This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2025-2026 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
AMST 195. Richmond. 1 Hour.
15 contact hours. 1 credit. A series of mini-courses dealing with aspects of Richmond's literary and historical importance from the city's beginning to the present.
AMST 216. Reading Race. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An inquiry into the origins and evolution of race and racism through diverse literary and cultural texts that examine the historical and current structures that sustain racial inequities and that explore efforts to challenge and address such inequities. Individual sections may focus on a specific literature of diversity. Graded as pass/fail.
AMST 312. Introduction to Health Humanities. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Students will learn how the arts and humanities apply to and can support or cultivate human health and wellness, both individually and in the community. In particular, the course will incorporate different disciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives from the humanities and the arts to the concepts of “health” and “care,” in their cultural, social and lived complexities, to better understand the structural and systematic forces and processes that produce or reinforce health and health care disparities. Students will analyze how the arts and humanities can help address and challenge inequities, cultivate empathy in individual interactions and practices, and imagine alternatives. Crosslisted as: GSWS 312.
AMST 348. The Literature of Addiction. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An exploration of literature which reflects experiences of addiction and recovery within families, relationships and broader cultural contexts. The focus and approach may vary by section. Students may study poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, drama and media. Crosslisted as: ENGL 348.
AMST 359. Studies in African American Literature: ____. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 201, ENGL 202, ENGL 203, ENGL 204, ENGL 205, ENGL 206, ENGL 211, ENGL 215, ENGL 217, ENGL 236, ENGL 250, ENGL 291, ENGL 295 or NEXT 240. An in-depth study of a literary genre; an aesthetic, cultural or political theme in African American literature; or a major writer or writers in African American literature. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester. Topics will vary by section. Crosslisted as: ENGL 359.
AMST 391. Topics in American Studies. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated once for credit. Selected issues or problems in American civilization with materials drawn from such areas as history, the social sciences, philosophy, literature, the arts and mass communications.
AMST 394. Perspectives in American Studies. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: 6 credits in American-related courses. An introduction to the methods, significant works and major trends in American studies. May be taken for American literature credit by English majors. May not be used to satisfy the literature requirement of the College of Humanities and Sciences.