Master of Arts in American Studies

As of fall 2021, admission to the graduate program in American Studies has been suspended.

Applications to the program are not being accepted at this time.

Program Director

Dr. Daniel Ayana
541 DeBartolo Hall
(330) 941-1609
dayana@ysu.edu

Program Description

The Master of Arts in American studies program is designed to provide students with train­ing in the content, theory, and methods for studying the history and culture of the United States and is designed to provide both training and experience in developing and implementing public humanities and educational programs. Special emphasis is placed on the application of the hu­manities in community, museum, and school settings. The program offers a core of courses in American studies, art and literature, history, working-class studies, and public practice, along with opportunities to work in local museums, schools, community projects, and other public hu­manities programs. Courses for the program have been drawn from five different colleges, provid­ing students the chance to gain a truly broad and diverse education while deepening their knowl­edge of American culture. The M.A. in American studies also offers a teaching track designed for secondary school teachers.

As of fall 2021, admission to the graduate program in American Studies has been suspended.

Applications to the program are not being accepted at this time.

Admission Requirements

Students must have a cumulative grade point average in undergraduate study of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). The bachelor’s degree may be in any field, but students should have taken at least 12 hours of upper-division coursework in some combination of the arts, humanities, and/or social sciences. Applicants must include a personal statement detailing goals and decision for pursuing graduate study in American Studies.

Graduate Faculty

As of fall 2021, admission to the graduate program in American Studies has been suspended.

Applications to the program are not being accepted at this time.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 36 semester hours of coursework at the graduate level.

Course List

COURSE	TITLE	S.H.
Required Core Courses
AMER 6900
AMER 6990	Independent Project 1
Practice Area
Select two credits from one of the following tracks:		6
Teaching Track
Select two of the following:
ENGL 6906	Teaching of Literature
ENGL 6907	Teaching of Writing
ENGL 6974	English Education Workshop
ENGL 6976	Studies in English Education
HIST 6950	Studies in the Teaching of History
Public Practice Track
SED 6935
AMER 6930
Focus Area
Select at least four courses from one of the following areas:		12
Cultural Studies
ANTH 6910	Special Anthropological Problems
ART 5881	Twentieth Century Art to 1960
ART 5882	Twentieth Century Art from 1960
ENGL 6915	Early American Studies
ENGL 6917	Nineteenth-Century American Studies
ENGL 6922	Twentieth-Century American
ENGL 6923	Working Class Literature
ENGL 6965	Studies in Film
FNLG 6900	Seminar
HIST 5806	American Architectural History 1
HIST 5807	American Architectural History 2
HIST 6940	Oral History
SOC 6900	Special Sociological Problems
American History
HIST 6910	Readings in American History
HIST 6912	Research Seminar in American Colonial History
HIST 6913	Research Seminar in 19th-Century America
HIST 6914	Research Seminar in 20th-Century America
HIST 6941	American Material Culture
Working-Class Studies
ENGL 6923	Working Class Literature
HIST 6939	Labor in US History
HIST 6945	Interpretation and Preservation of the Industrial Built Environment
Public History
EDAD 6933	Educational Leadership and Organizational Change
ENGL 6944	Document Design and Production
ENGL 6953	Publications Issues and Management
ENGL 6992	Professional Communication
HIST 5810	Conservation of the Historic Built Environment
HIST 6942	Applied History
HIST 5810	Conservation of the Historic Built Environment
HIST 6942	Applied History
HIST 6943	Practicum in Applied History
HIST/ENGL 6946	Historical Editing
HIST 6955
HIST 6956
HIST 6957	Special Topics in Applied History
Distribution Requirement
Select four additional course with at least one from each of the other foucus areas above.		12

¹

The required course, AMER 6990 Independent Project in American Studies, requires each student to complete an independent project, such as:

• a major research project,
• the design and promotion of a special exhibit at a museum,
• the development of an education program at a local library, or
• the completion of a planning project in cooperation with a local community development agency.

Students will work closely with a committee of YSU faculty and community specialists to design and implement their individual projects.

Learning Outcomes

1.  Students will analyze the various ways in which American culture is complex and diverse. Understanding American culture requires attention to how American diversity is reflected in the ideas, events, trends, texts, and issues created and used by Americans in everyday life as well as in community life and politics.
2. Students will explore and practice strategies for doing interdisciplinary analysis, which relies on the development of complex inquiry, selection of appropriate materials and concepts from a wide array of options, and the application of appropriate methods for interpreting and integrating diverse sources.
3. Students will create papers and projects in courses that demonstrate their ability to effectively communicate cultural knowledge and analyze why and how their choices are effective. This requires students to make appropriate choices about format, content, organization, and the use of evidence based on one’s purpose, audience, and situation.
4. Students will develop connections between campus and community through papers, projects, and internships that apply the academic work to realms beyond the academy.
5. Students will plan, develop, write, and publicly present original research through their independent (thesis) projects.
6. Students will acquire professional experiences appropriate to the field of American Studies.

Graduate Courses