Multidisciplinary American Studies at UC Berkeley: Requirements

The Area of Concentration requirement is as follows: Majors will complete an individually articulated area of concentration consisting of a minimum of 20 units of upper division coursework. The plan for the area of concentration (the application to declare the major) must be approved during the student's sophomore or junior year by an American Studies faculty adviser.

The concentration requirement assures that students have reasonable depth and breadth in their American Studies major. The concentrations must include coursework from two or more departments or fields, and must examine a theme, issue, or problem in American culture. Areas of concentration may be highly individualized, depending on the student's personal interest, prior preparation, and the availability of courses.

Listed on the following pages are examples of how areas of concentration could be formulated for specific American Studies majors.

American Business and Globalism

This area of concentration focuses on American business and its role in the global economy.

Area of Concentration Courses:

American Studies/Business Administration 172	Business in Its Historical Environment
Business Administration 178	Introduction to International Business
Geography 110	Economic Geography of the Industrial World
Economics 115	The World Economy in the 20^th Century
Economics 181	International Trade
History 124B	The United States, 1941-1980

Alternate Courses:

Economics 182	International Monetary Economics
PEIS 101	Contemporary Theories of Political Economy
Political Science 138E	The Varieties of Capitalism
Business Administration 107	The Social, Political, and Ethical Environment of Business
Business Administration 170	Business Ethics for the 21^st Century

The American City: Urban Structures and Cultures

This area of concentration explores the American urban experience.

Area of Concentration Courses:

City and Regional Planning 110	Introduction to City Planning
City and Regional Planning 118AC	The Urban Community
Geography 125	The American City
Geography 181	Urban Field Study
History 134A/B	The Age of the City
Sociology 125AC	Urban Sociology

Alternate Courses:

African American Studies 137	Multicultural Communities
American Studies 102	When topic is “New Orleans”
American Studies 102	When topic is “San Francisco and Los Angeles”
Architecture 170A/B	An Historical Survey of Architecture & Urbanism
Architecture 174AC	San Francisco Architecture
City and Regional Planning 113B	Community Economic Development
Environmental Design 100	The City: Theories & Methods in Urban Studies
Environmental Design 169A/B	American Cultural Landscapes

The American Family

This area of concentration focuses on the history, changing structure and meaning of the family in American society.

Area of Concentration Courses:

African American Studies 122	African American Families in American Society
Chicano Studies 179	Chicana/o Families
History C129	Children Through History: Social Practices and Social Welfare
Legal Studies 155	Government and the Family
Public Policy C164	Impact of Government Policies on Poor Children and Families
Sociology 111	Sociology of the Family

Alternate Courses:

Asian American Studies 150	Gender and Generation in Asian American Families
Demography C126	Social Consequences of Population Dynamics
Demography C165	Family and Household in Comparative Perspective
Gender and Women’s Studies 120	The History of American Women
History 131	Social History of the United States
Psychology 131	Developmental Psychopathology

American Folklore and Folklife

“American Folklore and Folklife” allows the student interested in the study of folklore and folklife to examine and analyze traditional expressive culture (e.g., ethnic, regional, occupational, gender, and other traditional identities) in all its forms. Examining the historical, cultural, social, and psychological dimensions of such expressive forms as myth, legend, folktale, music, dance, art, belief, foodways, ritual and ceremony, the student investigates how tradition expresses the dynamics of human behavior.

Area of Concentration Courses:

Anthropology 121AC	American Material Culture
Anthropology 163AC	American Folklore
Native American Studies 120	Topics in Native American Arts
Nutritional Science 104	Human Food Practices
Religious Studies 171AC	Religious Pluralism in America
Theater, Dance and Performance Studies 121	Performance and Culture

Alternate Courses:

American Studies 110	When topic is “Folklore and American Culture”
Anthropology 122A/B/F/G	Archaeology of the Americas
Anthropology 136B	Museum Methods
Anthropology 160AC	Forms of Folklore
Anthropology 162AC	The Folktale in the Modern World: Marvelous & Monstrous
English 133T	When topic is “Orality and Black Literature”
English 166AC	When topic is “Race and Revision in Early America”
Linguistics 151	Language and Gender
Native American Studies 149	Gender in Native American Society
Psychology 106	Psychology of Dreams
Rhetoric 132	Rhetoric, Culture and Society
Sociology C112/Religious Studies C182	Sociology of Religion

American Food Cultures

This area of concentration examines both historic and contemporary social, economic, cultural, and psychological factors that shape food consumption practices. Exploring food systems from production through consumption, the student traces agricultural concerns, examines environmental, ethical, and economic factors in food production and distribution, and investigates the various beliefs, rituals, and behaviors surrounding food in the United States.

