This program is available at the following location:

• OSU-Cascades

Options available:

• American Culture and Identities
• Culture and Natural Environments
• General American Studies
• Pre-Law Studies

The mission of the American Studies major at OSU-Cascades is to prepare students to spark new thinking and practices in a broad range of fields including business, teaching, fine arts, arts administration, law, medicine, public service, and graduate programs in the humanities or social sciences. We do this by teaching students to read closely, write precisely, and reflect deeply on issues of equity, environment, and cultural diversity. We teach them to think critically, globally, and democratically, conduct research, and navigate a complex and ever-evolving information society. Our emphasis on reading, writing, reflecting, thinking critically, conducting research, and cultivating information literacy aligns with the mission of the School of Writing, Literature, and Film. In American studies, we inculcate the values of critical thinking, search out and create new knowledge, while at the same time connecting the present and the future to the past, a past which informs our present and helps us think about the future.

Major Code: 865

Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:

• Broad, critical knowledge of American cultural history.
• Demonstrate the ability to write clear analytical prose.
• Ability to read and assess documentary evidence from a variety of written genres.
• Capacity to compare and integrate knowledge from several disciplinary perspectives.
• Developed research skills, including handling of primary and secondary sources, library use and online scholarly search tools.
• Ability to interpret and synthesize the meaning in American culture of a range of material objects.
• Familiar with the importance of American cultural contexts in a global society.
• Developed sense of engaged, critical citizenship.

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Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)

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Writing Intensive Course (WIC)

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60 upper-division credits are required in the total of 180, inclusive of major, option, elective and BCC credits

Major Code: 865

Degree plans are subject to change and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them. Contact details for advisors can be found on the Academic Advising page.

American Studies BA

American Studies BS