American Studies

http://www.montana.edu/amst/

The American Studies program is designed to meet the needs of students, including non-traditional majors and lifelong learners, who want to pursue a flexible, multi-disciplinary curriculum in American Studies. Students explore the experiences and values of the people of the United States as embodied in their history, literature, art, and other forms of cultural expression.

Program Focus Areas

All undergraduate students are required to choose one of three program focus areas:

  • American Arts - Students explore the creative role of music, film, and popular culture in shaping American values, desires, tastes, and behavior. They are invited to examine the ways in which the visual arts have shaped, and are a product of, the social, economic, and political developments that have defined the American experience.
  • American History - Students acquire a broad understanding of the interplay of culture, society, and political change in America's past, present, and future. This focus explores how present day problems are contingent on past actions and belief systems.
  • American Literature - Students will read poetry and prose, fiction and dramatic works of representative American writers. They will acquire an understanding of critical approaches to the study of literature and of the relationship between culture and literary studies.

Five-year BA/MA Degree Option

The American Studies program offers the unique opportunity for qualified undergraduate students to enter the American Studies Master of Arts program after completing three years of undergraduate coursework. Students seeking to pursue this option should begin planning their coursework during their freshman year. To learn more about this program, please visit the American Studies Undergraduate Graduate page.

Office Location & Contact Information

Program Director: Dr. Susan Kollin

2-179 Wilson Hall

P.O. Box 170595

Bozeman, MT 59717

Phone: 406-994-5327

Email: amerstudies@montana.edu

Visit the American Studies Website

Foreign Language Requirements

All students are required to take 6 credits of multi-ethnic and/or global studies coursework or at least one year of a foreign language.

All students, regardless of program focus area, must complete the following courses:

Freshman YearCredits
AMST 101D - Introduction to American Studies3
NASX 105D - Introduction to Native American Studies
or AMST 202RA - The Arts in America
3
1 Year Foreign Language Courses or multi-ethnic, global studies, or WGSS coursework6
History Option- History Concentration Students must take all 3
HSTA 101IH - American History I
or HSTA 102IH - American History II
or HSTA 160D - Introduction to the American West
4
CORE Elective College Writing (W) and Quantitative Reasoning (Q)6
Advisor Approved Electives Natural Sciences (IN or RN) and University Seminar (US)9
Year Total: 31
Sophomore YearCredits
LIT 214D - Regional Literature3
PSCI 210IS - Introduction to American Government3
AMST 201IH - American Identity, American Dreams3
Arts Option- Art Concentration Students must take both
AMST 202RA - The Arts in America
or MUSI 203IA - American Popular Music
3
CORE ElectiveContemporary Issues in Science (CS) and Diversity (D)6
Advisor Approved ElectiveSocial Sciences (IS or RS) and Humanities (IH or RH)12
Year Total: 30
Junior YearCredits
Literature Option - Literature Concentration Students must take all 3
LIT 308 - Multicultural Literature
or LIT 310 - American Literature to 1900
or LIT 311 - American Literature after 1900
3
Upper Division AMST Elective3
CORE Elective Research & Creative Experience (RA, RH,RN,or RS)6
Advisor Approved Elective 18-24
Year Total: 30-36
Senior YearCredits
AMST 401R - Seminar in American Studies4
CORE Elective3-6
Advisor Approved Elective 22
Year Total: 29-32
Total Program Credits: 120

Capstone Experience

All students in the major take a common 4-credit capstone course in their final year (AMST 401R Seminar in American Studies). Students will work together in small groups to design solutions to contemporary issues in American society. Each small-group project will result in a scholarly product (typically a paper or presentation) that will serve as a measurable indication of the extent to which students have mastered the critical thinking, reading, writing, and oral communication skills that are the principal learning objectives of the program.

American Studies Electives

This is not an exhaustive list. For more up to date classes please view the Schedule of Classes for the current semester. 