Area of Concentration Courses:

Anthropology 121AC	American Material Culture
Environmental Economics and Policy 141	Agricultural and Environmental Policy
ESPM C159	Human Diet
History 103D	When “U.S. and European Food Eating Since the 19^th Century”
Nutritional Science 104	Human Food Practices
Nutritional Science 135	Food Systems Organization and Management

Alternate Courses:

American Studies 110	When topic: “Advertising in America” or “California Foodways”
Nutritional Science 106	Introduction to Food Science
Nutritional Science 166	Nutrition in the Community

American Popular Culture

This area of concentration examines the creation, production, reception, and consumption of popular/commercial culture in the United States.

Area of Concentration Courses:

African American Studies 142B	The Cross Cultural Images of American Minorities in Film
American Studies C118	Topics in Popular Culture
English 176	Literature and Popular Culture
Gender and Women’s Studies 125	Women and Film
Native American Studies 158	Native Americans and the Cinema
Sociology 160	Sociology of Culture

Alternate Courses:

African American Studies 142AC	Race and American Film
American Studies 101	When topic is “The 1980s”
American Studies 101	When topic is “The Atomic Age”
American Studies 110	When topic is “Advertising in America”
American Studies 110	When topic is “The American Teenager”
American Studies C125	American Media and Global Politics
English 150	When topic is “Novel to Film Adaptation”
Film 108	Film Genre
History 124	The Recent United States
Media Studies 102	The Effects of Mass Media
Sociology 180	American Society

American Public Policy

“American Public Policy” investigates the way that social problems are defined and analyzed in the United States, and focuses on the political and historical dimensions of public policy.

Area of Concentration Courses:

African American Studies 107	Race and Public Policy
Legal Studies 162	Courts and Social Policy
Political Science 183	Administrative Behavior
Public Policy 101	Introduction to Public Policy Analysis
Public Health 150D	Introduction to Health Policy and Management
Public Policy 170	Ethics in Public Policy

Alternate Courses:

Asian American Studies 145	Politics, Public Policy, and Asian American Communities
Legal Studies C165	Drug, Tobacco, and Alcohol Policy
Political Science 189	Topics in Public Organization and Policy
Public Policy 103	Wealth and Poverty
Public Policy 117AC	Race, Ethnicity, and Public Policy
Public Policy 184	The Economics of Public Problem-Solving
Social Welfare 112	Social Welfare Policy

Art, Architecture, Design, and Landscape in America

Looking at buildings, artworks, objects of all kinds for social content and cultural meaning, this concentration draws on the resources of many departments. Focusing on physical objects designed and made by artisans, artists, professional designers, vernacular builders, housewives and others, students concentrate on analyzing the historical, rhetorical, and cultural as well as functional aspects of the human-made material world. Taking foundational/lower division courses as required in several of the listed disciplines, students will design their major drawing on these and other (approved) offerings.

Area of concentration courses:

Anthropology 121A/AC	American Material Culture
Architecture 174C	San Francisco Architecture
Art History 185A	American Art (1800-present)
Art History C189	The American Forest: Its Ecology, History, and Representation
Geography 125	The American City
Landscape Architecture 170	History and Literature of Landscape Architecture

Alternate Courses:

American Studies C111A	Architecture in Depression and War
American Studies 110	When topic is “Advertising in America”
Anthropology 122A	Archaeology of North America
Anthropology 148	Anthropology of the Environment
Architecture 118	Housing American Cultures
Art History 185B	American Architecture: Domestic Forms
City Planning 111	Introduction to Housing
City Planning 140	Urban Design: City-Building and Place-Making
Environmental Design C169A	American Cultural Landscapes, 1600 to 1900
Environmental Design C169B	American Cultural Landscapes, 1900 to Present
Geography 181	Urban Field Study
History 120AC	American Environmental and Cultural History
Landscape Architecture 141AC	American Landscape: Multicultural Difference & Diversity
Landscape Architecture C171	The American Designed Landscape since 1850

Computer Science and the American Public

The sequence below assumes interest in the cultural meaning of computer design and the social construction of American engineering education: an investigation of the ways in which computer design is formed and changed in a social context. N.B. For advanced technical courses, the student would need rigorous preparation in mathematics, physics, and computer science. For instance, the student might be an undergraduate engineering student who transferred to American Studies in his or her junior year. In some cases, non-engineering students might negotiate permission to take such courses (*) on a P/NP basis.

Area of Concentration Courses:

American Studies 102	When topic is “Digital Neighborhoods”
American Studies C134	Information Technology and Society
EECS 195	Social Implications of Computer Technology
Interdepartmental Studies 100AC	Technology and the American Experience
Interdisciplinary Studies 100D	Introduction to Technology, Society, and Culture
Political Science 138D	Governance of the E-conomy

Alternate Courses:

EECS 150*	Components and Design Techniques for Digital Systems
EECS 152*	Computer Architecture and Engineering
EECS C182	The Neural Basis of Thought and Language

Disability Studies

“Disability Studies” directs its focus toward how society creates “disability” by constructing identities and barriers.

