American Studies is an interdisciplinary field defined both by its objects of study—the processes, places, and people that comprise the United States—and by a mode of inquiry that moves beyond the scope of a single disciplinary approach or critical methodology. An individually designed course of study, which is the hallmark of the American Studies Program, allows students to forge multidisciplinary approaches to the particular issues that interest them.

The program also offers a correlate sequence in Native American Studies which enables students to examine Indigenous cultures, politics, histories, and literatures, in a primarily North American context. Students electing the correlate sequence are trained in the methodology of Native American Studies as a means to critically assess colonial discourses, examine the many ways Native peoples have contributed to and shaped North American culture, and analyze and honor the autonomy and sovereignty of Indigenous nations, peoples, and thought.

The senior thesis/project allows in-depth research on a particular element of the student’s chosen focus.

Academic Requirements

For courses and requirements, visit the Vassar College Catalogue.

Major

• American Studies Major

Correlate Sequences

• Native American Studies Correlate Sequence
• Approved Courses for the Native American Studies Correlate Sequence