The Department of American Studies is committed to the interdisciplinary study of American culture and society as a whole. Besides general courses in American life and thought, six areas of study are offered: Cultural Studies (including folklore and material culture); Southwest Studies; Environment, Science and Technology; Popular Culture; Gender Studies; Race, Class and Ethnicity. Students consult with department faculty to develop individual, inter-departmental programs of study in the humanities and social sciences that focus on these or other significant aspects of American society and thought.
The “declared minor” in American Studies is only available for Master’s level students at present. To complete the minor, students must complete 9 hours of 500-level courses (seminars) under Plan I. Under Plan II students need 12 hours of 500-level courses. Under either plan, 1–3 hours of Independent Study with a faculty member in American Studies can count toward the minor. AMST 500 is a restricted course and does not count toward the minor.
American Studies graduate students who wish to do a minor in another department should do so in consultation with their academic advisor and should contact the other department for specific guidelines for the minor. Faculty members in American Studies may opt to waive their right to serve on a committee of studies outside American Studies. Plan I students may take no more than 9 hours of graduate course work in any other single department, and Plan II students may do no more than 15 hours of graduate course work in any other single department.
The program is offered at the master’s and doctoral levels. The doctorate usually requires a Master of Arts degree in such majors as American Studies, Art History, History, English, Philosophy, Economics, Education, Political Science, Sociology or Anthropology. In making application, candidates are expected to submit a substantive letter of intent with a clear statement of their American Studies research interests and their goals in pursuing such investigations on a graduate level. Only candidates who show purpose and promise and whose research needs can be appropriately met will be admitted by a committee of the department faculty.
At least 30 hours in residence beyond the M.A. are required for the doctorate; this requirement sometimes extends to 36 hours or even more, depending upon the breadth of the candidate’s background.
Taking into consideration the experience and purposes of each student, individualized programs will be planned to emphasize two major areas of interest with supplementary work in other areas.
The master’s is offered under Plan I (thesis) and Plan II (non-thesis) as described in this catalog. The master’s program in either case requires an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental grouping of courses for the study of American culture. Under Plan II, the student must successfully complete a minimum of 33 hours of graduate work. Plan I (thesis) calls for 27 hours of course work in addition to thesis hours.
In addition to the course requirements for the doctorate, the American Studies Department language requirement may be fulfilled either through the various options approved by the Office of Graduate Studies or through satisfactory completion of an alternative methodology option to be determined by the student in consultation with the student’s committee on studies and the chairperson of the department.
Students are expected to form a committee on studies after completing 12 hours of graduate credit. Decisions about course work and its distribution, the foreign language to be presented and any special problems related to the proposed area of concentration will be reached in consultation between the candidate and the committee on studies. All graduate students are required to take two exams. The first is the American Culture Study (ACS) exam, taken one year after entry into the program and based on the required pro-seminar and the ACS reading list. The second is taken after completion of course work. It is a written comprehensive examination, the primary purpose of which will be to ascertain the candidate’s ability at synthesizing the subject matter and various methodologies covered during his or her time in the program. Detailed guidelines for the comprehensive examination are available through the department.
The dissertation will concern itself with at least two disciplines in a specific area of American life and usually with more than two.
