University College

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 experience and values of the people of the United States as embodied in their history, literature, art, and other forms of cultural expression. All students are required to choose one of three program focus areas, American Arts, American History, or American Literature.

Students must complete a minimum of 45 credits in the program after declaring themselves to be American Studies majors. Up to 12 credits required in a minor or in a second degree program may be applied toward the American Studies degree requirements. Courses taken to complete requirements in the American Studies program may also be used to satisfy University Core requirements.

For details about the American Studies degree, contact the Program Administrator, Scarlet Reierson, at 406-994-3561 or scarlet.reierson@montana.edu, or check the American Studies web site www.montana.edu/amst.

Foundation Courses

All students, regardless of program focus area, must complete the following courses: AMST 201D, Introduction to American Studies, ENGL 123IH, Introduction to Literary Study, NAS 100D, Introduction to Native American Studies, and POLS 206IS, The Government of the United States.

Foreign Language Requirement and Study Abroad

Students are required to take the first two courses in a foreign language (8 credits) or to demonstrate equivalent competency. Additionally, to better understand how America is perceived in the world, students are encouraged (although not required) to spend at least one semester abroad at a Center for American Studies.

Capstone Experience

All students in the major take a common 4-credit capstone course in their final year (AMST 401, Seminar in American Studies). Students will work together in small groups to design solutions to contemporary issues in American society (e.g., immigration). 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 Courses (General and Focus Area Requirements)

With the exception of the foundation courses described above, all courses that apply to the American Studies requirements are listed below. This includes a general component, required of all focus areas, as well as the more specific requirements of the individual focus areas.

American Studies Courses - General Requirement

In consultation with their advisor, students will select 33 credits from the list of American Studies Courses (below). Courses used to satisfy this requirement cannot be used to satisfy other American Studies requirements, although they may count toward CORE 2.0. Students in the American Arts focus area may select no more than 12 credits from Art (ART), Media & Theater Arts (MTA), and Music (MUS). Students in the American History focus area may select no more than 12 credits from History (HIST). Students in the American Literature focus area may select no more than 12 credits from English (ENGL). Regardless of their focus area, all students will complete the following:

• One (1) ENGL course
• One (1) 300 or 400-level HIST course
• One (1) NAS course

ANTH 201, Human Prehistory, ANTH 204, Culture & Society, ANTH 310, Native North America, ANTH 320, Archeology of North America, ART 203IA, Renaissance through Modern Art History, ART 318, 19th Century Art, ART 419, 20th Century Art, ECON 101, Economic Way of Thinking, ECON 372, Economic History of the U.S., ENGL 214, Regional Literature, ENGL 308, Multicultural Literature, ENGL 360, Studies in American Literature: Early American, ENGL 361, Studies in American Literature: 19th Century, ENGL 371, Studies in British/American Literature: 20th Century, ENGL 372, Contemporary British/American Literature, ENGL 414, Literature of Place, ENGL 431, Studies in a Major Author, ENGL 441, Studies in Emergent Literatures, GEOG 201D, Human Geography, GEOG 315, Cultural Geography, GEOG 401, Historical Geography, HIST 211RH, Research in American Slavery, HIST 311, Early America, HIST 312, Civil War & Reconstruction, HIST 313, The Gilded Age to 1940, HIST 320, United States since 1940, HIST 402, Trans-Mississippi West, HIST 403, Gender in the U.S. and Canadian West, HIST 404, Montana & the West, HIST 406, Anti-Communism in the Truman-Eisenhower Years, HIST 408, Gender in America, HIST 412, Race & Class in America, HIST 422, History of the American Constitution, HIST 447, History of the North American Indian, HIST 455, History of American Technology, HIST 456, American Thought & Culture, HIST 464, History of Yellowstone National Park, HIST 466, United States Environmental History, MTA 101IA, Film in America, MTA 103RA, Understanding Photography, MTA 303, Early History of Photography, MTA 304, Recent History of Photography, MOR 301, Introduction to Museum Practices, MUS 214IA, Jazz Literature, NAS 201D, American Indians in Montana, NAS 220, American Indian Art, NAS 240IS, NAS Theories & Methods, NAS 242D, American Indians in Contemporary Society, NAS 305, Gender Issues in Native American Studies, NAS 315, Native American Indians & the Cinema, NAS 320, American Indian Religions, NAS 325, Native Peoples of the Americas, NAS 330, American Indian Policy & Law, NAS 340, American Indian Literature, NAS 430, American Indian Education, PHIL 208, Philosophy and Culture, PHIL 313, Philosophy and Film, PHIL 362, Philosophy and Race, POLS 208, State & Local Government & Politics, POLS 214IS, Principles of Political Science, POLS 304, The U.S. Presidency, POLS 306, The Legislative Process, POLS 324, American Political Thought & Popular Culture, POLS 355, Principles of Public Administration, POLS 409, Constitutional Law and Public Policy, POLS 415, Montana Local Politics & Policy, POLS 420, Politics of Indigenous Peoples, RELS 220IH, Interpretation of American Religion, SOC 101IS, Sociological Inquiry, SOC 304, Social Stratification, SOC 325, Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, SOC 326, Sociology of Gender, SOC 328, Environment & Society, SOC 330, Sociology of Education, SOC 334, Law & Society, SOC 335, Law & Inequality, SOC 340, Social Movements, SOC 345, Complex Organizations, SOC 352, Consumer Society, SOC 359, Work & Occupations, SOC 445, Sociology of Religion, WS 201IH, Introduction to Feminist Theories & Methodologies, WS 301RH, Integrative Seminar in Women's Studies.

