Catalogue 2004-05

• USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
• American Studies and Ethnicity
  • Undergraduate Degrees
    • African American Studies
    • Asian American Studies
    • Chicano/Latino Studies
    • Minor in American Popular Culture
    • Minor in Jewish American Studies
    • Minor in Critical Approaches to Leadership
  • Graduate Degrees
  • Courses of Instruction

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.

American Studies 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 AMST 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 Life		Units
AHIS 370	Modern Art III: 1940 to the Present	4
ARCH 409	American Architecture and Urbanism	4
CTCS 392	History of the American Film, 1925-1950	4
CTCS 393	History of the American Film, 1946-1975	4
CTCS 464	Film and/or Television Genres	4
CTCS 469	Film and/or Television Style Analysis	4
ENGL 440	American Literature to 1865	4
ENGL 441	American Literature, 1865 to 1920	4
ENGL 442	American Literature, 1920 to the Present	4
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
ENGL 451	Periods and Genres in American Literature	4
ENGL 470	Women in English and American Literature after 1800	4
HIST 346	American Intellectual History	4
JOUR 461	Literature of Journalism	4
LING 115	Language, Society, and Culture	4
MUJZ 100x	Jazz, Ragtime, and Blues	4
MUJZ 486	Jazz Masters from World War II to the Present	2
PHIL 425	American Philosophy	4
POSC 375	American Political Thought	4
REL 341	Ethics in a Technological Society	4
REL 461	Business and Society	4
REL 469	Black Religion in America	4
REL 481	History of Religion in America	4

American Social and Institutional Life		Units
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
ANTH 105	Culture, Medicine and Politics	4
ECON 348	Current Problems of the American Economy	4
ENGL 441	American Literature, 1865 to 1920	4
ENGL 442	American Literature, 1920 to the Present	4
GEOG 331	Geography of the United States and Canada	4
GEOG 425	Historical Geography of the United States	4
HIST 341	American Social History	4
HIST 356	The Old South	4
HIST 357	The New South	4
HIST 457	The American West	4
HIST 472	History of the Mexican-American	4
JOUR 466	People of Color and the News Media	4
JOUR 467	Gender and the News Media	4
POSC 300	Principles, Institutions, and Great Issues of American Democracy	4
POSC 320	Urban Politics	4
POSC 333	Stigma and Society: Physical Disability in America	4
POSC 334	Interest Groups and Elite Behavior	4
POSC 422	Political Attitudes and Behavior	4
POSC 423	Presidents and the Presidency	4
POSC 425	Legislative Process	4
POSC 435	Politics and the Economy	4
POSC 437	Mass Media and Politics	4
REL 469	Black Religion in America	4
REL 481	History of Religion in America	4
SOCI 331	Cities	4
SOCI 345	Social Institutions	4
SOCI 360	Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power	4
SOCI 369	The Family in a Changing Society	4
SOCI 435	Women in Society	4

Gender and Ethnicity in America		Units
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
ANTH 315	North American Indians	4
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
ENGL 470	Women in English and American Literature after 1800	4
GEOG 350	Race and Environmentalism	4
HIST 355	The African-American Experience	4
JOUR 466	People of Color and the News Media	4
JOUR 467	Gender and the News Media	4
LING 375	Sociolinguistics	4
POSC 333	Stigma and Society: Physical Disability in America	4
POSC 381	Sex, Power, and Politics	4
POSC 421	Ethnic Politics	4
POSC 427	Black Politics in the American Political System	4
REL 469	Black Religion in America	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 360	Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power	4
SOCI 435	Women in Society	4
SWMS 301	Introduction to Feminist Theory and the Women's and Men's Movements	4
SWMS 364	Racial and Ethnic Women in America	4

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 Requirements		Units
AMST 202	Interethnic Diversity in the West	4
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
AMST 350	Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods	4

