Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
American Studies and Ethnicity
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 Ethnicity 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.
Asian American Studies is administered by an executive committee comprising the chair, directors of the four majors and other faculty members. In addition to the college academic adviser, the directors of the majors serve as advisers 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 Requirements | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| AMST 200 | Introduction to American Studies and Ethnicity | 4 |
| AMST 350 | Junior Seminar in American Studies and Ethnicity: Theories and Methods | 4 |
| AMST 498* | Senior Seminar in American Studies and Ethnicity | 4 |
| 200/300/400-Level Required Courses | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| One course from each of the following categories: | ||
| History | ||
| AMST 378 | Introduction to Asian American History | 4 |
| Literature and Culture | ||
| AMST 377 | Legacies of Viet Nam | 4 |
| AMST 449 | Asian American Literature | 4 |
| REL 336 | Re-viewing Religion in Asian America | 4 |
| Social and Political Issues | ||
| AMST 220 | The Making of Asian America | 4 |
| AMST 365 | Leadership in the Community — Internship | 4 |
| AMST 389 | Carceral Geographies | 4 |
| POSC 328 | Asian American Politics | 4 |
| SOCI 375 | Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity | 4 |
| SOCI 376 | Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities | 4 |
| upper-division elective courses | units | |
|---|---|---|
| Additional courses for a total of 16 units from the lists above or below, or other American Studies and Ethnicity courses with the approval of the Asian American Studies director, 300 level or higher. No more than two total courses in the major may be taken outside the college. | ||
| AMST 301 | America, the Frontier, and the New West | 4 |
| AMST 320 | Social Construction of Race and Citizenship | 4 |
| AMST 348 | Race and Environmentalism | 4 |
| AMST 353 | Race and Racism in the Americas | 4 |
| AMST 490x | Directed Research | 1–8, max 12 |
| AMST 493 | Senior Honors Thesis in American Studies and Ethnicity | 4 |
| AMST 499 | Special Topics | 2–4, max 8 |
| COMM 458 | Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts | 4 |
| POSC 424 | Political Participation and American Diversity | 4 |
| SOCI 432 | Racial and Ethnic Relations in a Global Society | 4 |