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American Studies - B.A. Program Requirements PDFDownload to print

Admission to the program is temporarily suspended and will resume contingent on university approval procedures.

Type Legend: DD Diversity–Domestic; DG Diversity–Global; ELR Experiential Learning; KAD Kent Core Additional; KBS Kent Core Basic Sciences; KCM Kent Core Composition; KFA Kent Core Fine Arts: KHU Kent Core Humanities; KMC Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning; KSS Kent Core Social Sciences; WIC Writing Intensive

Please read the sections in the University Catalog on Kent Core, diversity, writing-intensive and the experiential learning requirements.

I. DESTINATION KENT STATE: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE (1 credit)
Type Course Title Credits
  US 10097 Destination Kent State: First Year Experience 1
II. MAJOR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (54-57 credits)* Courses count in major GPA
Type Course Title Credits
  AMST 10001 Introduction to American Studies 3
    40197 Senior Colloquium 3
  Choose from the following: English
9
  ENG 33001 U.S. Literature to 1865 (3)
 
    33002 U.S. Literature from 1865 to 1945 (3)

    33003 U.S. Literature from 1945 to Present (3)

DD
  34021 Women's Literature (3)

    36001 Literary Criticism (3)

    39695 Special Topics in Ethnic Literature of the United States (3)


Choose from the following: History
9
  HIST 31070 History of American Business Enterprise (3)

DD
41056 History of Colonial America: 1492-1714 (3)

DD
41057 Eighteenth-Century America: 1714-1789 (3)

DD

41070 American Social and Intellectual History 1790-1876 (3)

DD

41071 American Social and Intellectual History 1876-Present (3)
 
41074 American Economic History (3)

 
41079 Migrations to America, 1607 to Present (3)

 
41083 U.S. Foreign Relations Through World War I (3)

 
41084 U.S. Foreign Relations from 1920 (3)

  Choose from the following: Humanities
12-15
  ARTH 42056 American Art: 1607-1860 (3)

 
42057 American Art and Architecture: 1860-1940 (3)

 
42058 History of Photography (3)

  JMC 40008 History of American Mass Communication (3)

  MUS 42131 America's Music (3)
DD

42161 History of Jazz (3)

DD PAS 33110 The Black Women (3)

 
35100 Black Social and Political Thought (3)



35200 African Social and Political Systems (3)



41192 Practicum in African American Affairs (3)



42500 Black Education in America (3)



49095 Selected Topics (2-3)

WIC PHIL 31010 Twentieth-Century Philosophy (3)

WIC
31020 American Philosophy (3)



41060 Pragmatism (3)

DD WMST 30000 Colloquium in Women's Studies (3)


Choose from the following: Social Sciences
12
DG
KSS
ANTH 18210 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)



48270 Native Peoples of North America (3)

DD ECON 32083 The Economics of Poverty (3)

DD
KSS
GEOG 17064 Geography of the United States and Canada (3)



42064 Historical Geography of the United States and Canada (3)


POL 40112 Politics and the Mass Media (3)

 
40116 Public Opinion and Political Behavior (3)



40830 U.S. Foreign Policy (3)

  Choose from the following: Upper-division major electives
Choose courses in consultation with the coordinator, with two areas represented.
6-9
  AMST 40095 Special Topics (3)  
    40096 Individual Investigation (1-3)  
  Anthropology upper-division electives(3-6)  
  English upper-division electives(3-6)  
  History upper-division electives (3-6)  
  Political Science upper-division electives (3-6)  
  Sociology upper-division electives (3-6)  
III. ADDITIONAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (66 credits)
Type Course Title Credits
  Kent Core Additional (must be from two categories) 6
  Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) 6-7
  Kent Core Composition 6-8
  Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each)
9
  Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning 3-5
  Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines)
6
  College General Requirements (must be from Kent Core Basic Sciences)**
3
  College General Requirements (must be from Foreign Language)
14-20
  College General Requirements (must be from Kent Core Social Sciences)***
3
  General Electives
Credits required depends on meeting minimum 121 credit hours and minimum 42 upper-division credit hours
10
MINIMUM TOTAL 121

*All courses taken from the list of major program requirements are used in the calculation of the major GPA.

**One additional course taken from the Kent Core Basic Science courses in the following Arts and Sciences disciplines: Anthropology (ANTH), Biological Sciences (BSCI), Chemistry (CHEM), Geography (GEOG), Geology (GEOL) or Physics (PHY). Students may take the courses listed in the "introductory" sequences with the restrictions noted above in the Kent Core Basic Science section. The course may not be from the student's major.

***One additional course taken from the Kent Core Social Sciences courses in the following Arts and Sciences disciplines: Anthropology (ANTH), Applied Conflict Management (CACM), Geography (GEOG), Criminology and Justice Studies (JUS), Political Science (POL), Psychology (PSYC) or Sociology (SOC). The course may not be from the student's major.

Foreign Language Note: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must have the equivalent of Elementary I and II in any language, plus one of the following options:
a. Intermediate I and II of the same language
b. Elementary I and II of a second language
c. Any combination of tow courses from the following list:
    -Intermediate I of the same language
    -MCLS 10001 Introduction to Structural Concepts for Language Students
    -MCLS 20000 Global Literacy and Cultural Awareness
    -MCLS 20091 Seminar: Global Literacy Case Studies

 

All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may begin their university foreign language experience beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and fewer courses. This may be accomplished by: (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level or (2) receiving credit through Credit by Exam (CBE), the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the Advanced Placement (AP) exam or credit through the International Baccalaureate (IB) program; or (3) being designated a "native speaker" of a non-English language (consult with the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office for additional information). When students complete the requirement with fewer than 14 credit hours and four courses, they will complete remaining hours with general electives.