Welcome to American Studies
[Please note: No new students are being accepted into this program at Penn State York.]
American Studies is an interdisciplinary major that examines American culture in both its contemporary and historical contexts. Courses typically cut across traditional
disciplinary boundaries in order to explore issues in American culture from a variety of scholarly perspectives. In this program, each student chooses three areas of emphasis among the disciplinary fields of American literature,
American history, American culture (religion, philosophy, art, and music), and American social sciences.
Flexibility and choice lie at the heart of the American Studies major. The student who wants a strong pre-law program could emphasize social sciences and history. Another student might be centrally interested in literature, arts, and media.
American Studies Field Trip
Designing a small cluster of courses would allow the student to pursue an interest in politics or women and the American experience. Adding a minor in Business, English, or Communication Arts and Sciences broadens the major or adds a pre-professional dimension to it. Often students transferring from another field or university find that much of their previous coursework will count toward this major.
Majors can apply their knowledge through internships in historical museums and libraries, in political and law offices, or in business settings. York, Harrisburg, and the lower Susquehanna Valley offer many opportunities for workplace experience as well as for field observation and research.