Academics
| American Studies | ||
|
American Studies Major & Minor Program Website What is American Studies? In American Studies, we use many perspectives to try to understand what makes America tick. In a sense, you're already a student of American Studies if you live in the United States or have visited here, or are just impacted by its culture. Whenever you shop, vote, travel, or read, you're involved in the process of culture watching. Understanding American culture can prepare students for many paths in life and lines of work. Our academic program in American Studies brings that informal approach to another level by providing you with more information, establishing contexts around your impressions and building your ability to evaluate your experiences carefully. American Studies is an interdisciplinary department with its own set of courses and opportunities for students to integrate knowledge from a variety of disciplines into their understanding of the diverse strands of American culture. We use multiple fields of study because life itself is interdisciplinary. At any moment, we are living out historical, literary, artistic, psychological, economic, political, religious, scientific, and other influences. Faculty Our faculty shares an enthusiasm for learning about American culture and working with students to develop their ability to understand and critically evaluate it.Our faculty includes:
The Stetson American Studies International (SASI) program is an exchange program for international students of American Studies. The Student Research in Science and Religion (2SR) program allows students to research topics relating to the cultural impact of science and religion and provides funding for students to work at an "internal internship" on campus with Paul Croce. Other learning opportunities for American Studies students include numerous experiential learning projects, student collaboration courses, research with professors on areas of mutual interest, and teaching apprenticeships for upper-class students. Course Information American Studies offers courses to help students in every field understand American culture, and with that to understand how their own disciplines operate in and around American contexts, and how American culture operates in the world. American Studies is a department whose interdisciplinary character has potential to serve as "refined general education," a place for thinking about the relations of the many parts of a general education. Students take about a third of their courses in a specialty (a major), and the rest outside any one specialty (general education, electives, etc.). What are the relations of the parts? An interdisciplinary program like American Studies can help students understand the connections. After all, life is interdisciplinary. American Studies offers a distinctive opportunity for students, one which is a reflection of our integration of disciplines and close work with many departments: students construct their own Focus Areas within the major using four courses (or two courses for the minor) from different departments dealing with thematic aspects of American culture. Students become the chairs of the Board of their education--and because the Focus Area can include courses taken outside the department, many students may already be many steps toward a major or minor and not even know it. This structure lends itself to student additions of American Studies as a double major or a minor to complement their majors--and increase their future market distinctiveness. American Studies offers many courses in the general education segments of the new curriculum beginning in fall 2009: First Year Seminars: Environmental Issues and Popular Culture. Junior Seminars: AMST350J, Social Responsibility; AMST351R, Nature and the American Marketplace; AMST352E, Darwinism and the Divine; and AMST353J, War and Peace. American Studies has a faculty extremely active in rigorous and experiential teaching, abundant scholarship and professional leadership that broadcasts Stetson's name widely, and extensive community engagement on campus and in the DeLand area. American Studies courses and activities deal directly with each of the segments of the Stetson Values Council: Religious and Spiritual Life, Ethical Decision-Making, Diversity (including Gender and Racial Equity), Environmental Responsibility, Community Service, and Health and Wellness. Course work in the cultural contexts and interdisciplinary dimensions of these values can foster student understanding of citizen differences, allowing students to develop their own values commitments. Internship Opportunities The department offers internships at local museums and historic sites, among other locations, for course credit or cash payment. These opportunities give students hands-on experience in a specific field that can provide career options later on. Career Opportunities Graduates in American Studies have gained a wide range of knowledge and skills that can be valuable in many professions -- communication (written and spoken) skills; a deep grounding in American history and cultural expression; critical thinking skills; and research experience. American Studies graduates have gone on to be college professors, university administrators, secondary school teachers, lawyers, journalists, and entertainment industry executives. American Studies is also excellent preparation for careers in television production, public history (including museum work), any humanities/social sciences graduate program, research institute work, government careers, and social service. Alumni Highlights Ian Guthrie '09, graduate school in Religious Studies at the University of Colorado; Cory Suter '08, Stetson University College of Law; Gina Iacona '08, Florida State University Law School; Alison Aragona '08, Stetson College of Law; Katie Turner (American Studies minor), graduate school in Women's Studies at the University of Florida; Brendan Kingsley '07, nearing completion of MFA in Photography at Savannah College of Art and Design; Traci Blake '06 received her MSW from the University of Georgia and is now at Stetson College of Law; Michael Chronister '02 is employed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and in graduate school in Sociology at the University of Central Florida; Shauna White '02 is teaching high school and preparing to apply to law school. Scholarships and Financial Aid Dian Christensen Award in American Studies for enthusiastic learning and sharing; The Clifton Family Scholarship for transfer students. |
Contact:
Paul Croce 386-822-7533 pcroce@stetson.edu Full Time Faculty: 2 Degrees Offered: Bachelor of Arts, Minor in American Studies. Our Students Intern at: Atlantic Records, Children's House Montessori School, Florida Department of Transportation, International American Studies Faculty in Austria, Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Nature Conservancy, West Volusia Historical Society. |
|
