The Certificate in American Studies is an interdisciplinary program administered by the department of History, and is aimed primarily at students who will be at CSU for only a limited time. The requirements may be completed in one semester. The certificate is intended to provide students with a variety of perspectives on American culture, society, and history and to aid them in their understanding of a varied and complex civilization. To this end, students may choose from a variety of academic fields including history, literature, politics, popular culture, society, and the visual arts.

Students wishing to earn a Certificate in American Studies must complete 15 or 16 credit hours in approved American Studies courses (listed below) in at least three disciplines.  No more than 8 credits may be taken at the 100/200 level.

Students are urged to consult with the Undergraduate Director or Chair in the Department of History to develop a plan of study.  While the courses listed below are offered regularly, they are not offered every semester. When appropriate, other courses such as special topics courses may be taken with permission from the chair of the department concerned.

Anthropology:
ANT 100 Human Diversity
ANT 270 African-American Culture
ANT 351 Native North Americans

Art:
ART 370 American Visual Culture
ART 388 African-American Art

Communication:
COM 226 Mass Media and Society
COM 332 Interracial Communication
COM 347 Political Communication
COM 350 Persuasive Communication and Attitude Change

English:
ENG 206 Literature and American Culture
ENG 207 African American Literature
ENG 210 Native American Literature
ENG 342 Survey of American Literature
ENG 345 Studies in American Literature (a topics course)
ENG 347 Studies in African American Literature
ENG 348 Studies in Multicultural Literature

History:
HIS 110 U.S. History Survey
HIS 111 U.S. to 1877
HIS 112 U.S. from 1877
HIS 215 History of African-Americans to 1877
HIS 216 History of African-Americans from 1877
HIS 300 Everyday Life in Early America, 1607-1865
HIS 301 American Cultural History, 1865 to the Present
HIS 302 US Slavery, Abolition, & Politics, 1820-1860
HIS 303 Recent U.S. Social History
HIS 304 U.S. Urban History
HIS 310 Indians in American History
HIS 312 17th Century America
HIS 313 18th Century America
HIS 315 Radicals and Reformers in 19th-Century U.S.
HIS 316 History of the American West
HIS 317 Civil War and Reconstruction, 1848 to 1877
HIS 318 Black America and Africa
HIS 319 History of U.S. Tourism
HIS 320 U.S. Foreign Policy Since 1898
HIS 321 United States 1901 to 1939
HIS 323 Recent American History
HIS 324 Black Is/Black Ain't: Defining Black America
HIS 325 African-Americans Since 1945
HIS 326 African American History Through Sacred Music
HIS 327 American Sexual Communities and Politics
HIS 329 Black Resistance in the Age of Jim Crow 1896-1954
HIS 369 Comparative Emancipation

Philosophy:
PHL 362 American Philosophy

Political Science:
PSC 111 American Government
PSC 305 Cultural diversity in US Politics
PSC 310 Constitutional Law
PSC 311 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
PSC 317 Political Parties and Elections
PSC 318 The Presidency and Congress
PSC 319 Public Opinion
PSC 342 American Political Thought

Religious Studies:
REL 245, Religion in America
REL 217, Religion in Black America
REL 317, Religious Ethics of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King

Sociology:
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 201 Race, Class and Gender
SOC 203 Sociology of Poverty
SOC 215 Black/White Interaction
SOC 313 Sociology of Education
SOC 314 Sociology of Sports
SOC 317 Sociology of Gender
SOC 305 Urban Sociology
SOC 382 African American Communities
SOC 383 Political Sociology