Courses
AMST 180. Introduction to American Studies. (3)
Introduces 19th and 20th century American culture. Demonstrates interdisciplinary approaches to American culture studies. Content varies by semester and topics include popular culture, comparative studies of race and ethnicity, nationalism and citizenship, critical regionalism. (G)
AMST 182. Introduction to Environment, Science and Technology. (3)
An introduction to the socially and politically constructed values directing Americans’ attitudes toward nature, science and technology and to the impacts of those attitudes on built and natural environments regionally, nationally and globally. (EST)
AMST 183. Introduction to Gender Studies. (3)
This course focuses on the interdisciplinary study of the construction of gender as a category. Readings will span cross-cultural and historical materials, including literary, artistic and popular representations of masculinity and femininity in America. (GS)
AMST 184. Introduction to American Popular Culture. (3)
Survey of basic concepts of popular culture and methods for its study. Source materials are drawn from diverse areas–television, film, comics, music and sports. (PC)
AMST 185. Introduction to Race, Class and Ethnicity. (3)
An interdisciplinary introduction to the issues of race, class and ethnicity in American life and society. (RCE)
{Fall, Spring}
AMST 186. Introduction to Southwest Studies. (3)
Provides both an introduction to the complex history and culture of the Southwestern United States and a demonstration of the possibilities of the interdisciplinary study of regional American culture. It is multicultural in its content as it is multidisciplinary in its methodology. (SS)
AMST 200. Topics in American Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
The content of this course varies by semester. Topics include: America in the 50s; America in the 60s–70s; the American family; power and culture; schooling in America. (G)
AMST 201. Introduction to Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies . (3)
(Also offered as CHMS 201, NATV 201)
Introductory survey of the Mexican American experience in the United States, with special reference to New Mexico. Exploration of historical, political, social, and cultural dimensions.
AMST 251. The Chicano Experience in the United States. (3)
Investigation of the historical and social conditions that have shaped the development of Chicano life. (RCE)
AMST 252. The Native American Experience. (3)
(Also offered as NATV 252)
Introductory survey of Native American History, culture and contemporary issues. Students read literature by and about Native Americans covering a variety of topics including tribal sovereignty, federal policy, activism, economic development, education and community life. (RCE)
AMST 285. American Life and Thought. (3)
Examination of the development of American cultural values and attitudes from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. Demonstrates the use of interdisciplinary modes of inquiry. (G)
AMST 303. Law in the Political Community. (3)
(Also offered as POLS 303)
Introduction to the role of law and legal institutions in politics and society. (C)
AMST 309 / 509. Topics in Social Movements. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
An interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of social movements, focusing on cultural and social formations of these movements. Topics include: folklore of social movements; labor struggles; peace movements; land conflicts. (C)
AMST 310 / 510. Topics in Cultural Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Varying topics undergraduate course. An in-depth study of one subject in the field of interdisciplinary culture studies. Topics may include material culture, folklore, consumerism, public culture, critical theory, cultural identity and language and representation. (C)
AMST 313. American Folklore and Folklife. (3)
An introduction to the informal, vernacular facets of American culture with a focus on the artistic and symbolic dimensions of daily life as expressed in oral traditions, folkloric events and material culture. (C)
{Fall}
AMST 314. Violin Making: Construction and Culture. (3 to a maximum of 15 Δ )
Students will learn the history of violin making and be exposed to cultural and historical materials related to religious, ritual and folk violin performances and dances practiced in New Mexico since the early 17th century.
AMST 315 . Race, Class & Gender in the Culture Industry. (3)
This course will focus on 20th century U.S. cultural history and cultural studies. Proceeding chronologically, the course integrates a range of cultural mediums to investigate the construction of social identity. (C)
AMST 317 / 517. Visual Culture. (3)
This course will investigate the role of visual experience in everyday life. The assigned works represent a variety of interdisciplinary approaches to American visual culture, including photography, film, television, material culture, and public art. (C)
AMST 320. Topics in Environment, Science and Technology. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
The content of this course varies by semester. Topics include: environmental justice, ecology in America, gender and nature, ethics and genetics, automobiles in American culture. (EST)
AMST 323 / 523. Environmental Justice. (3)
This course is designed as a multicultural/interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental justice. Topics include: environmental racism, internal/nuclear colonialism, harmful technologies, industrial pollution and other toxins in communities of color. (EST)
AMST 324. Environmental Conflicts in the U.S. West. (3)
This course covers environmental conflicts in the U.S. West from World War II to the present. Topics include: natural resource debates, impacts of such technologies as dams and nuclear reactors, agricultural conflicts and environmental justice. (EST)
AMST 330 / 530. Topics in Gender Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Varying subjects deriving from the contemporary cultural studies focus on matters of gender. Topics include: feminist theory; gender and nature; the factor of gender in disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies. (GS)
AMST 332. Politics of Sex [Sexuality and Culture]. (3)
The politics of sex are around us everyday. In this course, we tackle some of the controversies by examining how sex, gender, and sexuality have been constructed throughout U.S. history, culture and politics. (GS)
Corequisite: 332L.
