American Studies is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the United States, past and present. Students approach the study of American cultures through such diverse fields as history, literature, religious studies, art, economics, and environmental studies, and might focus on such topics as popular culture and material culture, ethnic studies and gender studies, empire and globalization.
Read More. This pathway invites students to explore the application of critical ethical thinking to real world problems, thereby deepening their understanding of their vocational and educational choices.
Courses in this pathway address ethical issues in areas such as communication, economics and business, healthcare, politics, gender, sustainability, diplomacy and war.
All pathway courses include intentional and sustained discussion of the practical ethical dimensions of course content. Courses raise a wide range of applied ethics problems in diverse fields and professional arenas. We value love, money, fun, faith, work, thought, inspiration, community, and friendship. Is it enough to say that these things help us to survive in the world, or do we value these things for reasons that are much more difficult to explain?
In this Pathway, we explore a more complex and controversial motivation for human energy, an interest in beauty. Courses in this Pathway will offer students the opportunity to learn about children from several disciplinary perspectives, to learn about the societal and cultural structures that provide the context for development such as the family and school, and to gain experience working with children in the community.
