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The Program in
American Studies

Culture, Advocacy & Leadership

In Fall 2024, the Program in American Studies will become the Program in Culture, Advocacy & Leadership (CAL). CAL will prepare students for careers in civic engagement and public leadership, giving them the knowledge, values, and skills they need to shape people, communities, and society for the better. The name signals the key components of the program and competencies that will be useful to students regardless of what they pursue after graduation.

  • Culture speaks to the importance of understanding history, people, and institutions, which need to inform any effort to make a difference in the modern world.
  • Advocacy speaks to the public-facing, community-engaged projects students will undertake as they develop a voice and a vision all their own.
  • Leadership speaks to the ideas, experiences, and skills that student must draw on when uniting people to tackle common problems.

The CAL major is both structured and individualized for each student. It consists of 30 credit hours and the following coursework:

Major in Culture, Advocacy & Leadership

CORE Part I (4 courses)

This part of the major will provide the intellectual backbone and the practical skills students will be able to utilize in whatever area of focus they pursue.

  • CAL 1002: Fundamentals of Culture, Advocacy & Leadership
  • CAL 1800: Speaking, Leading, Engaging
  • CAL 2300: Responsible Advocacy in a Complicated World
  • CAL 2800: Global Perspectives on American Cultures

Area Focus (4 courses)

This part of the major will be tailored to a student’s interests, commitments, and career goals via conscientious mentoring with a CAL faculty member.

  • Four courses inside or outside of CAL selected by the student and a CAL advisor in anticipation of CORE Part II.

CORE Part II (2 courses)

This part of the major will integrate CORE Part I with the individualized Area Focus, allowing students to enrich what they learned in the classroom through practical application and civic problem solving.

  • CAL 4000: Practicum & Internship Experience
    This course will require students to undertake an internship or experiential project in conjunction with a group or community around a particular issue, problem, or idea.
  • CAL 4500: American Futures
    This course will bring students together after their internship or experiential project to discuss their findings and lessons, to revise their project for a general audience, and to present their work in a public-facing symposium at the end of the semester.

Minor in Culture, Advocacy & Leadership (15 credit hours)

CORE Part I (4 courses)

  • CAL 1002: Fundamentals of Culture, Advocacy & Leadership
  • CAL 1800: Speaking, Leading, Engaging
  • CAL 2300: Responsible Advocacy in a Complicated World
  • CAL 2800: Global Perspectives on American Cultures

Area Focus (1 course)

  • One course inside or outside of CAL selected by the student and a CAL advisor and relevant to the student’s interests, passions, and career goals.

For more information about CAL, contact Professor Paul Stob or Professor Gabriel Torres Colón.