AMST 301Reproduction in America3
AMST 490Undergraduate Research1-6
AMST 492Independent Study1-6
AMST 498Internship1-12
ANTY 332Native North America3
ANTY 351Archaeology of North America3
ARTH 342Modern Art3
ARTH 43019th Century Art3
ARTH 441Art Now3
ARTH 451Contemporary Art3
ECNS 372Economic History of US3
GPHY 325Cultural Geography3
HSTA 311Early America3
HSTA 315The Age of Jefferson and Jackson: The Early American Republic3
HSTA 316American Civil War Era3
HSTA 322Am History: WWII to Present3
HSTA 320Birth of Modern US: 1865-19453
HSTA 402Sex and Sexuality in America3
HSTA 406McCarthy, Populism and Fear in US Politics3
HSTA 407Gender in US & Canadian West3
HSTA 408Gender in America3
HSTA 409Food in America3
HSTA 412IHAmerican Thought and Culture3
HSTA 416Race and Class in America3
HSTA 450History of American Indians3
HSTA 460Montana and the West3
HSTA 464History of the American West3
HSTA 468History of Yellowstone3
HSTA 470American Environmental History3
HSTA 482Technology and the Fate of Humanity3
HSTR 372The World at War3
LIT 308Multicultural Literature3
LIT 310American Literature to 19003
LIT 311American Literature after 19003
LIT 335Women and Literature3
LIT 431RHStudies in Major Author/s3
MUSI 130IAHistory of Jazz3
NASX 304Native American Beliefs and Philosophy3
NASX 310 Native Cultures of North America3
NASX 340IHNative American Literature3
NASX 360IHNative Americans and Cinema3
NASX 430American Indian Education3
NASX 476 American Indian Policy and Law3
PHL 328Philosophy and Film3
PHL 351Philosophy and Feminism3
PHL 354Philosophy of Race3
PHOT 304Recent History of Photography3
PSCI 302Media and Politics3
PSCI 347The U.S. Congress and the Legislative Process3
PSCI 323Modern Political Thought3
PSCI 341Political Parties and Elections3
PSCI 346American Presidency3
PSCI 446Congressional Campaign3
PSCI 451State and Local Government Policy Making3
PSCI 454Cinema and Political Theory3
PSCI 471American Constitutional Law3
PSYX 335Psychology of Gender3
PSYX 462Psychology of Prejudice3
SOCI 308Becoming an Adult in America3
SOCI 320Sociology of Religion3
SOCI 325Social Stratification3
SOCI 326Sociology of Gender3
SOCI 333Sociology of Education3
SOCI 340Social Movements3
SOCI 344Sociology of Race & Ethnicity3
SOCI 345Sociology of Organizations3
SOCI 359Crime, Justice and Media3
SOCI 425Victims and Society3
SOCI 435Law and Society3
SOCI 436Law and Inequality3
SOCI 470Environmental Sociology3
SOCI 485Political Sociology3
WGSS 378LGBTQ Studies3
WGSS 454The Study of Men & Masculinity3

Montana State University offers the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in a unique Rocky Mountain setting that provides students with research opportunities at such sites as the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park. With a special focus on the American West, the program draws on a distinguished cohort of full-time and associated faculty with research and teaching expertise in the disciplines of Anthropology, Architectural History, Art History, English, History, Film and Photography, Native American Studies, Political Science, and Sociology. American Studies offers the following degrees:

The Five-Year BA/MA Option

The chart below outlines a generic plan of study for a student  seeking to earn both their Bachelors and Masters in American Studies within a 5-year timeline. Students will need to complete a total of 150 credits.

Freshman YearCredits
AMST 101D - Introduction to American Studies3
NASX 105D - Introduction to Native American Studies
or AMST 202RA - The Arts in America
3
1 year Foreign Language, Multi-Ethnic, Global Studies, or WGSS coursework6
History Option - American History Focus Area (all 3 courses are required)
HSTA 101IH - American History I
or HSTA 102IH - American History II
or HSTA 160D - Introduction to the American West
4
CORE Elective - College Writing (W) and Quantitative Reasoning (Q)6
Advisor Approved Electives - Natural Sciences (IN or RN) and University Seminar (US)12
Year Total: 34
Sophomore YearCredits
LIT 214D - Regional Literature3
PSCI 210IS - Introduction to American Government3
AMST 201IH - American Identity, American Dreams3
Arts Option - American Arts Focus Area (Both courses are required)
AMST 202RA - The Arts in America
or MUSI 203IA - American Popular Music
3
CORE Elective - Contemporary Issues in Science (CS) and Diversity (D)9
Advisor Approved Elective - Social Science (IS or RS) and Humanities (IH or RH)18 - 20
Year Total: 39-41
Junior YearCredits
AMST 401R - Seminar in American Studies4
Literature Option - American Literature Focus Area (All 3 courses are required)
LIT 308 - Multicultural Literature
or LIT 310 - American Literature to 1900
or LIT 311 - American Literature after 1900
3
CORE Elective - Research & Creative Experience (RA,RH,RN,or RS)12
Advisor Approved Upper Division Elective20-21
Year Total: 39-40
Year 1Credits
AMST 501 - Methods in American Studies3
AMST 594 - Seminar1
AMST 502 - Research in American Studies3
400 Level Elective3
Elective6
Independent Study or Internship4
Year Total: 20
Year 2Credits
AMST 590 - Master's Thesis1-10
Elective3
Independent Study or Internship2
Year Total: 6-15
Total Program Credits: 138-150