AMST 332L. Politics of Sex Recitation [Sexuality and Culture Recitation]. (1)
A discussion section focused on readings in the theory and methods of sexuality and cultural studies. This recitation section is taken concurrently with 332. (GS)
Corequisite: 332.
AMST 340. Topics in Popular Culture. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Content varies by semester. Topics include: popular music, popular culture of the 1960s; sex and gender in popular culture; chicano/a vernacular culture; black popular culture; popular environmentalism. (PC)
AMST 341 / 541. Topics in Film. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Varying subjects, based in theoretical and/or historical approaches. Topics include: sex and gender in popular film; films of the nuclear age; African-American film; ethnicity in American cinema; film theory. (PC)
AMST 342. Television in American Culture. (3)
This course is an introduction to the history of television as a medium from its origins through the present moment. In the course we will focus on the structure of the television’s role within American society, and television as a site of cultural representation. (PC)
AMST 343. Urban Legends. (3)
This course will examine the origins, transmissions, and embedded meanings within contemporary urban legends, with a specific focus on how these legends both perpetuate and reflect attitudes toward race, gender, and politics.
AMST 350 / 550. Topics in Race, Class, Ethnicity. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Offers specialized topics on an alternating basis dealing with race, class and ethnicity in the formation of American life and society. Subject areas include immigration, class formation, conquest, colonization, public policy and civil rights. (RCE)
AMST 351. Blacks in the U.S. West. (3)
(Also offered as AFST 307)
A survey of the lives of Blacks in the American West (1528–1918). (RCE)
AMST 352 / 552. Native American Cultural Production. (3)
This course examines contemporary Native American cultural production including literature, art and film with an emphasis on historical, political and cultural contexts. Topics may include: definitions of cultural production, sovereignty, colonialism, cultural survival and identity. (RCE)
AMST 353 . Race Relations in America. (3)
An interdisciplinary investigation of the development of race as a set of power relations, lived identities and ideas. Pays particular attention to the relationship of race to work, immigration, gender, culture and intellectual life. (RCE)
AMST 354 . Social Class and Inequality. (3)
This course is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of class formations in society. Topics include: culture, ideology, politics, history, Marxism, Weberian sociology, (post-) structuralism, colonialism, textuality, praxis and desconstructionism. (RCE)
AMST 356 / 556. Topics in Native American Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Topical survey of theoretical approaches, research methodologies and subject areas within the interdisciplinary field of Native American Studies. (RCE)
AMST 357 / 557. Topics in African-American Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Offers topics addressing African-American social, cultural, political and intellectual life. Topics include: black social movements, African-American intellectual history, black cultural studies, slavery in the Americas. (RCE)
AMST 358 / 558. Topics in Latino/a Studies. (3)
This interdisciplinary topics course examines the fastest growing population in the U.S. and includes Latino intellectual history, political and economic relations, recovery projects, music, film and media representations and environment, community and post-colonial studies. (RCE)
AMST 360 / 560. Topics in Southwest Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Offers topics dealing with the social, cultural and technological developments among the people of the Southwest. Topics include folk art and material culture; rural, urban and border communities; traditional healing; travel and tourism; Hispano/Chicanos after 1848. (SS)
AMST 362 / 562. Native American Representation and Resistance. (3)
This course will examine popular representations of Native Americans from American literature, film, policy, science and popular culture. Topics include critical and cultural theories of representation and identity and Native resistance and cultural production. (RCE)
AMST 363 / 563. Chicano/Latino Film. (3)
Covers the Chicano/Latino experience through its depiction on film and from the perspective of Latino filmmaking. The course analyzes film as communication, film narration, symbolism and subjectivity. (SS)
AMST 385. Theories and Methods of American Studies. (3)
Introduces students to interdisciplinary approaches in the study of American culture, focusing on “Race, Ethnicity, Gender and National Identity,” “Media, Popular Culture, and Cultural Studies,” “Critical Regionalism,” and “Environment, Science and Technology.” (G)
