Graduate Courses for American Studies (AMST)

Schedule of Classes: Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer
(Only current and next semester available)

AMST 418 Cultural Themes in America (3 credits)
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
Examination of structure and development of American culture through themes such as "growing up American," "culture and mental disorders," "race," "ethnicity," "regionalism," "landscape," and "humor."

AMST 428 American Cultural Eras (3 credits)
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
Investigation of a decade, period, or generation as a case study in significant social change within an American context. Case studies include "Antebellum America, 1840-1860," "American culture in the Great Depression."

AMST 429 Perspectives on Popular Culture (3 credits)
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
Topics in popular culture studies, including the examination of particular genres, themes, and issues.

AMST 432 Literature and American Society (3 credits)
Prerequisite: Prior course in AMST, SOCY, American literature, or American history.
Examination of the relationship between literature and society: including literature as cultural communication and the institutional framework governing its production, distribution, conservation and evaluation.

AMST 433 American Humor (3 credits)
Credit will be granted for only one of the following: AMST418A or AMST433. Formerly AMST418A.
American humor from the Colonial era through the present in genres including literature, journalism, graphic arts, performance, and modern media. How humor expresses and mediates important social and cultural concerns including politics, religion, race and ethnicity, gender and topical issues.

AMST 450 Seminar in American Studies (3 credits)
Prerequisite: Nine hours prior coursework in American Studies, including AMST201. Senior standing. For AMST majors only.
Developments in theories and methods of American Studies scholarship, with emphasis upon interaction between the humanities and the social sciences in the process of cultural analysis and evaluation.

AMST 498 Special Topics in American Studies (3 credits)
Repeatable to 9 credits if content differs.
Topics of special interest.

AMST 601 Introductory Theories and History in American Studies (3 credits)
Not open to Graduate Advanced Special Students.
Explores the formative literature, theories, research approaches, and history of American Studies.

AMST 602 Interdisciplinary Research Methods and Bibliographic Instruction (3 credits)
Advanced instruction interdisciplinary research strategies, bibliography, and the structure of systems of scholarly communication in the fields and subfields of American Studies.

AMST 603 Current Approaches to American Studies (3 credits)
For AMST majors only or permission of department. Permission of instructor required for non-A MST graduate students.
Builds on AMST601 and explores contemporary literature, theory, and intellectual issues in American Studies.

AMST 628 Seminar in American Studies (3 credits)

AMST 629 Seminar in American Studies (3 credits)

AMST 630 Seminar: Readings in Popular Culture in the United States (3 credits)
Readings and analysis of classical and recent research literature on selcted topics, major theories and frameworks, and methodology in popular culture in the United States.

AMST 638 Orientation Seminar: Material Aspects of American Civilization (3 credits)
Class meets at the Smithsonian.

AMST 639 Reading Course in Selected Aspects of American Civilization (3 credits)
Class meets at the Smithsonian.

AMST 650 Material Culture Studies Theory (3 credits)
Readings and analysis of canonical and current scholarly approaches to the study of material culture. Covers a wide range of material culture genres and subfields, and focuses on artifacts and the built environment.

AMST 655 Introduction to Museum Scholarship (3 credits)
Restricted to graduate students in American Studies, Anthropology, Historic Preservation, or History (including HILS), or others by permission of department. Also offered as HIST 610. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: AMST 638C, AMST 655, HIST 610, or HIST 619C. Formerly AMST638C.
Provides students a basic understanding of museums as cultural and intellectual institutions. Topics include the historical development of museums, museums as resources for scholarly study, and the museum exhibition as medium for presentation of scholarship.

AMST 698 Directed Readings in American Studies (3 credits)
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to pursue independent, interdisciplinary research and reading in specific aspects of American culture under the supervision of a faculty member.

AMST 798 Non-Thesis Research (1-3 credits)

AMST 799 Master's Thesis Research (1-6 credits)

AMST 801 Research Seminar in American Life and Culture (3 credits)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of two American Studies graduate readings seminar.
A research writing seminar that provides students with an opportunity to complete an original research project to gain experience in related scholarly activities (proposing and configuring research and making conference-style presentation).

AMST 851 Interpretation of Cultural Landscapes (3 credits)
A research seminar that provides students an opportunity to survey the principal approaches to studying a cultural landscape, learn how to apply and adapt a field research method, and produce a primary research report on a cultural landscape of their choice.

AMST 856 Museum Research Seminar (3 credits)
Prerequisite: AMST 655. Also offered as HIST 810. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: AMST 638D, AMST 856, HIST 810 or HIST 819D. Formerly AMST638D.
A research seminar focusing on the practice and presentation of cultural and historical scholarship in museums and historical sites. Students will complete an original research project on the challenges and opportunities of public exhibition and interpretation of cultural and historical research.

AMST 857 Museum Scholarship Practicum (3-6 credits)
Prerequisite: AMST856 and Permission of Museum Scholarship Program. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: AMST857 or HIST811.
Students devise and carry out a research program using the collections at the Smithsonian Institution or some other cooperating museum, working under joint supervision of a museum professional and a university faculty member.

AMST 898 Pre-Candidacy Research (1-8 credits)

AMST 899 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1-8 credits)