AMERICAN ARTS FOCUS AREA ( 13 cr.)

This focus area explores the ways in which art, architecture, music, and film have shaped, and been influenced by, American values and behaviors. Students must complete the following:

AMST 202RA, The Arts in America
MUS 212IA, American Popular Music: Reflections of Politics & Society
ENGL 218, Survey of American Literature I, or ENGL 219, Survey of American Literature II
HIST 155IH, America & the World before 1865, or HIST 156IH, America & the World after 1865, or HIST 157D,
The American West

A minimum of 42 credits must be in courses numbered 300 and above. In addition to AMST 401, at least 9 credits must be in courses numbered 400 and above

*Students have the option to take ENGL 121 in the spring semester and 3 additional university core electives in the fall semester.

AMERICAN HISTORY FOCUS AREA ( 18 cr.)

Students will acquire a broad understanding of the major events and processes of American history, and of the ways in which modern American society has been shaped by its historical development. Students must complete the following:

HIST 155IH, America & the World before 1865
HIST 156IH, America & the World after 1865
HIST 157D, The American West
AMST 202RA, The Arts in America, or MUS 212IA, American Popular Music: Reflections of Politics & Society
ENGL 218, Survey of American Literature I, or ENGL 219, Survey of American Literature II

A minimum of 42 credits must be in courses numbered 300 and above. In addition to AMST 401, at least 9 credits must be in courses numbered 400 and above

*Students have the option to take ENGL 121 in the spring semester and 3 additional university core electives in the fall semester.

AMERICAN LITERATURE FOCUS AREA ( 13 cr.)

This focus area will examine critical approaches to studying the American literary tradition, and its relationship to the major social and cultural movements of American history. Students must complete the following:

AMST 202RA, The Arts in America, or MUS 212IA, American Popular Music: Reflections of Politics & Society
ENGL 218, Survey of American Literature I
ENGL 219, Survey of American Literature II
HIST 155IH, America & the World before 1865, or HIST 156IH, America & the World after 1865, or HIST 157D, The American West

A minimum of 42 credits must be in courses numbered 300 and above. In addition to AMST 401, at least 9 credits must be in courses numbered 400 and above

*Students have the option to take ENGL 121 in the spring semester and 3 additional university core electives in the fall semester.

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