Asian American Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide students with a critical understanding of the historical, cultural, social, and political experience of Asian Pacific Americans, with a particular emphasis on the development and culture of the Asian American communities in California and the West, as well as on both historical and contemporary effects of global issues on Asian American communities. By drawing upon courses in American Studies and by emphasizing comparative as well as interdisciplinary study, this program offers training in the analytic tools and methods of interpretation appropriate for studying the Asian American experience in its particularity, and ethnic and cultural study in general. The program is particularly appropriate for students interested in integrating studies in the humanities and social sciences, and for students preparing to work and interact with diverse communities and cultures in the United States and abroad in such fields as education, human services, business, journalism, and public administration.

Program Major Requirements

Ten courses in Asian American Studies, or courses certified for Asian American Studies credit, are required. The 10 courses must be distributed as follows: the three core requirement courses of AMST 200, AMST 350, and AMST 498; one course from each of the following three lists: History, Literature and Culture, and Social and Political Issues; and additional elective courses for a total of 16 units chosen from the courses certified in Asian American Studies at the 300 level or above.

Core Requirements

Units

AMST 200 Introduction to American Studies and Ethnicity

4

AMST 350 Junior Seminar in American Studies and Ethnicity: Theories and Methods

4

AMST 498* Senior Seminar in American Studies and Ethnicity

4

*Honors students will substitute AMST 492 Research Methods in American Studies and Ethnicity.

200/300/400-Level Required Courses

Units

One course from each of the following categories:
History
AMST 378 Introduction to Asian American History

4

Literature and Culture
AMST 150 The American War in Viet Nam

4

AMST 449 Asian American Literature

4

REL 336 Re-Viewing Religion in Asian America

4

Social and Political Issues
AMST 220 The Making of Asian America

4

AMST 365 Leadership in the Community–Internship

4

AMST 389m Carceral Geographies

4

POSC 328 Asian American Politics

4

SOCI 376 Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities

4

upper division elective courses

Units

Additional courses for a total of 16 units from the lists above or below, 300-level or higher. No more than two total courses for the major may be taken outside the College.
AMST 301 America, the Frontier, and the New West

4

AMST 320 Social Construction of Race and Citizenship

4

AMST 348m Race and Environmentalism

4

AMST 353m Race and Racism in the Americas

4

AMST 490x Directed Research

2-4, max 8

AMST 493 Senior Honors Thesis in American Studies and Ethnicity

4

AMST 499 Special Topics

2-4, max 8

COMM 458 Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts

4

POSC 424 Political Participation and American Diversity

4

SOCI 432 Racial and Ethnic Relations in a Global Society

4

Contact Us

Department of American Studies & Ethnicity

Located in Kaprielian Hall on the University Park campus, ASE faculty, graduate students, and staff are available to assist you with information and resources about our academic programs and research specialties.

Address

University of Southern California

3620 South Vermont Avenue

Kaprielian Hall 462

Los Angeles, California 90089-2534