AMST 422 / 522. The Atomic Bomb: Los Alamos to Hiroshima. (3)
Considers three interrelated sections: the political and scientific history of the Manhattan Project; strategic alternatives to the use of the atomic bomb; and the literature of the hibakusha survivors of the destruction of Hiroshima. (EST)
AMST 485. Senior Seminar in the Culture of the United States. (3)
An analysis of the value of synthesis in liberal scholarship. Focus will be on cooperative interdisciplinary research. (G)
{Spring only}
AMST 486. Senior Seminar in Southwest Studies. (3)
Capstone course for majors/minors in the Southwest Studies that synthesizes current scholarship on critical regionalism: borderlands studies, trans-nationalism, indigeneity, immigration and other topics. Students develop research, analysis and writing to produce an original research paper. (SS)
AMST 497. Individual Study. (1-3 to a maximum of 9 Δ)
AMST *498. Internship. (1-6)
Involves internships in off-campus learning experiences related to the study of American and regional culture and character, such as work in local communities and with relevant institutions. (G)
AMST 499. Honors Thesis. (3)
Development and writing of senior honors thesis under supervision of faculty advisor. (G)
Prerequisite: 285
Restriction: permission of undergraduate director
{Spring}
AMST 500. American Culture Study Seminar. (3)
Examines the basic texts and methods in the field of American studies through discussion and critical/analytical writing assignments. Required for all American Studies graduate students; restricted to graduate students in the department. (G)
{Fall}
AMST 508 / 308. Cultural Autobiography. (3)
This course is concerned with meaning, identity and subject formation in the autobiographical text. Readings will focus on contemporary critical theory about autobiography and post-colonial studies. Students will draw on a broad range of personal accounts that result from the construction of race, gender, class and ethnicity in the United States past and present. (C)
AMST 509 / 309. Topics in Social Movements. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
An interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of social movements, focusing on cultural and social formations of these movements. Topics include: folklore of social movements; labor struggles; peace movements; land conflicts. (C)
AMST 510 / 310. Topics in Cultural Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
An in-depth study of one subject in the field of interdisciplinary culture studies. Topics may include material culture, folklore, consumerism, public culture, critical theory, cultural identity and postcolonial studies. (C)
AMST 512. Transnational American Studies . (3)
Decentering the U.S. from its sense of entitlement to America, this course explores hemispheric relations, the history of the U.S. as an imperial power, and the current context of the transnationalization and globalization of cultures.
AMST 517 / 317. Visual Culture. (3)
This course will investigate the role of visual experience in everyday life. The assigned works represent a variety of interdisciplinary approaches to American visual culture, including photography, film, television, material culture, and public art. (C)
AMST 518. Post-Colonial Theory. (3)
This is a graduate-level introduction to the interdisciplinary field of post-colonialism. The readings will cover areas in post-structuralism, post-modernism, semiotics, discourse analysis, textuality, Western Marxism, cultural nationalism, colonialism(s) and imperialism. (C)
AMST 519. Topics in Cultural History. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Graduate seminars; content varies. Topics include: democracy, culture and history; American landscapes; history and narrative. (C)
AMST 520. Topics in Environment, Science and Technology. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Graduate study of subjects in Environment, Science and Technology. Content varies by semester and topics include: science/technology studies, environmental justice, the environment and political and social development, ecology in America, gender and nature. (EST)
AMST 522 / 422. The Atomic Bomb: Los Alamos to Hiroshima. (3)
Considers three interrelated sections: the political and scientific history of the Manhattan Project; strategic alternatives to the use of the atomic bomb; and the literature of the hibakusha survivors of the destruction of Hiroshima. (EST)
AMST 523 / 323. Environmental Justice. (3)
This course is designed as a multicultural/interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental justice. Topics include: environmental racism, internal/nuclear colonialism, harmful technologies, industrial pollution and other toxins in communities of color. (EST)
AMST 525. Environmental Theory and Practice. (3)
This course surveys key methods and model case studies in ecological history, in impacts of technology on the environment and in the role of cultural values and ethics in natural resource policy decisions. (EST)
