American Studies (AB)

About this programme

Founded in 1969, the American Studies Program at Georgetown University offers an interdisciplinary major that encourages students to ask critical questions about power, identity, history, and American culture. The program provides a core of courses that help students develop new ways of thinking about the narratives and ideas that define this country. Students examine American ideals, such as equality and democracy, but they also consider how differences and conflicts challenge those ideals. In American Studies, students consider how cultural artifacts and practices, ranging from art and pop culture to protests and political campaigns, reflect and influence social trends. In our courses, students might trace how eighteenth-century paintings comment on political divisions, how nineteenth-century dime novels challenge assumptions about gender and class, or how contemporary music responds to race relations, among other things. In addition to core courses in American Studies, students select courses from related fields – History, Art, English, Music, Sociology, Government, Philosophy and more – to create individualized degree plans based on their own interests. The major culminates with a year-long senior thesis project. With guidance from faculty mentors, students develop the deep knowledge to construct insightful critical arguments that can take many forms, from a traditional academic thesis to a multimedia or artistic project.