Undergraduate Program

College of Arts and Sciences and Department of American Studies Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

Transfer students must have a 2.00 transfer GPA.
Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

Completion of the University Writing and Speaking Core.
Completion of the University Mathematics Core.
Completion of the University Foreign Language Core.

Completion of Department of American Studies admission coursework with grades of "C" or better:

AMST 182 or 183 or 184 or 185 or 186.
AMST 285.

Degree Offered

Bachelor of Arts in American Studies (B.A.)
Concentration: Southwest Culture Studies.

Major Study Requirements

		Credit Hours
1.	Introductory course (AMST 182, 183, 184, 185 or 186)	3
2.	AMST 285: Perspectives in American Studies	3
3.	AMST 385: Theories and Methods in American Studies	3
4.	Interdepartmental Studies of American culture: after consultation with American Studies undergraduate advisor choose 15 credit hours of courses from at least two of the six areas listed below. 6 credit hours of this coursework must be from courses numbered 300 and above. Of the 15 credit hours required in this section and the 9 credit hours required in section 5.a below, 18 must be in American Studies.
	American Studies
	History
	Literature (English, Foreign Languages and Literatures)
	Political, economic and geographical studies
	Social and Cultural Systems (Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology)
	Arts, Humanities, and Communications (Philosophy, Linguistics, Fine Arts, Communication and Journalism, Comparative Literature)
	Natural History (Biology, Earth and Planetary Studies, Chemistry)
5.	Senior Program: after consultation with a faculty advisor, choose 12 credit hours in courses numbered 300 and above.
	a) 9 interdepartmental credit hours in courses centering around a particular topic or problem in American culture. Of the 9 credit hours required in 4 above (a total of 24), 18 must be in American Studies.	9
	b) AMST 485: Senior Seminar in the Culture of the United States	3
	Total	36

A minor (18–26 credit hours in another department) is required.

Concentration in Southwest Culture Studies

The wealth of courses in various departments and colleges at the University of New Mexico dealing with the American Southwest and the Mexican Borderlands supports this concentration. Recognizing the unique contributions of Southwest regional cultural development to the larger United States, the American Studies concentration in Southwest Culture Studies provides undergraduates and graduates with an interdisciplinary program that is both structured and flexible.

Requirements:

1) Courses designed to provide an introduction to interdisciplinary methods and a context for southwest studies:

AMST 186: Introduction to Southwest Studies (3)
AMST 285: Perspectives in American Studies (3)

2) 15 credit hours of Interdisciplinary Studies of Southwest Culture: In consultation with the American Studies undergraduate advisor, the student structures a coherent program of four related courses selected from five general areas: History and Literature, Social and Cultural Systems, Political and Economic Studies, Arts and Humanities and Natural History. The major portion of this coursework should center on a particular historical focus (Spanish Colonial, U.S. Territorial, Contemporary Southwest, etc.), ethnic or cultural experience (Chicano Experience, Southwest Native Americans) or specific geographical or environmental cases. Students are encouraged to develop a broad comparative analysis (for example, a U.S. national cultural context or a Latin American context) or an extended chronological emphasis, not simply a concentration on a single narrow topic.

3) AMST 385: Theories and Methods of American Studies (3)

4) Senior Program: After consultation with the American Studies undergraduate advisor, choose from courses numbered 300 and above, and a course in which the interdisciplinary implications of each student’s major topic are explored:

9 interdepartmental credit hours in courses centered around a specific topic or problem in Southwest Culture Studies. The theme of this final coursework generally emerges from the previous broad sampling (section 2 above). 6 credit hours should be in American Studies.
AMST 486: Senior Seminar in Southwest Studies (3)

Minor Study Requirements

Minor in American Studies

Undergraduate students majoring in the departments of Anthropology, Art History and Criticism, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science or Sociology may elect a minor in American Studies. Students in other majors need special approval of both their major advisor and the American Studies undergraduate advisor.

The minor in American Studies is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of the culture of the United States. The requirement is 24 credit hours, including 18 credit hours in American Studies: 3 credit hours from 182, 183, 184, 185, or 186; 285, 385 and 9 credit hours at the 300-level. Students take the remaining 6 credit hours in an integrated program chosen from other departments (Anthropology, Art History, Economics, English, Geography, History, Political Science, Philosophy, Psychology or Sociology) or American Studies courses. All of these 6 credit hours must be from courses at the 300-level or above. With proper selection of courses, a student may elect a minor in American Studies with an emphasis in African American, Chicano, Native American or Women Studies. A student may choose to focus his or her minor program on other important themes in American culture, such as the popular arts or ecology in America, or may emphasize the interdisciplinary study of a region or the nation as a whole. All students should consult with their major advisor and the American Studies undergraduate advisor as early as possible to obtain approval of their minor program.

Minor in Southwest Culture Studies

This minor is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of the culture of the Southwest. The requirement is 24 credit hours, including 18 credit hours in American Studies: 186, 285, 385, and 9 additional credit hours at the 300-level. Students take the remaining 6 credit hours in an integrated program chosen from other departments (Anthropology, Art History, Economics, English, Geography, History, Political Science, Philosophy, Psychology or Sociology) or American Studies courses. All of these 6 hours must be from courses at the 300-level or above. Within the minor, students may study the broad issue of Southwest Culture or focus on a specific area such as Native American Studies, Chicano Studies, or cultural ecology. Credit hour requirements are identical with the minor specified above with the exception that the student must take AMST 186: Introduction to Southwest Studies, as part of the 18 hours of required American Studies courses.

Departmental Honors

Students seeking departmental honors should apply to the American Studies undergraduate advisor in their junior year. In addition to maintaining a 3.20 overall grade point average, Honors candidates must also successfully complete 3 credit hours of AMST 499: Honors Thesis and AMST 485: Senior Seminar in the Culture of the United States, in their senior year.

Courses in American Studies (AMST) are categorized in areas of interest. The category for each course appears in parenthesis at the end of the course description according to the following legend:

General (G); Cultural Studies (C); Environmental and Social Justice (ESJ); Gender Studies (GS); Popular Culture (PC); Race, Class and Ethnicity (RCE); and Southwest Studies (SS).

Keys and Symbols Reference