The Master of Arts program in American Studies is designed to enable students to study American culture from a broad, interdisciplinary perspective, combining basic cultural studies with advanced professional training. Drawing upon the graduate resources of the University at large, students develop individually tailored programs of coursework that reflect their own special interests. Students may pursue an academic track or a professional track. Our graduates have used the MA in American Studies as preparation for positions in journalism, public relations, library service, historical preservation, community organizing, private foundations, law, and education.
Courses
An internship opportunity that combines independent study and practical field work focusing on a particular problem or topic related to American culture and experience. Recent examples include internships in museum management, historic preservation, archaeological research, television production, category fiction, promotion of academic programs, documentary television, academic public relations, with Alabama Heritage and Louisville magazines, and with the Paul Bryant Museum.
This seminar explores the cultural, social, and natural ecology of the Mississippi watershed from St. Louis to the Gulf Coast. This interdisciplinary American Studies course examines the river dubbed “the Body of the Nation,” its history, cultural geography, and geophysical ecology. Through readings in history, literary accounts, and artistic expressions, we explore effects of human interventions in nature and nature’s impact on the course of human events.