American Studies
Amanda Frekot
Class of 2015 | Columbia, Maryland
Why American Studies?
I chose the American Studies program because I wanted learn more about my own culture—why do we value the things that we do? I have enjoyed taking several American Studies courses, especially film classes like African American Film. I loved looking at how American culture has influenced filmmakers and what values have permeated into mainstream cinema. I gained a different insight on American culture that blew everything I thought I knew out of the water.
Major
Minor
Activities
Writing Fellow, Editorial assistant for the Edith Wharton Review, Treasurer for Theta Chi (MCS Honors Society)
My Experience
Looking back on my Ursinus experience as a senior, I am happy to say that my experience has been truly interdisciplinary. From CIE to my dreaded math credit, from film theory to my American literature capstone, I not only took a wide variety of courses, but also found that there are links between all these disciplines that I would never have noticed without expanding my horizons. Ursinus takes this interdisciplinary experience beyond academics: with a variety of clubs and organizations, I have met so many people in different environments. Ursinus has given me the gift of variety, and I’ll never forget it.
Internship
I was an intern the summer before my junior year with a small local newspaper called the Guilford Gazette. I wrote several articles and worked closely with my supervisor, who had just started publishing the paper. I saw firsthand the newspaper’s beginnings, and seeing the entrepreneurial side of journalism was an interesting and unique experience.