Academic Catalog
Introduction
American Studies at Manhattanville is the interdisciplinary study of North American culture and society. The program's required core course sequence focuses on major themes in American Studies through the study of American landscapes and places.
Manhattanville American Studies graduates are pursuing careers in business, journalism, librarianship, teaching, historic preservation, museum work, publishing, marketing, nonprofit work and broadcasting, and have completed graduate programs in American Studies, History, Management, Political Science, and Law.
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Optional Minors
Students can also choose to minor in American Studies
Career Ideas
Administrative Law Judge, Archivist, Community Outreach Specialist, Corporation Lawyer, Editorial Writer, Funds Development Administrator, Historian, Market Research Analyst, Museum Curator, Publications Editor, Social & Community Service Manager, Social & Human Service Assistant, and Social Service Volunteer
Program Administrators
Colin Morris, Program Chair, (914)323-5144, Colin.Morris@mville.edu
Overview
American Studies is the interdisciplinary study of North American culture and society, and Manhattanville College offers it as a major and a minor. Earning a major or minor in American Studies requires the comprehensive study of North America’s social and political institutions, intellectual and religious traditions, economic systems, and cultural expressions.
The program prides itself on flexibility and an individualized approach which puts the students in the driver’s seat to self-design much of their program of study through other participating departments including Art History, Education, English, History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and World Religions.
A grade of C- or better is required for a course to be counted toward a major or minor in American Studies.
Faculty and Staff
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Colin Morris — American Places, political and intellectual history
AFFILIATED FACULTY
Lisa Krissoff Boehm — American cities, American women, African American history
Lawson Bowling — Recent U.S. social and economic history
Carmelo Comberiati — Music in American culture
Elizabeth Faber — American media and literature
Peter Gardella — Religion in America
Gillian Greenhill Hannum — American art history
Patrick Redding – 19th and 20th c. American literature and intellectual history
Van Hartmann — 19th c. American literature, American film
James Jones — African American religions
Mohamed Mbodj — African-American history
Matthew Pauley — Constitutional law
The major in American Studies requires successful completion of a total of ten 3-credit courses and a senior evaluation project, for a total of 33 credits. The course of study must include:
American Places I: Cities On a Hill |
|
American Places II: Frontier Nation |
Senior Evaluation: thesis or other supervised project. |
The minor in American Studies consists of five courses for a total of 15 credits.
Two required courses:
One "core" AMS course
either
AMS 2021 American Places I: Cities on a Hill
or
AMS 2022 American Places II: Frontier Nation
Note: A grade of C - or better is required for a course to be counted toward a major or minor in American Studies.
Graduation honors are awarded to students who have earned a G.P.A. of 3.6 or higher in their major courses and who have completed an outstanding senior evaluation project.
The following list indicates courses in various departments that can be counted for full credit in American Studies. Other courses can also be counted toward the American Studies major or minor on approval by the program director.
Art History
ARH 2013/ ARH 2014 |
American Art I & II |
ARH 1021 |
Colonial American Art and Life |
ARH 3029/5029 |
Hudson River Painters |
English
ENG 2050/ ENG 2051/ |
American Literature I, II, III |
ENG 1016 |
Intro to American Literature |
ENG 2047 |
Jazz Age |
ENG 3050 |
American Poetry |
ENG 3057 /ENG 5057 |
Hawthorne, Melville, Poe |
ENG 2076 |
American Literature after 1945 |
ENG 3117 |
Reading and Writing Literature in the Digital Era |
ENG 3118 |
Major Modern Authors: Fitzgerald & Hemingway |
History
Development of America I & II |
|
HIS 2005 |
Recent American History |
HIS 2020 |
American History Through Film |
American Economic History |
|
HIS 2036 |
History of New York City |
American Sports History |
|
HIS 2009 |
The American Civil War |
HIS 2060 |
Reconstruction and the New South |
HIS 3001 |
California and the American West |
HIS 3007 |
Gilded Age of America |
African-American History |
|
HIS 3015 |
Civil War Writers |
HIS 3052 |
History of Women in the US |
HIS 3067 |
Topics in American Sports History |
HIS 3072 |
The American Transcendentalists |
HIS 3080 |
The American Century |
HIS 3086 |
Early America |
HIS 3113 |
American Assassins |
HIS 3123 |
The Mississippi |
Music
History of Jazz |
|
MUH 3005 |
Music in American Culture |
Pop Songs and the Music Business |
Philosophy
PHL 2050 |
American Philosophy |
Political Science
POS 1031 |
Introduction to American Government |
POS 2013 |
Women and Politics |
POS 2031 |
Presidential Elections |
POS 2038 |
American Presidency |
POS 3012 |
Politics of the Environment |
POS 3067 |
Power, Politics and Passion: Women and the 21st Century |
POS 3070 |
State and Local Government |
POS 3080 |
Select Public Policy Issues |
POS 3081 |
The Public Policy of Science and Technology |
POS 3093 |
The United States as a Pacific Power |
Sociology
SOC 2011 |
Wealth and Power in America |
Women and Work |
|
Sports and Society |
|
SOC 3051/ |
Mass Media and Society |
World Religions
WREL 1017 |
Modern American Religions |
African-American Religion |
|
Religion in America |
Catalog Links