American Studies
Explore the rich complexity of American culture while honing the critical thinking, writing and analytical skills necessary for any job
Study Where It All Began
Where better to study America than its birthplace—Philadelphia? Our students explore the rich complexity of American culture while honing the critical thinking, writing and analytical skills necessary for any job. This is a broad-based interdisciplinary program that utilizes some of our best English and History faculty, making it the perfect major for someone with interest in both.
American studies students explore patterns and connections in U.S. life. They look at the big themes, such as labor, mobility, migration, art, place, race, gender and play. In the courses on social change, art and work, for instance, students examine how Americans think, talk and express ideas in song, stories and photographs, and how these and other themes contribute to individual, family and community life. The American studies major and minors offer a lively way of understanding ever-changing and always contested values by looking at the politics of American culture through a variety of lenses.