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, LIT 110IH Intro to Lit, NAS 100D, Introduction to Native American Studies, and PSCI 210IS, Introduction to American Government.

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, ECNS101, Economic Way of Thinking, ECNS372, Economic History of the U.S., LIT 214, Regional Lit, LIT 308, Multicultural Lit, LIT 310, Early American Lit, LIT 311, 19th Century Amer Lit, LIT 371, 20th Ctry Brit/Amer Lit, LIT 372, Contemp Brit/Amer Lit, LIT 414, Lit of Place, LIT 431, Studies in a Major Author/s, LIT 436, Studies in Emergent Lit, GPHY 121D, Human Geography, GPHY 325, Cultural Geography, GPHY 431, Historical Geography, HSTA 311, Early America, HSTA 316, American Civil War Era, HSTA 318, Gilded Age to 1940, HSTA 322, American History:WWII to Present , HSTA 464, Trans-Mississippi West, HSTA 407, Gender in US & Canadian West, HSTA 460, Montana and the West, HSTA 406, McCarthy/Ike/Truman, HSTA 408, Gender in America, HSTA 416, Race & Class in America, HSTA 411, History of the American Constitution, HSTA 450, History of American Indians, HSTA 482, History of American Technology, HSTA 412, American Thought & Culture, HSTA 468, History of Yellowstone, HSTA 470, American 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, PSCI 260, Intro to State & Local Govt, PSCI 214IS, Principles of Political Science, PSCI 346, American Presidency, PSCI 306, Legislative Process, PSCI 352, American Political Thought, PSCI 471, American Constitutional Law, PSCI 441, Montana Local Politics, RELS 220IH, Interpretation of American Religion, SOCI 101IS, Sociological Inquiry, SOCI 304, Social Stratification, SOCI 325, Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, SOCI 326, Sociology of Gender, SOCI 328, Environment & Society, SOCI 330, Sociology of Education, SOCI 334, Law & Society, SOCI 335, Law & Inequality, SOCI 340, Social Movements, SOCI 345, Complex Organizations, SOCI 352, Consumer Society, SOCI 359, Work & Occupations, SOCI 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
LIT 210, American Lit I, or LIT 211, American Lit II
HSTA 101IH, American History I, or HSTA 102IH, American History II, or HSTA 160D,
Introduction to 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 WRIT 101W 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:

HSTA 101IH, American History I
HSTA 102IH, American History II
HSTA 160D, Introduction to the American West
AMST 202RA, The Arts in America, or MUS 212IA, American Popular Music: Reflections of Politics & Society
LIT 210, American Lit I, or LIT 211, American Lit 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 WRIT 101W 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
LIT 210, American Lit I
LIT 211, American Lit II
HSTA 101IH, American History I, or HSTA 102IH, American History II or HSTA 160D, Introduction to 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 WRIT 101W in the spring semester and 3 additional university core electives in the fall semester.

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