UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

ACADEMIC LEARNING COMPACT

Department: Humanities and American Studies

Program: American Studies

Degree designation: Bachelor of Arts

Identification of Core Student Learning Outcomes:

Graduates of this program should be able to do the following:

Content/discipline skills:

• Be aware of the cultural patterns, beliefs, and values that have at times unified and at times divided Americans.
• Have an interdisciplinary understanding of American cultural development. 
• Have an understanding of American art and cultural products in their social and historical context.

Critical Thinking Skills

• Demonstrate skills in the analysis of American art and artifacts.
• Demonstrate the ability to interpret works of art and material culture.
• Demonstrate the ability to deal with cultural products contextually, situating them in their social/historical context and/or comparing them with other cultural products.

Communication Skills

• Develop effective written arguments, integrating the student’s own analyses and interpretations of art and cultural products with secondary critical or historical sources. 

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:

A department committee will examine the required coursework taken by the student, to insure the proper range of courses was taken and passing grades were received.  This will insure that the student has achieved a reasonable knowledge base in American culture.  Then, by examining work produced in the program’s capstone course (AMS 4935, Senior Seminar), the committee will determine the students’ achievement in the areas of critical thinking and communication.  The results of the assessments will be used to improve student achievement and program effectiveness.