While the College of Liberal Arts confirmed this year that it is phasing out the American studies major, the Faculty Senate announced the implementation of a new U.S. cultures requirement.

I was pleased to see the new U.S. culture requirement, but the push to cram it into part of an English 15 class seems like the college is attempting to offer opportunities to fulfill this new requirement by engaging in as little course innovation as possible. The recent proposal by the Faculty Senate to integrate the U.S. culture requirement into some English classes for students "with stricter graduation credits" leads me to suspect that the college (or the Faculty Senate) is purposely or inadvertently undermining U.S. culture whenever it has the opportunity to do so. The development of one's writing skills as an undergraduate is one of the most important academic exercises in which undergraduates engage. English 15 and 30 should "help students develop better arguments in writing" as it exists now, without having to burden instructors to fulfill two general education requirements, whether they are English 15 and U.S. Culture or English 15 and social science, simultaneously. If anything, I am glad to see that this integration is being implemented on a trial basis.