American Studies

American Studies Department: 

Department website: https://americanstudies.columbia.edu/

Office location: 319-321 Hamilton; 212-854-6698

Office contact: 212-854-6698, amerianstudies@columbia.edu 

Director: Prof. Hilary Hallett, 319 Hamilton; 212-854-6698; hah2117@columbia.edu

Assistant Director: Michael Gately, 319 Hamilton; 212-854-6544; mg3898@columbia.edu

Associate Director: Robert Amdur, 311 Hamilton; 212-854-4049; rla2@columbia.edu

Administrative Assistant: Arelis Herrera, 319 Hamilton; 212-854-6698; ah3115@columbia.edu

The Study of American Studies 

The Center for American Studies offers students the opportunity to explore the experiences and values of the people of the United States as embodied in their history, literature, politics, art, and other enduring forms of cultural expression. The Center views civic education as its primary mission, sponsoring seminars and public programs that enhance students’ understanding of the fundamental ideas and vocabulary of public discourse in American culture, history, and politics. The Center is the institutional home of the American Studies program, which offers an interdisciplinary, seminar-based curriculum designed to be open and flexible while preparing students for a life of active citizenship.

Student Advising

Each American Studies major or concentrator chooses an academic adviser who monitors their progress through graduation. Students work with advisors to develop programs tailored to their particular interests. Advisors approve Plan of Study forms and provide general guidance regarding the major and concentration. Each student is expected to meet with an advisor at least once a semester.

Undergraduate Research and Senior Thesis

Senior Research Project 

The final requirement for the major in American Studies is completion of a senior essay, to be submitted in the spring of senior year.

Alternatively, students may fulfill this requirement by taking an additional seminar in which a major paper is required or by writing an independent essay under the supervision of a faculty member. Seniors who wish to do a senior research project are required to take the Senior Project Colloquium the fall of the senior year. 

Department Honors and Prizes

Department Honors 

Students with a 3.6 minimum GPA in the major and an outstanding senior project are considered for honors. Normally no more than 10% of graduating majors receive departmental honors in a given year.

Academic Prizes 

• Best Senior Thesis in American Studies

• Shenton Award; Outstanding Community Service

Seminar Faculty

• Hilary A. Hallett
• Roosevelt Montás
• Casey N. Blake
• Lynne Breslin
• Ryan Carr
• Jeremy A. Dauber 
• Andrew Delbanco
• Michael Hindus
• Roger Lehecka
• Paul Levitz
• Mark Lilla
• Thai S. Jones
• John H. McWhorter
• Valerie Paley
• Robert Pollack
• Ross Posnock
• Cathleen Price
• Benjamin Rosenberg
• James Shapiro
• Maura Spiegel

Affiliated Faculty

• Rachel Adams (English and Comparative Literature)
• Robert Amdur (Political Science)
• Courtney Bender (Religion)
• George A. Chauncey (History)
• Racquel Gates (Film and Media Studies)
• Farah Jasmine Griffin (English and Comparative Literature)
• Frank A. Guridy (History)
• Richard R. John (Journalism)
• Ira I. Katznelson (Political Science and History)
• Rebecca A. Kobrin (History)
• Michele M. Moody-Adams (Philosophy)
• Mae Ngai (Asian American Studies and History)
• Ross Posnock (English and Comparative Literature; American Studies)
• Shana L. Redmond (English and Comparative Literature)
• James Shapiro (English and Comparative Literature)
• Michael J. Witgen (History)

Guidance for Undergraduate Students in the Department

Program Planning for all Students

Students may choose American Studies as an undergraduate major or a concentration. A minimum of 9 courses is required to complete the major, 7 courses to complete the concentration. Coursework for both consists of a combination of required courses (see degree requirements below) and an individualized program of study.

Although students generally declare their major or concentration in the spring of their sophomore year, you may want to take electives early on in areas that interest you but that will later connect with the American Studies major.

Undergraduate Programs of Study

Major in American Studies

A minimum of nine courses is required to complete the major.  Please note that as of January 2018 Major requirements have changed, beginning with the Class of 2020.  Please consult with the department if there are any questions.