200/300/400-Level Required Courses		Units
One course from each of the following categories:
History
HIST 355	The African-American Experience	4
HIST 455	Advanced Topics in African-American History	4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
Social and Political Issues
POSC 427	Black Politics in the American Political System	4
California and the West
HIST 457	The American West	4
HIST 458	History of California	4
PPD 352a	Los Angeles Mini Semester	4
PPD 353a	Los Angeles Semester	4
American Comparative Ethnicities and/or Gender
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
ANTH 315	North American Indians	4
ANTH 316	North American Indians in American Public Life	4
ANTH 328	Culture Change and the Mexican People	4
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
ENGL 445	The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives	4
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
ENGL 449	Asian-American Literature	4
ENGL 470	Women in English and American Literature after 1800	4
ENGL 476	Images of Women in Contemporary Culture	4
GEOG 350	Race and Environmentalism	4
HIST 245	Gender and Sexualities in American History	4
HIST 354	Mexican Migration to the United States	4
HIST 378	Introduction to Asian American History	4
HIST 472	History of the Mexican-American	4
JOUR 466	People of Color and the News Media	4
LING 375	Sociolinguistics	4
POSC 421	Ethnic Politics	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 356	Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society	4
SOCI 366	Chicana and Latina Experiences	4
SOCI 375	Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity	4
SWMS 364	Racial and Ethnic Women in America	4
SWMS 384	Overcoming Prejudice	4

Upper Division Electives		Units
Two courses from:
CTCS 407	African American Cinema	4
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
HIST 356	The Old South	4
HIST 455	Advanced Topics in African-American History	4
MUJZ 486	Jazz Masters from World War II to the Present	2
REL 469	Black Religion in America	4

African American Studies Minor

Core Requirements		Units
AMST 202	Interethnic Diversity in the West	4
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
AMST 350	Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods	4

200/300/400-Level Required Courses		Units
One course from each category:
History
HIST 355	The African-American Experience	4
HIST 455	Advanced Topics in African-American History	4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
Social and Political Issues
POSC 427	Black Politics in the American Political System	4

Upper Division Elective		Units
One course from:
CTCS 407	African American Cinema	4
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
HIST 455	Advanced Topics in African-American History	4
MUJZ 486	Jazz Masters from World War II to the Present	2
REL 469	Black Religion in America	4

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 Requirements		Units
AMST 202	Interethnic Diversity in the West	4
AMST 220	The Making of Asian America	4
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
AMST 350	Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods	4

200/300/400-Level Required Courses		Units
One course from each of the following six categories:
History
HIST 378	Introduction to Asian American History	4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 449	Asian-American Literature	4
Social and Political Issues
SOCI 375	Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity	4
Contemporary Issues
SOCI 376	Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities	4
California and the West
HIST 457	The American West	4
HIST 458	History of California	4
PPD 352a	Los Angeles Mini Semester	4
PPD 353a	Los Angeles Semester	4
American Comparative Ethnicities and/or Gender
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
ANTH 315	North American Indians	4
ANTH 316	North American Indians in American Public Life	4
ANTH 328	Culture Change and the Mexican People	4
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
CTCS 407	African American Cinema	4
ENGL 445	The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives	4
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
ENGL 470	Women in English and American Literature after 1800	4
ENGL 476	Images of Women in Contemporary Culture	4
GEOG 350	Race and Environmentalism	4
HIST 245	Gender and Sexualities in American History	4
HIST 354	Mexican Migration to the United States	4
HIST 378	Introduction to Asian American History	4
HIST 455	Advanced Topics in African-American History	4
HIST 472	History of the Mexican-American	4
JOUR 466	People of Color and the News Media	4
LING 375	Sociolinguistics	4
MUJZ 486	Jazz Masters from World War II to the Present	2
POSC 421	Ethnic Politics	4
POSC 427	Black Politics in the American Political System	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
REL 469	Black Religion in America	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 355	Immigrants in the United States	4
SOCI 356	Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society	4
SOCI 366	Chicana and Latina Experiences	4
SOCI 375	Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity	4
SWMS 364	Racial and Ethnic Women in America	4
SWMS 384	Overcoming Prejudice	4

