American Studies 101: America Then and Now

Core Course

AMS 101 serves as the gateway to certificates in American studies, Asian American studies, and Latino studies.

AMS 101 on the Registrar site
Students in 'America Then and Now' in class at the Princeton University Art Museum. Photo by Sarah Malone

Students in “America Then and Now” in class at the Princeton University Art Museum. Photo by Sarah Malone

Signature ideas, events and debates from America’s past and present

AMS 101 examines a wide range of material and media from the points of view of multiple fields of study, and engages the voices of diverse individuals and cultures in telling the story of America then and now.

Students explore historical and mythic manifestations of America from local, national, and global perspectives, and consider the historical and cognitive processes associated with delineations of America.

Teaching with Special Collections: ‘America Then and Now’ : Feature article

Students in the team-taught course “America Then and Now” explore cultural, social and political history through a range of experiences, including hands-on archival research.
Aisha M. Beliso-De Jesús leads a discussion with students in the Princeton University Library

Students in the team-taught course “America Then and Now” explore cultural, social and political history through a range of experiences, including hands-on archival research. Pictured: At a visit to Princeton University Library’s Special Collections, Aisha M. Beliso-De Jesús (standing center), professor of American studies and director of the Effron Center for the Study of America, leads an impromptu discussion about 19th- and 20th-century materials from minstrel shows. Photo by Shelley Szwast, Princeton University Library