Bachelor of Arts in International Studies major in American Studies 

Bachelor of Arts in International Studies major in American Studies
Degree Codes: Program- ABIS Plan- ABIS-AMS

History of the United States (USAHIS1)

United States History is a survey course, which traces the development of the country from the renewal of European contacts with the Americas after 1942 until our time.
Prerequisite: INSTUDI, POLIGOV, ENGLTRI

Government and Politics of the United States of America USAGOVT

This is a survey course on the government of the United States of American. The course covers the following areas; the American political culture, the three (3) branches of government, the federal bureaucracy, political parties and interest groups, and public policies.
Prerequisite: INSTUDI, POLIGOV, ENGLTRI

The Economy of the United States of America USAECO1

This course focuses on the American economy which is a dynamic, free-market system that is constantly evolving out of the choice and decisions made by millions of citizens who play multiple, often overlapping roles as consumers, producers, investors, and voters. The United States is generally described as a mixed economy, which is to say that even though the great majority of productive resources are privately owned, the federal government does play an important part in the marketplace. Issues to be discussed include the continuing debate over the proper role of government in what is basically a market economy, the transformation of the U.S. economy by emerging technologies, and the continuing debate over international trade policy and the degree of integration of the United States into the world economy. Moreover, the issue of the feasibility of global governance institutions in light of the recent U.S. foreign policy shifts in the aftermath of 9-11.
Prerequisite: INSTUDI, POLIGOV, ENGLTRI

Foreign Policy and Relations of the United States 1 USAFOR1

This course aims to provide the students with an understanding and appreciation of the important role played by the United States in the contemporary international system. Through this course, the students will acquire considerable information, knowledge and insights about the nature of American foreign policy, the developments and events that led to the emergence of the United States as the only superpower, the U.S.’ instruments of global reach and influence, and the various problems and issues confronting the United States in the post-Cold-War era and in the 21st century. Specifically, the course focuses on the major developments in post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy and how 9/11 has transformed this superpower’s global mission. The course also examines the different perspectives regarding the nature of American post cold war foreign policy. The course also aims to provide the students the opportunity to write a book review that deals with a contemporary issue or problem in American foreign po licy.
Prerequisite: NONE

Foreign Policy and Relations of the United States 2 USAFOR2

The course introduces the students to U.S. foreign policy from 1945 until the present. Its purpose is to provide them with an understanding of the events, ideologies and personalities that shaped the world in the 20th century, particularly during the Cold War. The ideologies employed by the U.S. to depend its interests internationally throughout this period will also be critically examined.
Prerequisite: USAFOR1

United States Economy and Business 2 USAECO2

This course covers American economic history. Looks into the structure and nature of American domestic market. Emphasis will also be given to the domestic and international causes and consequences of economic growth in the 19th and 20th century. This will also examine selected economic problems of the U.S. and will evaluate government and market solutions.
Prerequisite: USAECO1

United States Literature 1 USALIT1

American literature from the early American colonial period to the American Renaissance
Prerequisite: NONE

United States Literature 2 USALIT2

American literature from International Modernism to the emergence of multi-ethnic literatures [or from Walt Whitman to the present].
Prerequisite: USALIT2

United States Research 1 (Thesis Writing 1) USARES1

Students will be taught and guided in the formulation of their research proposals.
Prerequisite: NONE

United States Research 2 (Thesis Writing 2) USARES2

Students will be guided in the completion of their undergraduate theses or seminar papers.
Prerequisite: USARES2

United States and Development Institutions USADEVT

The course provides an introduction to economic development theories and the roles played by the United States and multi-lateral institutions such as IMF-WB and United Nations. Special attention is given to the impact of the policies of the U.S. and these institutions on the economic development of Asian countries.
Pre-requisite: USAFOR2

Methods of Research for American Studies Majors ARESMET

The course introduces to the students the fundamental philosophical issues regarding social science research and the existing research methods that are useful in their academic endeavors. This course is directed at enabling the students to know and understand the mechanics of a research design, the formulation of the right research questions, the existing tolls or instruments in the conduct of social science research, the proper way of conducting qualitative and quantitative research, and the proper procedure in completing a social science research project. The course will hopefully lead the students to reflect upon and understand the philosophy and mechanics of social science research.

United States Practicum USAPRAC

A seminar course on topical issues.
Pre-requisite: USADEVT

American Studies Electives USALEC 1,2,3,4,5)

African Americans
The history and literature of African Americans from slavery to the post-Civil Rights period.

American Film (US FILM)
The development of US cinema from the vaudeville turn/chase genre of the early 1900s to the emergence of classical Hollywood film.

American Immigration
The history of migration/ immigration to the US, with particular attention paid to its formative role in the shaping of US national self-image.

American Expansionism
The history, politics, and culture of US imperial expansion from Manifest Destiny in the 1820s through the conquest of the “new possessions” in the Philippines, the Asia-Pacific, and Latino-Caribbean regions.

American Popular Culture
The emerge and development of a culture of consumption and mediated lifestyles in the modern US and its subsequent globalization.

American Religion
The place of religion in the formation of American national culture and local communities, from Puritanism to the rise of the Moral Majority.

Asian Americans
The history and literature of Asian-Americans, 1850s to the present.

Class and Democratic Thought in the United States
Explores the tensions between the formation of a celebrated tradition of democratic thought and a unique form of class society in the US.

Introduction to American Studies
Introduction to the interdisciplinary methods and institutional history of American Studies.

Latinos in the United States
The history and literature of Latino Americans from the US-Mexico War to Central American refugee settlement.

Native Americans
The history and literature of at least five Native American groups from period of North American settlement to the new ethnicity movement of the 1970s.

Race and Gender in the United States
The history and contemporary relevance of race and gender as social modalities by which American citizens are organized in the US and as form of social organization that determine citizen access to American public and national culture.