Area of Concentration Courses:

Anthropology 115	Introduction to Medical Anthropology
English 175	Literature and Disability
Public Health 130AC	Aging, Health, and Diversity
Sociology 155	Sociology of Illness and Medicine
UGIS 110	Introduction to Disability Studies
UGIS 112	Women and Disability

Alternate Courses:

Anthropology 119	Special Topics in Medical Anthropology
Chicano Studies 176	Chicanos and Health Care
City and Regional Planning 120	Community Planning and Public Policy for Disability
Economics 157	Health Economics
Landscape Architecture 140	Social and Psychological Factors in Open Space Design
UGIS 116	Disability, Identity, and Social Movements

Education in America

This area of concentration explores the history, policy implications, and practices of education in the United States.

Area of Concentration Courses:

American Studies 110	When topic is “Schooling in America”
Asian American Studies 146	Asian Americans and Education
Chicano Studies 172	Chicanos and the Educational System
Education 140AC	Literacy: Individual and Societal Development
Education 189	Democracy and Education
Sociology 113	Sociology of Education

Alternate Courses:

Education 185	Gender and Education in the Americas
Education 190	Current Issues in Education
Education 190B	Unraveling Education: A Participatory Inquiry

The Global United States

This area of concentration explores the role of the United States outside of its national borders, focusing on both U.S. foreign policy and the flow of American peoples, ideas, and goods throughout the world.

Area of Concentration Courses:

Asian American Studies 130	Asian Americans and Foreign Policy
Environmental Economics and Policy 131	Globalization and the Natural Environment
History 128	Liberal Superpower: Reform and Political Economy in Postwar U.S. History
Peace and Conflict Studies 149	Global Change and World Order
Political Science 126A	International Political Economy
Political Science 138G	National Success and Failure in the Age of a Global Economy

Alternate Courses:

Business Administration 178	Introduction to International Business
Chicano Studies 165	Cuba, the United States and Cuban Americans
Ethnic Studies C173	Cultures of U.S. Imperialism: Spanish-American War of 1898
Military Officers’ Education Program 145	National Security Forces in Contemporary American Society
Peace and Conflict Studies 119	Topics in Peace and Conflict Issues
Peace and Conflict Studies 127	Human Rights and Global Politics
Political Science 124A	War!
Political Science 127A	International Law
PEIS 150	Advanced Study in Political Economy of Industrial Society

Healthcare in American Culture since 1945

This area of concentration explores American attitudes about healthcare and the development of institutions for healthcare. N.B. For entry into some of these courses, the student may need to take preparatory lower-division coursework.

Area of Concentration Courses:

Anthropology 115	Introduction to Medical Anthropology
Chicano Studies 176	Chicanos and Health Care
Economics 157	Health Economics
Public Health 113	Campus/Community Health Impact Program
Public Health 131AC	Race, Ethnicity, and Health in America
Sociology 155	Sociology of Illness and Medicine

Alternate Courses:

Anthropology 114	History of Anthropological Thought
Nutritional Science 166	Nutrition in the Community
Public Health 103	Drugs, Healthy, and Society
Sociology 110	Organizations and Institutions
Sociology 150	Social Psychology

Nature in America

“Nature in America” explores the historical, social, ideological, scientific, economic, and geographic dimensions of the natural environment in the United States. The student choosing this area of concentration studies the interaction of natural systems and social contexts over time.

Area of Concentration Courses:

Anthropology 148	Anthropology of the Environment
Art History C189	The American Forest: Its Ecology, History, and Representation
Art History 185A	American Art (1800-present)
English 130B	American Literature: 1800-1865
ESPM 161	Environmental Philosophy and Ethic
History 120AC	American Environmental and Cultural History

Alternate Courses:

Anthropology 129D	The Archaeology of Global Change
Environmental Economics and Policy C102	Natural Resource Economics
Environmental Economics and Policy 131	Globalization and the Natural Environment
Environmental Economics and Policy 162	Economics of Water Resources
Environmental Economics and Policy C180	Ecological Economics in Historical Context
ESPM 102C	Resource Management
ESPM 102D	Resource and Environmental Policy
ESPM 116B	Range Ecology, Improvements, and Management
ESPM 117	Urban Garden Ecosystems
ESPM 160AC	American Environmental and Cultural History
Geography 134	Natural Hazards and Problems
History 126B	The American West
History 127AC	California
Landscape Architecture 110	Ecological Analysis

Organizations in the American Workplace

This area of concentration, which is based on the study of organizational theory, focuses on management, authority, administration, and motivation.

