American Studies

Popular Electives

  • African-American Literature
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  • Mass Media and Society
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  • Popular Music in America
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • US Foreign Policy
  • Work and Workers in America

Recent Internships

  • Genesee Country Village and Museum
  • George Eastman Museum
  • Landmark Society of Western New York
  • Livingston County Historical Society Museum
  • New York Supreme Court

Alumni Spotlight

Katherine Peter '21

Majors: American Studies, History

Minor: Political Science

Career: Peter recently earned an MA in public history from American University and worked as a fellow at the White House Historical Association.

American Studies

Why study American studies at Geneseo?

American studies is committed to understanding American histories, cultures, institutions, and arts through multiple perspectives. Its interdisciplinary curriculum offers a wide range of courses that develop analytical, research, and communication skills necessary for success in a variety of fields. American studies emphasizes these and other skills as tools for civic engagement by illuminating social inequities, movements, and change.

The major integrates materials, themes, and approaches from diverse areas of study, including courses in history, literature, political science, sociology, communications, film and media studies, gender and sexuality studies, African American studies, and Native American studies. Students explore issues, frames, and theories of race, class, gender, ethnicity, and other aspects of American identity. Coursework examines the United States in global, transnational, cross-cultural, and comparative contexts.

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Students get a broad grounding in the study of social issues in the United States as well as the flexibility to pursue their own intellectual interests and goals. American studies can help prepare students for a complex, shifting job market and a variety of careers.

Program Options

Additional Options

Program Highlights

  • Substantial flexibility for students to create an individualized pathway in the major
  • Opportunities to engage in project-based coursework, internships, study abroad, and a senior capstone seminar
  • Interdisciplinary coursework that can be paired with a second major
  • Center for Interdisciplinary Programs, a centralized home for independent majors outside of a traditional departmental structure

Sample Courses

  • Race, Prisons, and Policing
  • Topics in American Studies: Immigration Nation
  • Topics in American Studies: Legacies of Slavery

Example Career Fields

  • Academia
  • Education
  • Government
  • Library Sciences
  • Law
  • Media
  • Museum Management
  • Social Activism

Recent Grad Schools

  • American University
  • Ohio University
  • University of Buffalo

Contact Info

Caroline Woidat, Program Coordinator
woidat@geneseo.edu
Welles Hall 228A
585-245-5271

American Studies

American Studies Faculty

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