A minor (18–26 hours in another department) is required.
Undergraduate students majoring in the departments of Anthropology, Art History and Criticism, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science or Sociology may elect a minor in American Studies. Students in other majors need special approval of both their major advisor and the American Studies office.
The minor in American Studies is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of the culture of the United States. The requirement is 24 hours, including 18 hours in American Studies: 3 hours from 180, 182, 183, 184, 185, or 186; 285, 385 and 9 hours at the 300 level. Students take the remaining 6 hours in an integrated program chosen from other departments (Anthropology, Art History, Economics, English, Geography, History, Political Science, Philosophy, Psychology or Sociology) or American Studies courses. All of these 6 hours must be from courses at the 300 level or above. With proper selection of courses a student may elect a minor in American Studies with an emphasis in African American, Chicano, Native American or Women Studies. A student may choose to focus his or her minor program on other important themes in American culture, such as the popular arts or ecology in America, or may emphasize the interdisciplinary study of a region or the nation as a whole. All students should consult with their major advisor and the American Studies undergraduate advisor as early as possible to obtain approval of their minor program.
The wealth of courses in various departments and colleges at the University of New Mexico dealing with the American Southwest and the Mexican Borderlands supports this concentration. Recognizing the unique contributions of Southwest regional cultural development to the larger United States, the American Studies concentration in Southwest Cultural Studies provides undergraduates and graduates with an interdisciplinary program that is both structured and flexible.
This minor is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of the culture of the Southwest. The requirement is 24 hours, including 18 hours in American Studies: 186, 285, 385, and 9 additional hours at the 300 level. Students take the remaining 6 hours in an integrated program chosen from other departments (Anthropology, Art History, Economics, English, Geography, History, Political Science, Philosophy, Psychology or Sociology) or American Studies courses. All of these 6 hours must be from courses at the 300 level or above. Within the concentration, students may study the broad issue of Southwest Culture or focus on a specific area such as Native American Studies, Chicano Studies, or cultural ecology. Hours requirements are identical with the minor specified above with the exception that the student must take American Studies 186, Introduction to Southwest Studies, as part of the 18 hours of required American Studies courses.
Students seeking departmental honors should apply to the American Studies undergraduate advisor in their junior year. In addition to maintaining a 3.20 overall grade point average, Honors candidates must also successfully complete 3 credit hours of Senior Honors Thesis (499) and the American Studies Senior Seminar in U.S. Culture (485) in their senior year.
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.