American Studies, M.A.

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(30 UNITS)

The M.A. in American Studies program is interdisciplinary, requiring graduate students to integrate knowledge from the humanities and social sciences. Particular areas of faculty specialization within the department include: gender and sexuality; race, class and ethnicity; literature, film, art and architecture as cultural expression; American regions; popular culture; nature and culture; cultural radicalism; ethnography; and globalization of American culture.

Application Deadlines

Applications are accepted only for the fall semester. Online applications must be completed by March 1 for the following fall semester (see Cal State Apply); mailed applications must be postmarked by the same date. However, deadlines may be changed based upon enrollment projections.

Admission to Graduate Standing - Conditionally Classified

Students must meet the CSU requirements for admission to a master’s degree program. Please consult the Graduate Admissions section in this catalog for complete information. In addition, applicants must: (1) hold a bachelor’s degree with a major, or its equivalent, in American Studies or in an appropriate discipline of the humanities or social sciences; (2) have a grade-point average of at least 3.2 in upper-division major courses; and (3) submit two satisfactory letters of recommendation from instructors in upper-division major courses.

Students whose undergraduate program indicates certain limited subject, grade or breadth deficiencies may be considered for admission, at the discretion of the graduate adviser, with approval of the department’s graduate committee. In such cases, a student must make up deficiencies, in consultation with the graduate adviser, and must complete all required courses with at least a “B” (3.0) average before classified graduate standing may be considered.

Graduate Standing - Classified

Students will be classified upon fulfillment of the above prerequisites and after development of an approved study plan.

Study Plan

American Studies (21 units)

Required Courses

AMST 501 - Theory and Methods (3)
AMST 502T - Seminar: Selected Topics (3) (May be repeated for credit with different topic)

Electives

Additional upper-division or graduate level coursework in American studies (12)

Choose one of the following:

AMST 598 Thesis (3) should be taken in the semester immediately preceding graduation from the program

An additional American Studies graduate level elective, i.e., AMST 599 or AMST 502T , plus successful completion of a three-part take home comprehensive examination based on the department’s core reading list

Other Disciplines (6 units)

Graduate-level seminars in anthropology, art, communications, comparative literature, English, geography, history, political science or sociology. Pedagogical and productions skill seminars are excluded. Students should select outside discipline seminars in consultation with the graduate advisor.

Elective Skill (3 units)

A student must demonstrate proficiency in a methodological skill appropriate to his or her scholarly interests. In consultation with an adviser, the student will select the skill to be developed. Proficiency in a foreign language or quantitative methods, or an internship in a related area, would, for example, be appropriate. If prerequisite work is necessary before a student can develop proficiency through three units of coursework, that preliminary work will not be counted toward the 30 units required for the M.A. degree.

For further information, consult graduate program adviser.