Area of Concentration Courses:

Business Administration 105	Introduction to Organizational Behavior
Business Administration 172	Business in Its Historical Environment
Psychology 180	Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Psychology 182	Personnel Psychology
Sociology 110	Organizations and Institutions
Sociology 116	Sociology of Work

Alternate Courses:

Architecture C119	Office of the Future
Business Administration 151	Management of Human Resources
Business Administration	Special Topics in Organizational Behavior
Economics 121	Industrial Organization and Public Policy
Economics 126	Industrial Organization: Theory and Evidence
Economics 151	Labor Economics
Political Science 181	Public Organization and Administration
Political Science 183	Administrative Behavior

Politics and American Communities

This area of concentration examines the interplay between social groups and power, inequality and social justice in the United States.

Area of Concentration Courses:

African American Studies 121	Black Political Life in the United States
Anthropology 139	Controlling Processes
Peace and Conflict Studies 128AC	Human Rights and American Cultures
Philosophy 113AC	Philosophical Perspectives on Race and Culture
Political Science 111AC	The Politics of Displacement
Political Science 138F	Immigrants, Citizenship, and the State

Alternate Courses:

African American Studies 124	Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
African American Studies 125	History of the Civil Rights Movement
African American Studies 138	Black Nationalism
Asian American Studies 125	Contemporary Issues of Southeast Asian Refugees in the U.S.
Asian American Studies 126	Southeast Asian Migration & Community Formation
Asian American Studies 141	Law in the Asian American Community
Chicano Studies 110	Latina/o Philosophy and Religious Thought
Legal Studies 160	Punishment, Culture, and Society
Native American Studies 100	Native American Law
Native American Studies 101	Native American Tribal Governments
Peace and Conflict Studies 154AC	Multicultural Conflict Resolution
Political Science 176	The Unseen America
UGIS 116	Disability, Identity, and Social Movements

Race, Ethnicity, and Nation

Focusing on the history of encounters between the various peoples who comprise the American nation, this area of concentration explores the migrations, settlements, contacts, contests, and exchanges that have shaped the cultural, political, social, and economic construction of the United States.

Area of Concentration Courses:

African American Studies 116	Slavery and American Life Before 1865
Anthropology 122B	Culture Contact in North America
Demography 145AC	The American Immigrant Experience
Geography 159AC	The Southern Border
Linguistics 155AC	Native American Meets the Europeans
Political Science 118AC	Three American Cultures

Alternate Courses:

African American Studies 109	Black and Male in American Life
African American Studies 111	Race, Class, and Gender in the United States
African American Studies 117	African Americans in the Industrial Age, 1865-1970
Anthropology 124AC	Hawaiian Ethnohistory
Asian American Studies 121	Chinese American History
Asian American Studies 122	Japanese American History
Asian American Studies 123	Korean American History
Asian American Studies 124	Filipino American History
Chicano Studies 150A	History of the Southwest: Spanish and Mexican Period
Chicano Studies 150B	Hist. of the Southwest: Mexican-United States War to Present
Chicano Studies 159	Mexican Immigration
Ethnic Studies 135AC	Contemporary U.S. Immigration
Ethnic Studies 136	Immigrant Women
Ethnic Studies 147	Women of Color in the United States
Ethnic Studies 150AC	People of Mixed Racial Descent
History 122AC	Antebellum America: The Advent of Mass Society
History 123	Civil War and Reconstruction
History 126B	The West in United States History
History 125	History of African Americans and Race Relations in the U.S.
History 137AC	The Repeopling of America
Native American Studies 175	History of Native Americans in California
Rhetoric 152AC	Race and Order in the New Republic

Visual, Literary and Performance Cultures

This area of concentration explores American consumer culture in relation to literature and performance.

Area of Concentration Courses:

African American Studies 144	Black Visual Culture
American Studies C174	Visual Autobiography
English C136	When topic is “Consumer Culture in Post-Civil War America”
Rhetoric 139AC	Autobiography and American Individualism
Theater 119	Performance Theory: Asian/American Performance Across Media
Theater 121	Performance and Culture - Performance and Television

Alternate Courses:

African American Studies 150B	African American Literature 1920 to Present
African American Studies C151A	African American Plays from 1858 to 1959
African American Studies C151B	Contemporary African American Drama
Asian American Studies 171	Asian Americans in Film and Video
Asian American Studies 172	Asian American Literature
Gender and Women’s Studies C153B	Contemporary Images of African American Women in Literature
Music 130A/B/BM	African American Music
Music 174F	Studies in African American Music
Native American Studies 152	Native American Literature
Native American Studies 158	Native Americans and the Cinema
Native American Studies 182	Native American Music
Theater C132	African American Dramatic Literature

Other areas of concentration might include:

American Class Structures

American People and Places

American Warfare

Childhood in America

Housing, Community and Economic Development in the U.S.

Identity and Representation in the U.S.

Individual Learning and Education Psychology

U.S. Social Movements