This interdisciplinary cluster is ideal for intended majors in Political Science, Legal Studies, and History. NOTE: This cluster is currently full; a waitlist is available.
Course Information
AMERSTD 10AC 001: Introduction to American Studies, 4 Units
- This course may satisfy the prerequisite for American Studies.
- This course meets the American Cultures requirement.
- This course meets the following L&S Breadths: Arts & Literature and Historical Studies.
- Schedule: MW 3:00-5:00 PM; Discussion W 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
HISTORY 7A 001: Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Settlement to Civil War, 4 Units
- This course may satisfy the requirement for Political Science, Legal Studies, American Studies, History.
- This course meets the following General Requirements: American Cultures, American History & Institutions
- This course meets the following L&S Breadths: Historical Studies, Social & Behavioral Sciences
- Schedule: TR 3:30-5:00 PM; Discussion W 8:00-10:00 AM
POLSCI 1 001: Introduction to American Politics, 4 Units
- This course may satisfy requirements for Political Science and Legal Studies, and prerequisite for Psychology and Media Studies.
- This course meets the Social & Behavioral Sciences, L&S Breadth.
- Schedule: TR 2:00-3:30 PM; Discussion T 6:00-8:00 PM
Full Course Descriptions
- AMERSTD 10AC: Introduction to American Studies, 4 Units
The university founded in 1868 as, simply, the University of California is more than just the state’s flagship public institution of higher education. Over the past one hundred and fifty years, UC Berkeley has become a potent and often powerful symbol in American culture—a shorthand for academic excellence, or transformative activism, or radical politics, or the institutional exploitation of Indigenous peoples, or the devastating power of nuclear war. In this class, Berkeley students will become Berkeley scholars as we examine the story of UC Berkeley, past and present, in order to understand American culture. How has the cultural meaning and lived experience of being at Berkeley changed over time, and how have these changes mirrored broader ideas, movements, and mythologies of American life? By combining disciplinary approaches from fields such as history, geography, anthropology, visual culture, material culture, and popular media (including literature, music, and film), our interdisciplinary study of UC Berkeley will consider what this place can teach us about American politics, higher education, race, gender, class, sports, science, colonialism, popular culture, identity, and power. Both in lecture and in discussion section, students will gain hands-on experience working with primary sources from university archives and library collections; the class will also include multiple on-campus field trips. This class fulfills the American Cultures requirement. - HISTORY 7A: Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Settlement to Civil War, 4 Units
This course introduces the history of the lands that became the United States, from antiquity through the Civil War. We will focus on interactions among Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans on the North American continent; the social, political, and environmental changes wrought by those interactions; the establishment and development of colonial societies; the founding of the United States and the evolution of its political institutions; the spread of new ideas and cultural practices; and the clash of competing claims about power, rights, salvation, and the good life. Throughout, we will pay special attention to resonances, connections, and contrasts between the developments we are studying and the worlds we inhabit today. Requirements include in-class exams, short document analyses, and active participation in discussion sections. - POLSCI 1: Introduction to American Politics, 4 Units
An introductory analysis of the structure and operations of the American political system, primarily at the national level.
