Advising

Students who major in American Studies receive their general advising from a professional Academic Advisor, Dr. Will Smith. Dr. Smith can be contacted at this address: wsmithii indiana.edu.

American Studies majors define their concentration at the end of the second year, or after roughly 15 credits in the major, whichever comes first. The concentration is half of the student's work in the program, and it leads inevitably towards the paper written in A450.

To define their concentration, students should arrange a meeting with the Chair of the department and should consult the list of courses offered by American Studies -- including cross-listed courses. The Chair is Matthew Guterl. He can be contacted at this address: mguterl indiana.edu.

Concentrations can be broad or narrow, but they are meant to be coherent, well thought-through, and interdisciplinary. In the past, students have chosen concentrations like: "Oppression and Resistance," "American Political Culture," "Borders and Hemispheres," and "American Music." Students interested in learning more about popular concentrations can find more information here (link and new web page coming soon).

Once the student's concentration is defined, the Chair will issue a report to the program's Academic Advisor.

For all matters relating to distribution requirements, graduation certification, and core skills in the College, students should consult the Academic Advisor.

For any questions or concerns about the concentration, students should work with the Chair.