The American Studies Program offers a major and minor. Students in American Studies investigate the diverse experiences, values, and cultural traditions that have made the United States what it is today. Courses explore questions that have intrigued past and present Americans and international visitors alike: what are the origins of American ideals, politics, values, cultural expressions, and perceptions of themselves and each other? What goals and beliefs unify the different peoples who call themselves “American”? How are individual American lives shaped by race, ethnicity, class, and gender?
Students use perspectives from many fields, including history, literature, sociology, psychology, politics, religion, the arts, and the natural sciences to gain a comprehensive understanding of the varieties of the American experience and their relation to our increasingly complex and interconnected world. Work in American Studies complements many other academic disciplines and gives students a deep understanding of American culture and history that they can apply to their post-college lives. The program has a long history, originating with the establishment of the Charles E. Merrill Department of American Studies in 1955, one of the first American Studies departments in the country. As an interdisciplinary program, American Studies at Stetson carries on this tradition of inquiry.
