The field of American studies invites students to explore the rich diversity of the United States, its peoples and cultures. Students develop the kinds of broad historic and intercultural perspectives from which they can understand their own experiences, as well as those of Americans past and present, by studying literature and history; media, such as music, TV, and film; institutions, such as religion, family, politics and government; and social and scientific thought and belief systems. This interdisciplinary program prepares students for careers in education, arts and nonprofits, law, government, communication, and business.

The Bachelor of Arts in American Studies introduces students to a number of perspectives from which to study American social and cultural life. The work begins from the premises that “America” itself has been a contested term for centuries, and that the people who call themselves “American” have consistently been engaged in conversations over and around the meaning of that term. UMB's courses offer investigations of America’s past and present in a global context through critical analysis of the ways that race, class, gender and sexuality help constitute American institutions and people.

From introductory courses (“American Identities” and “American Dreams, American Realities”) through a variety of intensive capstone seminars, students develop the ability to understand the texts and contexts, and the representations and realities that have most powerfully shaped the political and aesthetic landscape of the United States. The courses are challenging, the classrooms lively, and the students are capable of analyzing an impressive array of key American documents, cultural formations, and social developments.