Community and World

"Action to the scholar is secondary but essential."The great American writer and social gadfly Ralph Waldo Emerson made that challenge to intellectuals a century and a half ago.It is all the more important today, with globalization and vast American power on the world stage.We aim in American Studies not only to teach the culture and train in skills, but also to instill a sense of the relation between that work and the communities surrounding each student: campus, region, nation, and world.

All of our classes involve some service learning-some application of classroom materials to the community around us.This not only encourages community awareness, but also it helps students to understand the course material because it is now set in the context of lived experiences.In addition, a lot of these events and experiences are a lot of fun!

Learning in the Community/Learning from the Community

American Studies Guest Lecturers

Students in the World: The American Studies Department encourages students to set their education about the USA in a global context.Credits from Study Abroad Programs readily apply to course requirements in the College and the Department.Many of our courses have an international component; for example, AS370, War and Peace in American Culture, includes a Forum of International Students on America's Global Reach, in which American students meet students from around the world to hear what they think of the US and how the US has affected lives in their counties.In addition, students from many countries who are studying English on campus at the English Language Services (ELS) Language Center-DeLand, regularly visit our classes, where they can learn about the culture while they are learning the language; many American students strike up conversations with these international visitors and deepen their understanding of the US and the world.

International students in our midst: English Language Services (ELS): an organization for the teaching of English as a second language

Center for International Education: international education opportunities for Stetson students

Stetson's International Studies: opportunities for international students to study American studies in the US