Course List

Code	Title	Points
Two American Studies Core courses.
The following two courses are ordinarily required:
AMST UN1010	INTRO TO AMERICAN STUDIES
HIST UN2478	US INTELLECTUAL HIST 1865-PRES
or AMST UN3930	Topics in American Studies
Please note, the AMST UN3930 section MUST be Freedom and Citizenship in the U.S. to count towards the core course requirement
Two seminars in American Studies
AMST UN3930	Topics in American Studies
AMST UN3931	Topics in American Studies
Additional Courses
Four courses drawn from at least two departments, one of which must be in History and one of which must deal primarily with some aspect of American experience before 1900. (A course in U.S. History before 1900 would fulfill both requirements.)
Senior Research Project
The final requirement for the major in American Studies is completion of a senior essay, to be submitted in the spring of senior year. Alternatively, students may fulfill this requirement by taking an additional seminar in which a major paper is required or by writing an independent essay under the supervision of a faculty member. Seniors who wish to do a senior research project are required to take the Senior Project Colloquium AMST UN3920 in the fall of the senior year.

Minor in American Studies

A minimum of five courses is required to complete the minor. Minors will be required to take the core introductory course required for Majors, one American Studies seminar, and three additional courses:

One American Studies Core course

Minors are required to take the core lecture course AMST UN1010 INTRO TO AMERICAN STUDIES

This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of the values and cultural expressions of the people of the United States from the Puritans to our own time. Students will examine a variety of works in literature, history, and cultural criticism, with an eye to understanding how Americans of different backgrounds, living at different times and in different locations, have understood and argued about the meaning and significance of American national identity. Lectures and readings will give particular attention to the sites—real and imagined—where Americans have identified the promise and perils of American life. Two lectures each week and a required weekly discussion section.

One seminar in American Studies

Chosen from among the 3000-level AMST seminars. Normally, eight or nine seminars are offered each semester.

Recent offerings include:
The Supreme Court in American History
Shakespeare in America
American Jewish Literature
Freedom and Citizenship in the United States
Douglass and Lincoln
Gender History and American Film
American Cultural Criticism
Immigrant New York
The Problem of Class in American Literature and Culture
A Tale of Two Cities: New York, San Francisco, and Urban Identity
Tocqueville: The American Mind
Race, Poverty, and American Criminal Justice
Equity in Higher Education
Museums, Memory, and American Public Culture
Hollywood’s Cinema of the 1970s
Languages of America
The Graphic Novel (AMST UN 3933)
Journalism and Democracy: The 2024 Election (AMST UN3937)

Additional Courses

In addition to the introductory course and one American Studies seminar, every Minor is required to take three additional courses on American history, culture, or politics. As with our Majors, these courses can be drawn from a wide range of departments. All courses must be approved by the student’s American Studies advisor. A representative list includes:

AFAS UN1001, Introduction to African American Studies
CSER UN3940, Comparative Study of Constitutional Challenges
ENGL UN2826, American Modernism
ENGL BC3180, American Literature, 1800-1870
ENGL BC3183, American Literature Since 1945
ENGL UN3241, African American Literature: The Essay
ENGL UN3351, The Family in Film and Memoir
ENGL UN3832, New York Intellectuals
HIST UN1488, Indigenous History of North America
HIST UN1512, The Battle for North America
HIST UN2432, U.S. Era of Civil War and Reconstruction
HIST UN2523, Health Inequality: Modern U.S.
HIST UN2533, U.S. Lesbian and Gay History
HIST UN2535, History of the City of New York
HIST UN2540. History of the South
HIST UN2565, American History at the Movies
HIST UN2587, Sports and Society in the Americas
HIST UN2679, The Atlantic Slave Trade
HIST UN3501, Indians and Empires in North America
HIST GU4518, Columbia University and Slavery
HIST GU4933, American Radicalism in the Archives
POLS UN1201, Introduction to American Politics
POLS UN3100, Justice
POLS UN3213, American Urban Politics
POLS UN3222, The American Congress
POLS UN3255, Race and the U.S. Carceral System
POLS UN3290, Voting and American Politics
RELI UN1612, Religion and the History of Hip Hop
RELI GU4217, American Religions in Extremis
SOCI UN3265, The Sociology of Work and Gender

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For students who entered Columbia in or before the 2023-24 academic year

Concentration in American Studies

A minimum of 7 courses is required to complete the concentration. Please consult with the department if there are any questions.

Course List

Code	Title	Points
Two American Studies Core courses.
The following are ordinarily required:
AMST UN1010	INTRO TO AMERICAN STUDIES
HIST UN2478	US INTELLECTUAL HIST 1865-PRES
or AMST UN3930	Topics in American Studies
Please note, the AMST UN3930 section MUST be Freedom and Citizenship in the U.S. to count towards the core course requirement
Additional Courses
Select five additional courses drawn from at least two departments, one of which must be in History, and one of which must deal with the period before 1900.