Program description. Wesleyan's interdisciplinary program in American studies provides a broad grounding in the study of the United States in a hemispheric and global context. American studies majors study the cultural history of the United States by drawing on the intellectual resources of a variety of disciplines−anthropology, English, history, religion, sociology, and others. Individually designed concentrations, which are the hallmark of the program, allow students to forge interdisciplinary approaches to the particular issues that interest them most, from popular culture and aesthetics to racial politics and gender systems.

In addition to its interdisciplinary emphasis, American studies at Wesleyan stresses a comparative approach to the study of the United States. Such prominent features of U.S. cultural development as colonization, slavery, immigration, industrialization, mass culture, gender relations, race and ethnicity, political culture, and state development can be best understood by studying their features in a variety of nations in the Americas. By studying cultural phenomena across national boundaries, American studies majors develop a rich understanding of the complex histories that have resulted from the conflict and confluence of European, indigenous, African, and Asian cultures throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Major requirements. The route into American studies is completion of at least one semester of one of the following introductory courses: Early America: The 17th and 18th Centuries (AMST151), The Long 19th Century in the United States (AMST152), American Literature from the Colonial Period to the Civil War (AMST155), American Literature 1865−1945 (AMST156).

Junior core courses constitute the foundational base for the major. Colonialism and Its Consequences in the Americas (AMST200) and one junior colloquium are required of every major. The colonialism course situates American studies in a hemispheric frame of reference and introduces a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to an intercultural analysis of the Americas. Junior colloquia explore in depth a range of theoretical perspectives utilized in American studies, consider the history and changing shape of the multifaceted American studies enterprise, and engage students in research and analysis.

In addition to junior core courses and a senior seminar, a major program includes six upper-level electives that focus on the culture of the Americas. The heart of each major's program consists of a cluster of four courses among those electives that forms an area of concentration. A concentration within American studies is an intellectually coherent plan of study, developed in consultation with an advisor, that explores in detail a specific aspect of the culture(s) and society of the United States. It may be built around a discipline (like history, literary criticism, government, sociology), a field (such as cultural studies, ethnic studies, feminist, gender, and sexuality studies), or a "problematic" (such as ecology and culture, politics and culture). Frequently chosen areas of concentration include mass culture, film studies, popular culture, ethnicity, queer studies, urban studies, African American studies, gender studies, and cultural studies. Students are also asked to consolidate the comparative Americas focus by taking two courses that build on the foundation supplied in AMST200. Courses may count both toward a concentration and the Americas component of the major. A senior seminar, essay, or thesis that utilizes a hemispheric perspective may count as an Americas course.

Senior requirement. Senior majors must choose a senior seminar, ordinarily but not necessarily one that facilitates advanced work in their area of concentration. A senior thesis or essay tutorial may be substituted for the seminar requirement. The American studies program encourages proposals for senior honors theses, including research projects, critical essays, works of fiction, and other artistic productions.