americans, with a particular emphasis on the development and culture of the Asian American communities in California and the West as well as on both historical and contemporary effects of global issues on Asian American communities. By drawing upon courses in American Studies and by emphasizing comparative as well as interdisciplinary study, this program offers training in the analytic tools and methods of interpretation appropriate for studying the Asian American experience in its particularity and ethnic and cultural study in general. The program is particularly appropriate for students interested in integrating studies in the humanities and social sciences and for students preparing to work and interact with diverse communities and cultures in the United States and abroad in such fields as education, human services, business, journalism and public administration.

The program in Asian American Studies is administered by an advisory committee comprising a director and two other faculty members, one from the social sciences and one from the humanities. These faculty members serve as advisors to majors and minors, providing, in conjunction with the sequence of courses, a unique opportunity for students to undertake an interdisciplinary concentration under close faculty supervision.

Asian American Studies Major

Degree: B.A., American Studies and Ethnicity (Asian American Studies)

Core RequirementsUnits
AMST 202Interethnic Diversity in the West4
AMST 220The Making of Asian America4
AMST 301America, the Frontier, and the New West4
AMST 350Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods4
200/300/400-Level Required CoursesUnits
One course from each of the following six categories:
History
HIST 378Introduction to Asian American History4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 449Asian American Literature4
Social and Political Issues
SOCI 375Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity and Social Change4
Contemporary Issues
SOCI 376Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities4
California and the West
GEOG 326Los Angeles Landscapes4
HIST 457The American West4
HIST 458History of California4
PPMT 408aLos Angeles Semester4
American Comparative Ethnicities and/or Gender
ANTH 315North American Indians4
ANTH 316North American Indians in American Public Life4
ANTH 328Culture Change and the Mexican People4
ANTH 371Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs4
CTCS 407African American Cinema4
ENGL 445The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
ENGL 448Chicano and Latino Literature4
ENGL 470Women in English and American Literature after 18004
ENGL 476Images of Women in Contemporary Culture4
HIST 354Mexican Migration to the United States4
HIST 378Introduction to Asian American History4
HIST 455Advanced Topics in African-American History4
HIST 472History of the Mexican-American4
GERO 433Ethnicity and Aging4
JOUR 466Minorities and the Media4
LING 375Sociolinguistics4
MUHL 486Jazz Masters of the 20th Century2
POSC 421Ethnic Politics4
POSC 427Black Politics in the American Political System4
POSC 441Cultural Diversity and the Law4
REL 469Black Religion in America4
SOCI 342Race Relations4
SOCI 355Immigrants in the United States4
SOCI 356Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society4
SOCI 366Chicana and Latina Experiences4
SOCI 375Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity and Social Change4
SPAN 479Comparative Chicano/Mexican Cultures4
SWMS 305Sex/Gender/Sexuality as an Issue in American Public Life4
SWMS 364Racial and Ethnic Women in America4
SWMS 384Overcoming Prejudice4

Program Minor

Core RequirementsUnits
AMST 202Interethnic Diversity in the West4
AMST 301America, the Frontier, and the New West4
AMST 350Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods4
200/300/400-Level Required CoursesUnits
One course from each category:
History
HIST 378Introduction to Asian American History4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 449Asian American Literature4
Social and Political Issues
SOCI 375Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity and Social Change4

Upper Division Elective

Units
One course from:
ANTH 371Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs4
ENGL 445The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives4
HIST 457The American West4
HIST 458History of California4
GERO 433Ethnicity and Aging4
JOUR 466Minorities and the Media4
LING 375Sociolinguistics4
POSC 421Ethnic Politics4
POSC 441Cultural Diversity and the Law4
SOCI 342Race Relations4
SOCI 355Immigrants in the United States4
SWMS 364Racial and Ethnic Women in America4
SWMS 384Overcoming Prejudice4
THTR 526Seminar in Dramatic Literature4

Chicano/Latino Studies

Chicano/Latino Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide students with a critical understanding of the historical, cultural, social and political experience of Chicanos and Latinos, with a particular emphasis on the development and culture of the Chicano/Latino communities in California and the West as well as on both historical and contemporary effects of global issues on Chicano/Latino communities. By drawing upon courses in American Studies and by emphasizing comparative as well as interdisciplinary study, this program offers training in the analytic tools and methods of interpretation appropriate for studying the Chicano/Latino experience in its particularity and ethnic and cultural study in general. The program is particularly appropriate for students interested in integrating studies in the humanities and social sciences and for students preparing to work and interact with diverse communities and cultures in the United States and abroad in such fields as education, human services, business, journalism and public administration.

