Career Center

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American Studies

What are you going to do with your major?

Remember, a liberal arts degree opens a vast array of career choices and opportunities. Your degree has prepared you to approach problems analytically, think critically about ideas, research, organize your thoughts, and write about your findings. Your only limitation is thinking that you are only qualified for the traditional jobs in a selected major.

“The system-the American one, at least- is a vast and noble experiment.  It has been the polestar and exemplar for other nations.”
- Phyllis McGinley
 
 
The following books are available in the Career Center Resource Library (Seegers Union, lower level). The locations of these books are next to the title with the section number:
  • The Publishing Industry- Fred and Jan Yager (Media & Communication)
  • Careers in Journalism- Jan Goldberg (Media & Communication)
  • Careers in Communication- Shonan Noronha (Media & Communication)
  • Current Jobs in Writing, Editing & Communication- Monthly Publication (Current Periodicals)
  • Opportunities in Public Affairs- Monthly Publication (Current Periodicals)
  • Career Opportunities it Politics, Government, and Activism- Joan Axelrod-Contrada (Gov/Law)
  • Federal Civil Service Jobs- Michael Lipson and Dawn McKay (Gov/Law)
  • An Insider’s Guide to Political Jobs in Washington- William T. Endicott(Gov/Law)
  • Guide to America’s Federal Jobs- Bruce Maxwell and the Editors at JIST (Gov/Law)
  • The Paralegal’s Guide to U.S. Government Jobs- Richard L. Hermann and Linda P. Sutherland (Gov/Law)
  • Red White and Blue Jobs- Partnership for Public Service publication (Gov/Law)
 
 
Other Career Center resources:
  • This Handout available on the Career Center website or in the Career Center Resource Library.
  • Muhlenberg Career Network, a database accessible from the career library computer that provides contact information for Muhlenberg alumni who have volunteered to help students with their career goals.
Examples of Jobs Held by Religion Majors:
  • Editor (Thompson Learning)
  • Regional Sales Manager (Audio Visual Innovations)
  • Partner/Insurance Agent (Spencer E. Gray Insurance, LLC)
  • Employee Relations Manager (Emery- Waterhouse)


Graduate Programs:
  • Career Center:
        Peterson’s Graduate Programs in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (GRAD 16)
        Peterson’s Graduate Programs in the Humanities 2004     (GRAD 43)
  • Law School Information:
    *    The Law School section in the Career Resource Library contains over twenty books with information about various law schools, law school preparation, and the LSAT.
        So You Want to Be a Lawyer- Law School Admission Council (Gov/Law 11)
            Career Opportunities In Law and the Legal Industry- Susan Echaore-McDavid (Gov/Law 14)
        Careers for Legal Eagles and Other Law-and-Order Types-     Blythe Camenson (Gov/Law  5)
        Nonlegal Careers for Lawyers-     Gary A. Munneke and William D. Henslee (Gov/Law 4)
        Should You Really Be a Lawyer?    - Deborah Schneider, JD and Gary Belsky (Gov/Law 15)
        An Introduction to Law, Law Study, and the Lawyer’s Role-     James E. Moliterno and Frederic I. Lederer (Gov/Law 22)
 
 

Faculty Resources
  Advisors in the Muhlenberg American Studies department are excellent resources to explore the various professions relating to American Studies and what careers are generally pursued by American Studies majors.  Advisors are also willing to discuss graduate school opportunities and options.
 
 
Professional Associations:
 
 
American Studies Related Websites:
  The Smithsonian American Art Museum
    Contains information about the works of a wide variety of American artists, past and present.  Visitors to the site can conduct searches based on the artist’s name, title of the work, keyword, or accession number.
 
  The National Museum of the American Indian
    Smithsonian museums.  Site contains information about the three museums, in New York, Maryland, and Washington DC, and their exhibitions, artists and their works.
 
  H-AMSDTY
    Online forum for the teaching and research in the field of American Studies.  Also provides interdisciplinary perspectives on culture in North America.
 
  Law School Admission Council
    Contains information for potential law students, including access to electronic law school applications, law school rankings, and other related resources.

 

The Career Center, Muhlenberg College
2400 W. Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104-5586
Ph: (484) 664-3170    Fax: (484) 664-3533

Return to the Career Center homepage.

Last Revised March 25, 2008
Questions and comments? Send e-mail to careers@muhlenberg.edu