Nov 21, 2024

2021-2022 General Catalog

2021-2022 General Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: To search archives, MUST use search box to left. Current catalog: catalog.usu.edu.

American Studies - BA, BS

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of English

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For more information about American Studies, see the American Studies website.

Following is a sample four-year plan. Please note that student-specific plans may differ.

Admitted students must meet with an academic advisor. Current students should also meet with their academic advisor and log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.

Minimum University Requirements
Total Credits	120	Grade Point Average (most majors require higher GPA)	2.00 GPA
Credits of C- or better	100	Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above)	40
Total USU Credits	30	Upper-division USU Credits	20
USU Credits within the Major	10	Credits in Minor (if required)	12
Credits in Major	see below	Credits in American Institutions	3
General Education Requirements	see link	University Studies Depth Requirements	see link
NOTES: The highest math requirement for this degree is a Quantitative Literacy (QL) course of the student’s choice.

Admissions Requirements for this Program
New freshmen	Admitted to USU in Good Standing			Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU	2.50 GPA

First Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
ENGL 1010: Introduction to Writing: Academic Prose (CL1)	3		ENGL 2010: Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode (CL2)	3
Any Quantitative Literacy (QL) course, but STAT 1040 or STAT 1045 are recommended.	3		ENGL 2630: Survey of American Culture (BHU)	3
Breadth Requirement	3		Breadth Requirement	3
Breadth Requirement	3		Breadth Requirement	3
Breadth Requirement	3		Elective Course	3
TOTAL CREDITS:	15		TOTAL CREDITS:	15
Comments			Comments

Second Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
Breadth Requirement	3		American Literature/Folklore Course	3
ENGL 2640: Introduction to Ethnic Studies (BHU)	3		American Arts/Media/Communication Course	3
American History/Government Course	3		American Environmental Studies Course	3
American Social Sciences Course	3		Elective Course	3
Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
TOTAL CREDITS:	15		TOTAL CREDITS:	15
Comments			Comments

Third Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
American Focus Upper-Division Course	3		American Focus Upper-Division Course	3
American Focus Upper-Division Course	3		American Focus Upper-Division Course	3
Communications Intensive (CI)	3		Quantitative Intensive (QI)	3
Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
TOTAL CREDITS:	15		TOTAL CREDITS:	15
Comments			Comments

Fourth Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
American Focus Upper-Division Course	3		ENGL 5430: Technical Communication Capstone (CI)	3
ENGL 4900: Internship/Cooperative Work Experience	1-15	3 credits required	Elective Course	3
Depth Social Sciences (DSS)	3		Depth Life and Physical Sciences (DSC)	3
Upper-Division Elective Course	3		Upper-Division Elective Course	3
Upper-Division Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
TOTAL CREDITS:	15		TOTAL CREDITS:	15
Comments			Comments

American Studies BA/BS

Minimum GPA for Admission: 2.50, major; 2.50, USU; 2.50, overall

Minimum GPA for Graduation: 2.50, major courses; 2.0, USU; 2.0, overall

Minimum Grade Accepted: C in major courses (courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis, except ENGL 4900 )

To obtain a degree in American Studies, students must complete a total of 42 credits for the major. These include 6 credits of required core courses (ENGL 2630 and ENGL 2640 ), 15 credits distributed across five disciplinary areas, 15 credits of upper-division courses, 3 credits of internship, and 3 credits for a capstone course (ENGL 5430 ).

The American Studies final course, a senior capstone (ENGL 5430 ), encourages graduating students to assess their coursework and set specific career goals. Students will compile a professional portfolio of their work, research job opportunities, and write a resume and cover letter. In doing so, this course will help them present their American Studies coursework and skill set in ways that will prepare them for the job market or for graduate study.

Students cannot use the same class to meet more than one requirement in the American Studies major.

Credits in Residence

Students must complete 21 credits of major-applicable coursework at Utah State University.

Course Requirements

A. Diversity Requirement

Students in the American Studies major must complete the Diversity Requirement. This requirement can be completed by taking ENGL 2640 , which is also a required course for the American Studies major. Students may also complete this requirement with any of the following courses:

B. Required Core Courses (6 credits)

C. Foundation Requirements

Double-counting: Courses cannot be double-counted. One course cannot be used to fulfill more than one Required Core, Disciplinary Area Exploration, or Upper-Division Focus Requirement.

Note: Some classes listed do not specifically note American content in the class title and the content must be approved by the program advisor for the class to be used toward the requirements. Please see advisor for courses that fall under this category.

1. Disciplinary Area Exploration (15 credits)

Choose five courses, one from each of the following disciplinary areas: 1) American History and Government, 2) American Literature and Folklore, 3) American Social Sciences, 4) American Environmental Studies, and 5) American Art, Media and Communication Studies. Courses fulfilling the requirement in each discipline are listed below.

American History and Government:

American Literature and Folklore:

American Social Sciences:

American Environmental Studies:

American Arts, Media and Communication Studies:

2. Upper-Division Focus Requirements (15 credits)

Choose five additional courses from any of the disciplinary areas listed above, with strong encouragement to focus these courses in a single disciplinary area. Any of the courses listed above can satisfy this requirement, as long as they are at the 3000 level or higher.

At this level, American Studies students also have the option of choosing from the following additional courses:

3. Internship (3 credits)

ENGL 4900 - Internship/Cooperative Work Experience 1-15

4. Capstone Seminar

ENGL 5430 - Technical Communication Capstone (CI) 3