The program in Chicano/Latino Studies is administered by an advisory committee comprising a director and two other faculty members, one from the social sciences and one from the humanities. These faculty members serve as advisors to majors and minors, providing, in conjunction with the sequence of courses, a unique opportunity for students to undertake an interdisciplinary concentration under close faculty supervision.

Chicano/Latino Studies Major

Degree: B.A., American Studies and Ethnicity (Chicano/Latino Studies)

Core RequirementsUnits
AMST 202Interethnic Diversity in the West4
AMST 301America, the Frontier, and the New West4
AMST 350Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods4
200/300/400-Level Required CoursesUnits
One course from each of the following five categories:
History
HIST 472History of the Mexican-American4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 448Chicano and Latino Literature4
Social and Political Issues
ANTH 328Culture Change and the Mexican People4
SOCI 356Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society4
SOCI 366Chicana and Latina Experiences4
California and the West
GEOG 326Los Angeles Landscapes4
HIST 457The American West4
HIST 458History of California4
PPMT 408aLos Angeles Semester4
American Comparative Ethnicities and/or Gender
ANTH 315gNorth American Indians4
ANTH 316North American Indians in American Public Life4
ANTH 371Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs4
CTCS 407African American Cinema4
ENGL 445The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives4
ENGL 446African-American Poetry and Drama4
ENGL 447African-American Narrative4
ENGL 448Chicano and Latino Literature4
ENGL 449Asian American Literature4
ENGL 470Women in English and American Literature after 18004
ENGL 476Images of Women in Contemporary Culture4
HIST 378Introduction to Asian American History4
HIST 455Advanced Topics in African-American History4
GERO 433Ethnicity and Aging4
JOUR 466Minorities and the Media4
LING 375Sociolinguistics4
MUHL 486Jazz Masters of the 20th Century2
POSC 421Ethnic Politics4
POSC 427Black Politics in the American Political System4
POSC 441Cultural Diversity and the Law4
REL 469Black Religion in America4
SOCI 342Race Relations4
SOCI 355Immigrants in the United States4
SOCI 375Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity and Social Change4
SPAN 479Comparative Chicano/Mexican Cultures4
SWMS 305Sex/Gender/Sexuality as an Issue in American Public Life4
SWMS 364Racial and Ethnic Women in America4
SWMS 384Overcoming Prejudice4

Upper Division Electives

Units
Two courses from:
ANTH 328Culture Change and the Mexican People4
ANTH 371Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs4
COLT 388U.S. Latino Fiction and the Literature of the Americas4
HIST 354Mexican Migration to the United States4
HIST 457The American West4
HIST 458History of California4
LING 375Sociolinguistics4
SOCI 342Race Relations4
SOCI 355Immigrants in the United States4
SOCI 356Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society4
SOCI 366Chicana and Latina Experiences4
SPAN 413Social and Geographic Varieties of Spanish4
SPAN 479Comparative Chicano/Mexican Cultures4

Program Minor

Core RequirementsUnits
AMST 202Interethnic Diversity in the West4
AMST 301America, the Frontier, and the New West4
AMST 350Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods4
200/300/400-Level Required CoursesUnits
One course from each category:
History
HIST 472History of the Mexican-American4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 448Chicano and Latino Literature4
Social and Political Issues
ANTH 328Culture Change and the Mexican People4
SOCI 356Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society4
SOCI 366Chicana and Latina Experiences4

Upper Division Elective

Units
One course from:
ANTH 328Culture Change and the Mexican People4
ANTH 371Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs4
COLT 388U.S. Latino Fiction and the Literature of the Americas4
HIST 354Mexican Migration to the United States4
HIST 457The American West4
HIST 458History of California4
LING 375Sociolinguistics4
POSC 421Ethnic Politics4
SOCI 342Race Relations4
SOCI 355Immigrants in the United States4
SOCI 356Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society4
SOCI 366Chicana and Latina Experiences4
SPAN 413Social and Geographic Varieties of Spanish4
SPAN 479Comparative Chicano/Mexican Cultures4

 

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