Being at a liberal arts school has its pros and cons, especially when it comes to choosing a major. The pro? Being able to major in something you are super passionate about while also taking a variety of classes in other areas that interest or intrigue you. The con? No matter what major you pick, you will most likely be prompted with the question, “So what are you going to do with that?” More specifically, people tend to associate certain majors with a directly correlated career path. English major? English teacher. History major? History teacher. Psychology major? Psychologist. Political Science? Politician. You get the picture. If you actually go to a liberal arts school, you know that there are so many career paths available to you beyond the obvious. The great thing about a liberal arts education is that employers are going to know that you have received a holistic education and that your major definitely does not reflect all of your strengths or interests.
Double majoring seems extremely intimidating but I would strongly encourage students to consider taking it on. Like many students, I came to Trinity unsure of what I wanted to major in because I had so many interests.I came to Trinity wanting to double major in Theatre and English in the hopes of becoming a screenwriter. However, I also love(d) US History and American Politics, so naturally I was also considering a major in Political Science or History. Someone suggested I take an intro level American Studies class, since it would encompass all of the academic areas I was interested in- history, politics, sociology, literature, etc. I took Conflicts and Cultures in American Society (AMST 203) during my spring semester freshman year and absolutely fell in love. It was taught to us in the 1950s so we read about everything from Elvis Presley to Betty Crocker, read some of my all-time favorite novels- The Catcher in the Rye and On The Road- and analyzed advertisements in magazines. By mid semester, I declared American Studies as my major.
American Studies pairs so well with some of the most popular majors at Trinity- Political Science, English, Public Policy and Law, and Econ. The great thing about American Studies is that despite people not really knowing what it entails, it literally entails everything. You can take classes based in American Culture but from a variety of departments so you really get to experience a little bit of everything. Because of this, American Studies is one of the easier majors to fulfill the requirements for. Although there are a select few courses all students in the major are required to take, I would say 8/12 of the credits are up to you in terms of what you want to take.
Forming a concentration in American Studies seems intimidating but it actually came extremely naturally. I met with Professor Gac and after discussing the classes I have taken, am planning to take, and even some of the ideas I’ve come up with for my thesis, we decided on a concentration in “Cold War Culture.” This concentration is more focused that simply saying popular culture because it is rooted in a particular era and one that I love exploring.
The faculty in the department are extremely dedicated to their students and encouraging a discussion in order to improve both the department and the student’s experience as a major. Because American Studies is an inter-disciplinary field, you have the opportunity to meet professors from a number of departments, including Professor Hager from English, Professor Greenberg and Professor Wickman from History, and Professor Williams in Sociology. This really allows you to broaden your academic opportunities at Trinity.
Even if you’re not set on the idea of a double major or American Studies at all, I highly recommend taking AMST 203, ENGL 104 Intro to American Lit, POLS 102 American National Government, and/or THDN 239 Contemporary American Theatre this spring! (I promise they are fun and interesting with incredible professors!)