The American Culture Department at the University of Michigan enthusiastically welcomes transfer students into our majors and minors. We will work with you to evaluate and approve transfer credits from your previous college or university. We are here for you.
What is American Culture?
American Culture (often also called American Studies) is an interdisciplinary field of study. This means that it combines perspectives and methods from a variety of disciplines which may be more familiar to you (such as English, History, Sociology, Art History). When put together, these different disciplinary perspectives create something that is more than the sum of its parts, a powerful set of tools for thinking about “America” in each of its many meanings. Our students become experts in critical thinking and polished professional expression. They practice analyzing the workings of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social class, and empire in American art, literature, economy, history, film, video games, dance, and music, as well as in movements for democratic change and social justice. A major or a minor in American Culture thus provides students essential academic tools as they prepare for a wide array of careers, from academic research and teaching, to arts and the media, to public health, to criminal justice, to community organizing, and much more.
Transfer Credits
If you have taken United States History, American Literature, Sociology, African American Studies, Women’s Studies, or even courses in Criminal Justice or Community Health, you already have the building blocks for a major or minor in American Culture. Because many transfer students come from institutions that do not have American Studies departments, it may seem to you as if you have no credits that would transfer for our major and minor. Think again! Because we are an interdisciplinary program, students regularly combine our courses with courses taught in other departments to complete our major and minor. This may be true even if these courses you took in your previous institution were offered at the 100 level. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss your interests and which of your transfer credits would count.
The Department of American Culture and the four Ethnic Studies Programs within the department allow students to use courses taken at other institutions and transferred to UM toward all of our majors and minors. Most eligible courses from other institutions will count as 200-level electives. This limits the number of transfer courses that can be applied to our programs. Here are some useful guidelines:
American Culture majors: both American Culture 300 and American Culture 498 (or 493 for honors majors) must be taken on campus. With some exceptions, a maximum of four approved transfer courses may be used toward the major.
Latina/o Studies majors: both Latina/o Studies 213 and American Culture 498 (or 493 for honors majors) must be taken on campus. With some exceptions, a maximum of four approved transfer courses may be used toward the major.
American Culture minors: American Culture 300 must be taken on campus. With some exceptions, a maximum of two approved transfer courses may be used toward the minor.
Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies minors: ASIANPAM 214 must be taken on campus. With some exceptions, a maximum of two approved transfer courses may be used toward the minor. However, advisors may approve additional substitutions.
Arab and Muslim American Studies Minor: Of the fifteen credits required for the minor, at least 9 credits must be taken in the American Culture Department and/or Arab and Muslim American Studies Program. A maximum of two approved transfer courses may be used towards the minor.
Latina/o Studies Minor: LATINOAM 213 must be taken on campus. A maximum of four transfer courses may be used toward the minor.
Native American Studies Minor: The required survey course must be taken on campus. With some exceptions, a maximum of three approved transfer courses may be used towards the minor. PLEASE NOTE: Students who take elementary and intermediate Ojibwe language courses at Michigan Tribal Colleges may count these classes towards LSA language requirements.
In all cases, approval for credit of courses transferred from another institution toward the major requirements must go through the American Culture Department Transfer Credit Evaluation Process (link to departmental process).
Current University of Michigan Students
If you have already transferred to the University of Michigan, your transfer credits will not appear on your transcript as AMCULT. For them to count towards the major they must be approved by an advisor. If you can, please bring a syllabus from the course or courses you would like to count to toward the major. If you wrote a paper, bring a copy of the paper.
Check the Transfer Credit Equivalency (TCE) website to see if the class has already been approved for transfer.
- If the class is listed on the TCE website as transferring as equivalent credit (i.e. AMCULT 209 or NATIVEAM 232) then no additional steps are required.
- If the class is listed on the TCE website as transferring as departmental credit (i.e. AMCULT Dept.; LATINOAM Dept; ARABAM Dept.; ASIANPAM Dept.; or NATIVEAM Dept.) make an appointment with a department advisor to have the course evaluated to find out for which majors or minors it may count.
PLEASE NOTE: Many of the courses that are pre-approved to count towards American Culture and Ethnic Studies majors and minors will appear with course numbers in other departments. Any courses that appear on your transcript with the following numbers automatically count towards your American Culture Major and Minor. Please schedule an appointment with a departmental advisor to make sure that these classes appear on your major or minor audit checklists.
History
HISTORY 260
HISTORY 261
HISTORY 263
HISTORY 275
HISTORY 280
HISTORY 221M
English
ENGLISH 201
ENGLISH 270
ENGLISH 274
ENGLISH 282
ENGLISH 221M
Sociology
SOC 233
SOCIOLOGY 303
SOCIOLOGY 344
SOCIOLOGY 221M
- If the class is not listed on the TCE website, submit an evaluation request using the UM Transfer Credit Equivalency Request Form. If you are informed that the class transfers as departmental credit in American Culture or any other department, and you would like to see if it can be approved for any of our majors or minors, make an appointment with a departmental advisor to have the course evaluated.
Future Transfer Students
Students who are currently enrolled at a Community College in Michigan who are thinking of transferring into the American Culture Department can send inquiries by email or can arrange to speak to an advisor about which classes to take.
Check the Transfer Credit Equivalency (TCE) website to see if the class has already been approved for transfer.
PLEASE NOTE: Many of the courses that are pre-approved to count towards American Culture and Ethnic Studies majors and minors will appear with course numbers in other departments. Any courses that appear on the TCE website as corresponding to the following University of Michigan course numbers will automatically count towards your American Culture Major and Minor. When you reach our campus, please schedule an appointment with a departmental advisor to make sure that these classes appear appropriately on your transcripts and your major or minor audit checklists.
History
HISTORY 260
HISTORY 261
HISTORY 263
HISTORY 275
HISTORY 280
HISTORY 221M
English
ENGLISH 201
ENGLISH 270
ENGLISH 274
ENGLISH 282
ENGLISH 221M
Sociology
SOC 233
SOCIOLOGY 303
SOCIOLOGY 344
SOCIOLOGY 221M
- If the class is listed on the TCE website as transferring as departmental credit (i.e. AMCULT Dept.) submit the course to the American Culture for evaluation via the undergraduate program coordinator [ac.ug.services@umich.edu]
- If a class is not listed at all on the TCE this means that no student has ever submitted it for evaluation.
Submit the course to the American Culture Department for evaluation via undergraduate program coordinator [ac.ug.services@umich.edu]. Please include a current syllabus for the course at your institution.
Ethnic Studies
Our department is also home to four Ethnic Studies Programs, Native American Studies, Arab and Muslim American Studies, Latina/o Studies, and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies. Like American Culture, these are programs that apply the power of an interdisciplinary approach to specific themes or populations. These programs are the core of our approach to the field of American Culture, though each also extends beyond our Department to connect to other academic communities. Students can participate in Ethnic Studies through the general American Culture major and minor. But we also offer specific minors in each of these programs (and a major in Latina/o Studies). If you are interested in earning a degree in one of these programs, see the pages for those programs. For information about transfer credits, set up an appointment to meet with an advisor.
Research Opportunities
If you are a transfer student and would like the opportunity to learn by working with American Culture professors on their cutting edge research projects, consider participating in the Changing Gears Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program.