The Comparative American Studies major consists of a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work. No more than 10 credits may normally be transferred from another institution. No more than nine credits of the major can be at the introductory level. For students pursuing double majors, cross-referenced courses may count toward requirements in both Comparative American Studies and the department or program of origin.

The Comparative American Studies major consists of the following required courses:

Required Program Courses- 15-16 credit hours
1. CAST 100 Introduction to Comparative American Studies, 3 credits
2. CAST 300 Situated Research, 4 credits, recommended to be taken by the end of junior year
3. CAST 301 Situated Research Practicum, 1-2 credits, to be taken the same semester as CAST 300
4. CAST 400 Capstone Seminar, 4 credits
5. One other Comparative American Studies program course, 3 credits. This course may count either for the Concentration Area requirement or serve as an elective (see below).

Concentration Area Requirement - Minimum of 12 credit hours
Comparative American Studies majors are required to complete at least 12 credits within one of three concentrations in order to develop a coherent area of specialization within the – major. The Concentration Areas are
a) Identity and Diversity;
b) Globalization, Transnationalism, and Nation;
c) Histories and Practices of Social Change.

To demonstrate an interdisciplinary comparative perspective, students must select courses from at least two different departments or programs for their concentration. Besides Comparative American Studies program courses, courses listed under “Comparative American Studies Courses in Various Disciplines” may count toward the Concentration Area Requirement.

Choosing a Concentration and Focus Area
In planning your Comparative American Studies major, you will choose one of three concentrations. Within that concentration, you will create an individual focus area on a topic, theme, or question that particularly interests you. The goal of the concentration and focus area is to provide a framework for you to organize your coursework in the major in a systematic and thoughtful way. The Comparative American Studies faculty advisors are available to help you choose your concentration and develop your focus area.

Begin by choosing the concentration that most closely describes the course of study you plan to pursue. The three concentrations in the Comparative American Studies major include:

1) Identity and Diversity

• Uses the categories of race, class, and gender comparatively (exploring diversity and commonality)
• Examines two or more identity groups in relation to each other
• Examines diversity within a single category, using categories like race, class, gender, and sexuality
• Uses a theoretical concept that emphasizes a comparative approach to social and cultural formation, like “racialized sexualities” or “racial formation.” Theories of intersectionality emphasize both relative position in social structure and particularities of experience

2) Globalization, Transnationalism, and Nation

• Uses the concepts of globalization and transnationalism to examine social and cultural diversity in the United States
• Situates U.S. in a global historical or cultural context through analysis of concepts such as empire or diaspora
• Situates concepts of “America” in a comparative context—i.e., through examining U.S. as part of the Americas, or examining the circulation of U.S. cultural products.
• Explores the relationship of transnational social and cultural formations to state power and nationalism in relationship to the United States

3) Histories and Practices of Social Change

• Evaluates pedagogy, research, and cultural production as catalysts for social change
• Examines race, class, gender, sexuality, and nation in relationship to efforts to affect social change
• Considers histories and strategies of particular social movements

Once you have chosen a concentration, you will develop a focus area. A focus area represents a more specific issue, concern, or question within the broad themes of the concentration you have chosen. In developing your focus area, tailor the Comparative American Studies major to your particular interests and goals. Your focus will help you choose classes in an effective way by encouraging you to think about the connections between them.

Examples of focus areas developed by CAS majors include:

Identity and Diversity:
• media and popular culture, with an emphasis on citizenship and modernity
• how race, class, gender and sexuality affect experiences of sexualized violence

Globalization, Transnationalism, and Nation:
• the assertion of nationality in former and present US colonies, with an emphasis on the Philippines
• the role of the US media, the US military, and US corporations in globalization

Theories and Practices of Social Change:
• the strategies used by women and transgender people, especially of color, to organize for social change
• youth activism

You may also develop a focus area in Latina/o Studies, Asian American Studies, or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies within any of the three concentrations.

Electives
Students may fulfill the remaining credit hours to complete the major by taking elective courses in either Program course offerings or approved cross-listed or cross-referenced courses.

Students may petition to receive credit towards their program of study for a course not currently listed by submitting the Request Form and a class syllabus to the Comparative American Studies Program Director.

Minor. Students wishing to minor in Comparative American Studies must have their proposals approved by the Program Director. The Comparative American Studies minor consists of CAST 100 and 12 credits in an area of concentration (a total of 15 credits). At least one of the courses in the Concentration Area must be a Program course. Only six credits at the introductory level are accepted for the minor. No more than five credits may be transferred from another institution toward the minor.

To declare the minor, you will choose a concentration area and focus.