Asian American Studies Minor

Core Requirements		Units
AMST 202	Interethnic Diversity in the West	4
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
AMST 350	Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods	4

200/300/400-Level Required Courses		Units
One course from each category:
History
HIST 378	Introduction to Asian American History	4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 449	Asian-American Literature	4
Social and Political Issues
SOCI 375	Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity	4

Upper Division Elective		Units
One course from:
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
ENGL 445	The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives	4
HIST 457	The American West	4
HIST 458	History of California	4
JOUR 466	People of Color and the News Media	4
LING 375	Sociolinguistics	4
POSC 421	Ethnic Politics	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 355	Immigrants in the United States	4
SWMS 364	Racial and Ethnic Women in America	4
SWMS 384	Overcoming Prejudice	4
THTR 526	Seminar in Dramatic Literature	4

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 Requirements		Units
AMST 202	Interethnic Diversity in the West	4
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
AMST 350	Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods	4

200/300/400-Level Required Courses		Units
One course from each of the following five categories:
History
HIST 472	History of the Mexican-American	4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
Social and Political Issues
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
ANTH 328	Culture Change and the Mexican People	4
SOCI 356	Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society	4
SOCI 366	Chicana and Latina Experiences	4
California and the West
GEOG 340	Latino L.A.	4
HIST 457	The American West	4
HIST 458	History of California	4
PPD 352a	Los Angeles Mini Semester	4
PPD 353a	Los Angeles Semester	4
American Comparative Ethnicities and/or Gender
ANTH 315	North American Indians	4
ANTH 316	North American Indians in American Public Life	4
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
CTCS 407	African American Cinema	4
ENGL 445	The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives	4
ENGL 446	African-American Poetry and Drama	4
ENGL 447	African-American Narrative	4
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
ENGL 449	Asian-American Literature	4
ENGL 470	Women in English and American Literature after 1800	4
ENGL 476	Images of Women in Contemporary Culture	4
GEOG 350	Race and Environmentalism	4
HIST 245	Gender and Sexualities in American History	4
HIST 378	Introduction to Asian American History	4
HIST 455	Advanced Topics in African-American History	4
JOUR 466	People of Color and the News Media	4
LING 375	Sociolinguistics	4
MUJZ 486	Jazz Masters from World War II to the Present	2
POSC 421	Ethnic Politics	4
POSC 427	Black Politics in the American Political System	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
REL 469	Black Religion in America	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 355	Immigrants in the United States	4
SOCI 375	Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity	4
SWMS 364	Racial and Ethnic Women in America	4
SWMS 384	Overcoming Prejudice	4

Upper Division Electives		Units
Two courses from:
ANTH 328	Culture Change and the Mexican People	4
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
COLT 388	U.S. Latino Fiction and the Literature of the Americas	4
HIST 354	Mexican Migration to the United States	4
HIST 457	The American West	4
HIST 458	History of California	4
LING 375	Sociolinguistics	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 355	Immigrants in the United States	4
SOCI 356	Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society	4
SOCI 366	Chicana and Latina Experiences	4
SPAN 413	Social and Geographic Varieties of Spanish	4

Chicano/Latino Studies Minor

Core Requirements		Units
AMST 202	Interethnic Diversity in the West	4
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
AMST 350	Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods	4

200/300/400-Level Required Courses		Units
One course from each category:
History
HIST 472	History of the Mexican-American	4
Literature and Culture
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
Social and Political Issues
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
ANTH 328	Culture Change and the Mexican People	4
SOCI 356	Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society	4
SOCI 366	Chicana and Latina Experiences	4

