Collection Development Policy for American Studies
Subject Specialist: Steve Smith (x2103)
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GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION
The interdisciplinary American Studies program draws support from many areas of the Library collections, such as literature, history, art, and the social sciences. The American Studies major requires courses in historical studies; American literature; the arts; social and behavioral analysis; epistemology and cognition; and religion, ethics, and moral philosophy; and may include a concentration in an area or field, such as law, women, or Asian America. Most courses at the College that are primarily American in content may be applied to the American Studies major. American Studies majors are encouraged to take as part of, or in addition to, their major courses, surveys of American history, literature, and art, and a course on the American Constitution and political thought.
CORE AMERICAN STUDIES COLLECTIONS
The interdisciplinary American Studies program relies heavily on the collecting activities under the following subjects:
The subject specialist for English has primary responsibility for American Studies, and selects American literature and related critical works, biographies and memoirs, cultural studies, and some materials on American history.
The subject specialist for History selects materials on American history, and broader historical studies (e.g., American involvement in Central America)
The subject specialist for Sociology
The subject specialist for Women's Studies
The subject specialist for Art selects . These materials are located in the Art Library
The subject specialist for Africana Studies
The subject specialist for Economics
The subject specialist for Political Science selects materials on American politics and political thought.
SECONDARY RELATED SUBJECTS & INTERDISCIPLINARY RELATIONSHIPS
In addition, materials supporting American Studies are acquired for the following subjects:
The subject specialist for Anthropology
The subject specialist for Cinema & Media Studies (CAMS) selects feature films, documentaries, and secondary materials (critical studies, biographies, etc.) on American cinema and media studies in collaboration with the American Studies subject specialist.
The subject specialist for Education
The subject specialist for French
The Jewish Studies subject specialist selects most materials on Jewish culture and religion, and on Jews, in the United States, Latin America, and South America. The subject specialists may collaborate on works dealing generally with Jewish culture in the United States.
The subject specialist for Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences
The Middle Eastern studies subject specialist selects materials on Islam and on Muslims in the United States, Latin America, and South America. The subject specialists may collaborate on works dealing generally with Islamic culture in the United States.
The subject specialist for Music selects most works dealing with American music, including blues, jazz, pop, rap, musical theater, and other genres.
The subject specialist for Religion selects materials on religion in the United States, Latin America, and South America. The focus of the American Studies curriculum is on religion in society.
The theatre studies subject specialist selects American plays, in video and in playscript; the American subject specialist selects secondary works on American drama (critical studies, biographies, etc.).
[Government Docs?]