Director:
| Myers, Robert |
| Professors: | Myers, Robert
|
| Program Coordinator: | Baghdadi, Rana |
| CASAR AUB Advisory Committee: | Esanu, Octavian; Halaoui, Lara; Hanafi Sari;
Harb, Sirene; Waterman, Adam
|
The Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR) aims to promote dialogue about
issues in American Studies through research, teaching, and outreach. The center offers a
Minor in American Studies and sponsors conferences, seminars, and public lectures. It also
promotes research activities, particularly in the area of American encounters with the Middle
East.
The Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR) works to establish and maintain
a world-class locus of activity and exchange of ideas for an interdisciplinary community of
researchers, teachers, students and others in the Middle East interested in building further
understanding of American institutions and practices (political, social, economic, cultural) and
the complex contextual realities in which these institutions and practices have developed
and currently exist.
Minor in American Studies
American Studies is an interdisciplinary field that critically examines the connections among
American literature, arts, culture, religions, economics and politics. The Center for American
Studies and Research (CASAR) has a particular interest in encounters between the United
States and the Middle East.
Interested students can declare a Minor in American Studies by going to the “Minors” part
of the FAS website.
Requirements for a Minor in American Studies, 15 credits (minimum):
- AMST 215 Introduction to American Studies (3 credits)
- One other AMST course (3 credits)
- Three elective courses from other departments with American Studies content or relevance (9 credits total)
Qualifying Course Options
Core Course (required): AMST 215 Introduction to American Studies
American Studies elective (any one required): AMST 220 Shock of Modernity in America;
AMST 230 Cultural Geography of North American; AMST 240 America in the Middle East/
Middle East in America; AMST 265/266 Special Topics in American Society (carries Social
Science credit); AMST 275/276 Special Topics in American Humanities (carries Humanities
credit)
Electives from other departments (at least three courses required):
- ARCH 023 Form, Event, Ideology: The American City as Case Study
- ENGL 209 Survey of American Literature
- ENGL 216 Drama
- ENGL 219 Film as Text
- ENGL 222 Literature and Cultural Studies
- ENGL 224 Early American Literature
- ENGL 225 Modern American Literature
- ENGL 226 Contemporary American Literature
- ENGL 241 Transnational Literatures
- HIST 200 Introduction to the History of the United States
- HIST 271 Race, Class, Gender: Introduction to American Social History
- HIST 272 Economic History of the United States
- HIST 273 The United States and the Middle East
- HIST 274 The United States in the Twentieth Century
- HIST 278/279 Special Topics in United States History
- MCOM 201 Intro to Media Studies
- MCOM 204 From Telegraph to Twitter: Media History (formerly 263)
- MCOM 219 Media Depictions of Society (formerly 262)
- MCOM 222 Introduction to Visual Culture Studies
- MCOM 290E On Television
- MEST 315M Making of the Modern Middle East
- PHIL 263A Contemporary Philosophical Movements: American Pragmatism and Its Critics
- PSPA 220 Globalization and Culture
- PSPA 237 The Middle East in International Politics since WWI
- PSPA 251 Politics and Government: United States of America
- PSPA 293 D Senior Seminar in International Politics: US in the Middle East
- SOAN 215 Anthropology of America
In addition, new courses including special topics courses in other departments and programs
may occasionally be related to American Studies. Students can petition to apply for such a
course toward the requirements for the Minor, which must be approved first by the CASAR
director and then by the FAS Curriculum Committee.
Courses