American Studies MA

American studies is home to an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students committed to rigorous, socially engaged scholarship. We take a global and hemispheric approach to the study of the Americas, examining local cultures, nations and regions within their larger geopolitical contexts. Building on our traditional strengths in American Indian studies, critical race theory, feminism, class analysis and community engagement, we encourage scholarly work on history, politics, visual cultures, literary and oral cultures, environmental and agricultural practices, religions, gender, sexuality, kinship systems, geography, and economics.

Required Core (21 credits)

Select 7 SEM/LEC courses from all Graduate level courses in:

American Studies (AMS)
African and African-American Studies (AAS)
Caribbean Studies (CRC)

Electives & Culminating Experience (11 credits)

Electives

Number of elective credits may vary depending on choice made to complete the culminating experience. Be sure to complete enough elective credit to reach 32 minimum total credit hours.

Select Graduate Level courses from:
- American Studies (AMS)
- African and African-American Studies (AAS)
- Caribbean Studies (CRC)
Limit of 6 credits of Tutorial Coursework (e.g. Independent Study / Informal Courses)
Limit of 6 credits of coursework from outside these departments

Culminating Experience: Thesis or Project (3-6 credits)

AMS 700TUT - Project Supervision Credits: 1 - 6
AMS 701TUT - MA Thesis Supervision Credits: 1 - 6
AAS 600TUT - Thesis Guid Af Amer St Credits: 1 - 12

Total Credit Hours: 32

3.0 Degree GPA required

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

1) Identify and evaluate different schools of thought and methodologies central to the field of American Studies.

2) Explain the core intellectual concerns of the field of American Studies.

3) Develop a critical understanding of the complexities of American culture.

4) Analyze and critique texts (e.g. literary, historical, and legal) in a multidisciplinary framework.

5) Bring together expertise from the disciplines of History, Literature, Art, Film. Law, and Political Theory to examine core concerns in the field of American Studies.

6) Organize and synthesize disciplinary material into a critically integrated multidisciplinary research document.

7) Produce advanced multidisciplinary research and studies on American culture with emphasis on race, ethnicity, class, gender. sexuality, and art.

8) Envision a society that incorporates the enlightened core values regarding race, class and gender in a modern multicultural hemisphere and society.

9) Develop effective written communication skills to be able to effectively, clearly and coherently communicate intellectual thought.

SED Statement

This program is officially registered with the New York State Education Department (SED).