American Studies Major with Inclusive Education

Coordinator: Mary T. Bush, Ph.D., Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs

The American Studies major, leading to a B.A. degree, is an interdisciplinary approach that gives students an opportunity to concentrate on the development of American civilization as a whole rather than from the perspective of a separate department or discipline. Students choose from courses focusing on the study of American civilization in the areas of the Fine Arts (Art, Music, Theatre Arts), the Humanities (History, Literature, Philosophy, Religious Studies) and Natural and Social Sciences (Science, Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Sociology)

Students seeking initial certification in the Inclusive Education (Quadruple Certification Grades 1-9) program may major in American Studies. Students are required to have a GPA of 2.7 at the end of the Junior year to continue in the education program.

American Studies Core

Students are required to take 36 credits in American Studies courses - 18 credits in the major core, 12 credits in an area of concentration (Fine Arts, Humanities, or Natural and Social Sciences) and 6 credits in electives from one or both areas not chosen as the area of concentration.

Major Core Requirements

AMS 440 - American Studies Seminar Credits: 3
AMS 499 - American Studies Comprehensive Credits: 0
ENGL 203 - Voices in American Literature I Credits: 3
ENGL 204 - Voices in American Literature II Credits: 3
HIS 205 - PI American Republic I: Exploration Through Reconstruction Credits: 3
HIS 206 - PI American Republic II: Gilded Age to the Present Credits: 3
PHL 260 - PII American Philosophy Credits: 3

Related Area of Concentration

In addition to the Major Core Requirements above, students select 12 credits from an area of concentration: Fine Arts (Art, Music, Theatre Arts); Humanities (History, Literature, Philosophy, Religious Studies); Natural and Social Sciences (Science, Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Sociology).

American Studies Electives

Students Select 6 credits in electives from outside the area of concentration - six from one area or three from each of two areas.

If the related area of concentration is Fine Arts, students may choose 6 credits from either the Humanities or the Natural and Social Sciences or three credits each from the Humanities and the Natural and Social Sciences.

If the related area of concentration is the Humanities, students may choose 6 credits from either the Fine Arts or Natural and Social Sciences or three credits each from Fine Arts and Natural and Social Sciences.

If the related area of concentration is the Natural and Social Sciences, students may choose 6 credits from either Fine Arts or Humanities or three credits each from Fine Arts and Humanities.

The subject matter for Selected Studies/Special Topics courses must be American in nature for them to count toward this requirement.

Please note that this list of elective courses may change from year to year as departments add or delete courses.

Required Courses for Inclusive Education

The following courses are required for Quad Inclusive Education certification. The Quad Inclusive program includes: Childhood Education (Grades 1-6), Childhood with Disabilities (Grades 1-6), Middle Childhood (Grades 5-9), and Middle Childhood with Disabilities (Grades (5-9).

EDU 090 - Orientation to the Personal Electronic Portfolio Credits: 0 (Fall Only)
EDU 204 - History and Philosophy of Education Credits: 3
EDU 475 - Health Education, Child Abuse, and Violence Prevention Workshop Credits: 0
INCL 355 - Introduction to Literacy and Differentiated Learning Credits: 3 (Fall Only)
INCL 360 - Inclusive Practices in the Construction Of Meaning in Mathematics/Science/ Social Studies Credits: 3 (Spring Only)
INCL 370 - Learning Theory and Curriculum for Diverse Learners Credits: 3 (Fall Only)
INCL 372 - Developmentally Appropriate Strategies For Reading in the Content Areas Credits: 3 (Spring Only)
INCL 440 - Curriculum and Planning for Diverse Learners Credits: 3 (Summer Only)
INCL 441 - Field Work in Inclusion At the Elementary Level Credits: 3 (Summer Only)
INCL 455 - Behavior Management Credits: 3 (Fall Only)
INCL 460 - Integrating the Arts for Individualized Needs Credits: 3 (Fall Only)
INCL 464 - Reflective Seminar Credits: 3 (Fall Only)
INCL 466 - Student Teaching Credits: 6 (Fall Only)
INCL 474 - Current Issues in Inclusive Education Credits: 3 (Spring Only)

American Studies Senior Experience

The Senior Experience (AMS 440) integrates the methods and materials of the interdisciplinary major. The seminar topic changes from year to year based on the needs and interests of the students. Particular attention is given to social and cultural aspects of the course. In addition senior majors take a comprehensive examination (AMS 499) - incorporating ideas from the various areas of study. This examination has both a written part and then an oral discussion of the work