USC
University of Southern California
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Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Arts, American Studies and Ethnicity (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 executive committee comprising the program director, directors of the four majors and other faculty members. In addition to the college academic advisor, the directors of the majors serve as advisors to majors and minors, providing, in conjunction with the sequence of courses, an opportunity for students to undertake an interdisciplinary concentration under close faculty supervision. It is recommended that students meet with the appropriate major director to plan a coherent set of courses to fulfill the major or minor requirements.

Program Major Requirements
Ten courses in Asian American Studies, or courses certified for Asian American Studies credit, are required. The 10 courses must be distributed as follows: the three core requirement courses of AMST 200, AMST 350 and AMST 498; one course from each of the following three lists: History, Literature and Culture, and Social and Political Issues; and additional elective courses for a total of 16 units chosen from the courses certified in Asian American Studies at the 300 level or above.

Core RequirementsUnits
AMST 200Introduction to American Studies and Ethnicity4
AMST 350Junior Seminar in American Studies and Ethnicity: Theories and Methods4
AMST 498*Senior Seminar in American Studies and Ethnicity4

*Honors students will substitute AMST 492 Research Methods in American Studies and Ethnicity.

200/300/400-Level Required CoursesUnits
One course from each of the following categories:
History
AMST 378Introduction to Asian American History4

Literature and Culture
AMST 377Legacies of Viet Nam4
AMST 449Asian American Literature4
REL 336Re-Viewing Religion in Asian America4

Social and Political Issues
AMST 220The Making of Asian America4
AMST 365Leadership in the Community--Internship4
POSC 328Asian American Politics4
SOCI 375Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity4
SOCI 376Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities4

upper division elective coursesunits

Additional courses for a total of 16 units from the lists above or below, 300 level or higher. No more than two total courses for the major may be taken outside the college.
AMST 301America, the Frontier, and the New West4
AMST 320Social Construction of Race and Citizenship4
AMST 374Exploring Ethnicity through Film4
AMST 490xDirected Research2-4, max 8
AMST 493Senior Honors Thesis in American Studies and Ethnicity4
AMST 499Special Topics2-4, max 8
COMM 458Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts4
GEOG 350Race and Environmentalism4
POSC 424Political Participation and American Diversity4
SOCI 432Racial and Ethnic Relations in a Global Society4