Apr 16, 2024

2019-2020 General Catalog

2019-2020 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 logon to DegreeWorks to check student-specific program progress.

Bachelor of Science Degree

Students desiring a (BS) Bachelor of Science degree must complete all requirements listed in the sample four-year plan below:

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Students desiring a (BA) Bachelor of Arts degree must complete the language proficiency requirements in one of the following ways: * (in addition to the (BS) Bachelor of Science degree requirements)

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language by successful completion of one course at the 2020-level or higher (or its equivalent) OR
Demonstration of proficiency in American Sign Language by successful completion of American Sign Language IV (COMD 4920) and Socio-Cultural Aspects of Deafness (COMD 4780), and by passing an exit interview OR
Demonstration of proficiency in two foreign languages by successful completion of the 1020 course level in one language and the 2010 course level in the second language (or its equivalent) OR
Completion of an upper-division (3000-level or higher) foreign language grammar or literature course requiring the 2020 course level (or its equivalent) as a prerequisite. Conversation courses cannot be considered for satisfying this requirement.

For nonnative English-speaking students only, the following options are available:

Successful completion of the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) program for international students OR
TOEFL, Michigan, or IELI placement scores high enough to meet the University admission criteria.

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: highest Math Requirement for this degree is Quantitative Literacy (QL) course of 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 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 Course	3
American History/Government Course	3		American Environmental Science Course	3
American Social Science Course	3		Elective Course	3
Elective	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
American Studies Internship	3		Elective	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, Career

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

Minimum Grade Accepted: C in major courses

To obtain a degree in American Studies, students must complete a total of 42 credits for major and 18 credits in a required minor. 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 5340).

The American Studies final course, a senior capstone (ENGL 5340), 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 American Studies major.

Credits in Residence

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

Course Requirements

A. Required Core Courses (6 credits)

B. Foundation Requirements

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 six 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 if they would like to pursue a focus in writing.

Note: Topics must be American; requires approval of advisor.

Note: Courses cannot be double counted. For instance, a student may use ENGL/HIST 3700: Regional Folklore to count for their “American Literature and Folklore” category retirement, but they cannot also use it to count towards their requirement for six upper-division courses.

3. Internship (3 credits)

All American Studies majors must complete an internship as part of their degree program. When completing their internship, students must register for ENGL 4900: Internship/Cooperative Work Experience.

ENGL 4900 - Internship/Cooperative Work Experience 1-15

4. Capstone Seminar (required for all majors):

ENGL 5430 - Technical Communication Capstone (CI) 3
Note: Courses cannot be double-counted. For instance, a student may use ENGL/HIST 3700 (Regional Folklore) to fulfill only one of the following requirements: the American History and Government disciplinary area course or the American Literature and Folklore disciplinary area course. This one course cannot fulfill the requirement for a course in both disciplinary areas.

C. Diversity Requirement

All English majors are required to take one course that examines the experiences, perspectives, literatures, cultures, and/or creative expressions of underrepresented and/or marginalized communities. For this requirement, the USU English department includes communities who have been underrepresented or marginalized due to race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability and/or the intersections of these identities in conjunction with one another and with class.