Upper Division Elective		Units
One course from:
ANTH 328	Culture Change and the Mexican People	4
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
COLT 388	U.S. Latino Fiction and the Literature of the Americas	4
HIST 354	Mexican Migration to the United States	4
HIST 457	The American West	4
HIST 458	History of California	4
LING 375	Sociolinguistics	4
POSC 421	Ethnic Politics	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 355	Immigrants in the United States	4
SOCI 356	Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society	4
SOCI 366	Chicana and Latina Experiences	4
SPAN 413	Social and Geographic Varieties of Spanish	4

Minor in American Popular Culture

The interdisciplinary minor in American Popular Culture helps students to assess from a variety of perspectives the icons and ideas they encounter every day, to think critically about the images and assertions of the mass media and commercial culture, and to see the experience of popular culture as it interacts with questions of gender and ethnicity in the American context. Students choose five classes, including one upper-division elective, from a curriculum organized to explore: critical approaches to popular culture; gender and ethnicity in American popular culture; and popular culture in the arts. Twenty units are required, four at the lower-division and 16 at the upper-division level.

Lower division requirements		units
Choose one course (4 units)
AMST 206	The Politics and Culture of the 1960s	4
AMST 285	African American Popular Culture	4

upper division requirements		units
Choose four courses (16 units), at least one from each of the groups below.
Critical Approaches to Popular Culture: choose one (4 units)
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
COLT 365	Literature and Popular Culture	4
COMM 384	Interpreting Popular Culture	4
ENGL 392	Visual and Popular Culture	4
HIST 380	American Popular Culture	4
Gender and Ethnicity in American Popular Culture: choose one (4 units)
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
AMST 365	Leadership in the Community -- Internship	4
AMST 385	African American Culture and Society	4
AMST 395	African American Humor and Culture	4
ENGL 448	Chicano and Latino Literature	4
ENGL 449	Asian-American Literature	4
ENGL 476	Images of Women in Contemporary Culture	4
Popular Culture in the Arts: choose one (4 units)
AHIS 363	Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Contemporary Art	4
AHIS 370	Modern Art III: 1940 to the Present	4
CTCS 392	History of the American Film, 1925-50	4
CTCS 393	History of the American Film, 1946-75	4
CTCS 394	History of the American Film, 1977-Present	4
ENGL 375	Science Fiction	4
ENGL 471	Literary Genres and Film	4
ENGL 481	Narrative Forms in Literature and Film	4
HIST 481	Producing Film Histories	4
MUJZ 419	The Jazz Experience: Myths and Culture	4
MUSC 400	The Broadway Musical: Reflection of American Diversity, Issues and Experiences	4
MUSC 422	The Beatles: Their Music and Their Times	4
MUSC 450	The Music of Black Americans	4
PAS 400	Contemporary Public Art	4
Electives (4 units)
Choose one additional upper-division course from the lists above, in a department you have not already chosen for the minor.

Minor in Jewish American Studies

Jewish American Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide students with a critical understanding of the historical, cultural, social, political and religious experience of Jewish Americans, with a particular emphasis on the development and culture of Jewish communities in California and the West as well as on both historical and contemporary effects of global issues on American Jewish communities. By drawing upon courses in American Studies and by emphasizing comparative as well as interdisciplinary study, this program offers training in the analytical tools and methods of interpretation appropriate for studying the American Jewish 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.

Successful completion of 20 units in American Studies and Judaic Studies are required to qualify for the minor.

core requirements		units
AMST 202	Interethnic Diversity in the West	4
JS 300	American Jewish History	4
Three courses from the following:
AMST 301	America, the Frontier, and the New West	4
AMST 350	Seminar in Ethnic Studies: Theories and Methods
JS 330	Jewish Power, Powerlessness, and Politics in the Modern Era	4
JS 381	The Jew in American Society	4
JS 382	Judaism as an American Religion	4
JS 383	Jews in American Popular Culture	4
JS 415	The American Jewish Experience in Film	4
JS 428	Blacks and Jews: Conflicts and Alliances	4

Minor in Critical Approaches to Leadership

See the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies.

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