AMST 530 / 330. Topics in Gender Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Varying subjects deriving from the contemporary cultural studies focus on matters of gender. Topics include: feminist theory; gender and nature; the factor of gender in disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies. (GS)
AMST 540. Topics in Popular Culture. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Content varies by semester. Topics include: popular music, popular culture of the 1960s; sex and gender in popular culture; chicano/a vernacular culture; black popular culture; popular environmentalism. (PC)
AMST 541 / 341. Topics in Film. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Varying subjects, based in theoretical and/or historical approaches. Topics include: sex and gender in popular film; films of the nuclear age; African-American film; ethnicity in American cinema; film theory. (PC)
AMST 545. Theories & Methods of Popular Culture. (3)
Graduate seminar surveying approaches to the study of popular culture and major theoretical debates in the field. Students also work with popular culture texts, including film, television, toys, fashion, music and advertising. (PC)
AMST 550 / 350. Topics in Race, Class, Ethnicity. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Offers specialized topics on an alternating basis dealing with race, class and ethnicity in the formation of American life and society. Subject areas include immigration, class formation, conquest, colonization, public policy and civil rights. (RCE)
AMST 552 / 352. Native American Cultural Production. (3)
This course examines contemporary Native American cultural production including literature, art and film with an emphasis on historical, political and cultural contexts. Topics may include: definitions of cultural production, sovereignty, colonialism, cultural survival and identity. (RCE)
AMST 555. Theories and Methods of Race, Class, Ethnicity. (3)
This course will survey the theoretical and methodological convergence/divergence of race, class and ethnicity. This class is designed as a graduate-multidisciplinary approach to racial, class and ethnic formations, relations, structures, institutions and movements. (RCE)
AMST 556 / 356. Topics in Native American Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Seminar offering topical survey of theoretical approaches, research methodologies and subject areas within the interdisciplinary field of Native American Studies. (RCE)
AMST 557 / 357. Topics in African-American Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Offers topics addressing African-American social, cultural, political and intellectual life. Topics include: black social movements, African-American intellectual history, black cultural studies, slavery in the Americas. (RCE)
AMST 558 / 358. Topics in Latino/a Studies. (3)
This interdisciplinary topics course examines the fastest growing population in the U.S. and includes Latino intellectual history, political and economic relations, recovery projects, music, film and media representations and environment, community and post-colonial studies. (RCE)
AMST 560 / 360. Topics in Southwest Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Offers topics dealing with the social, cultural and technological developments among the people of the Southwest. Topics include folk art and material culture; rural, urban and border communities; traditional healing; travel and tourism; Hispano/Chicanos after 1848. (SS)
AMST 562 / 362. Native American Representation and Resistance. (3)
This course will examine popular representations of Native Americans from American literature, film, policy, science and popular culture. Topics include critical and cultural theories of representation and identity and Native resistance and cultural production. (RCE)
AMST 563 / 363. Chicano/Latino Film. (3)
Covers the Chicano/Latino experience through its depiction on film and from the perspective of Latino filmmaking. The course analyzes film as communication, film narration, symbolism and subjectivity. (SS)
AMST 597. Individual Study-Master’s Degree. (1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)
(G)
AMST 599. Master’s Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)
(G)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
AMST 600. Research Methods. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
This seminar reviews: 1) archival and library research; 2) data collection and fieldwork (plus subsequent analysis and presentation of data); 3) processes of hypotheses and theory building; and 4) development of a research proposal. (G)
Prerequisite: 500
{Spring}
AMST 697. Individual Study. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
(G)
For Ph.D. candidates only.
AMST 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)
(G)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
