Courses - Fall 2025
AMST101
Credit only granted for: AMST101 or AMST201.
Formerly: AMST201.
Introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of American Studies by examining concepts such as culture, identity, cultural practices, and globalization, as well as theories underlying these concepts. Engages key themes, especially constructions of difference and identity, cultures of everyday life, and America and the world.
AMST205
American Material Culture: The Study of People, Places, and Things
Historical survey of American material culture. Ways of describing and interpreting accumulated material evidence (e.g., buildings, town plans) introduced by stressing relationship between artifact and culture.
AMST298C
Cross-listed with: AAST200.
Credit only granted for: AAST200 or AMST298C.
The aggregate experience of Asian Pacific Americans, from developments in the countries of origin to their contemporary issues. The histories of Asian Pacific American groups as well as culture, politics, the media, and stereotypes, viewed from an interdisciplinary perspective.
AMST298Q
Cross-listed with: ENGL235.
Credit only granted for: ENGL235 or AMST298Q.
Examines the poetry, prose, and theater of Latinx communities in the United States from their origins in the Spanish colonization of North America to their ongoing development in the 21st century. Considers how authors use literary form to gain insight into human experience, including mortality, religious belief, gender and sexuality, war and peace, family, language use, scientific inquiry, cultural tradition, ecology, and labor. Also studies how Latinx literary traditions have shaped and been shaped by broader currents in American literature, as well as what connections exist between Latinx literature and social and artistic developments in other parts of the world, particularly Latin America and the Caribbean. Authors may include Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Eulalia Perez, Juan Nepomuceno Seguin, Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Jose Marti, Arthur A. Schomburg, Jesus Colon, Julia de Burgos, Cesar Chavez, Ariel Dorfman, Gloria Anzaldua, Junot Diaz, and Cristina Garcia.
AMST315
Religion in American Culture
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Recommended: AMST101.
Credit only granted for: AMST315 or AMST328R.
Formerly: AMST328R.
Introduces students to the world's major religious traditions and examines how American culture informs, and is informed by, the variety of religious beliefs and practices in the U.S. This course is primarily concerned with religion as a system of meaning. The focus of the course is not on the history of religion or on analysis of religious texts, but rather on the meaning of a religion to its believers.
AMST320
Credit only granted for: AMST320 or AMST328X.
Formerly: AMST328X.
Explores the connection between film and disability through an analysis of independent and mainstream American films in various film genres. Specifically, we will consider how these film representations reflect and/or challenge the shifting social perspectives of disability over the 20th and 21st centuries. Beginning with the presentation of disability as theatrical spectacle in the traveling sideshow and early cinema, we will work our way through film history to develop an understanding of our society's complicated relationship with disability.
AMST323
Cross-listed with: AAST363.
Credit only granted for: AAST363, AMST323, AAST398D, or AMST328J.
Formerly: AAST398D.
Focus is placed on Filipino American experiences with an emphasis on identity, community building and organizing to influence public policy We will cover pertinent events from the US and Philippine history in order to understand the impact of colonialism, migration, immigration and assimilation on Filipino Americans.
AMST324
Growing Up Asian American: The Asian Immigrant Family and the Second Generation
Cross-listed with: AAST394, IMMR394.
Credit only granted for: AAST394, AAST398E, AMST324, AMST328V, IMMR319G or IMMR394.
Formerly: AAST398E.
An interdisciplinary course examines the experiences of children of Asian immigrants in the U.S., focusing on intergenerational dynamics in the Asian immigrant family, their intersections with race, gender, class, sexuality, and religion, and how these shape second-generation Asian American life. Topics include identity and personhood, the model minority myth and education, work and leisure, language and communication, filiality and disownment, mental health and suicide.
AMST328A
Perspectives on Identity and Culture; LIBERATION MOVEMENTS: THEORY, HISTORY, STRATEGY
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
This course is for people passionate about activism, community organizing, grassroots movement-building, social transformation, and struggles for liberation. We will read movement manifestoes, theories and histories of revolutionary struggles, mission statements of social justice organizations, and (auto)biographies of leaders. We will also watch and listen to footage of protests, documentary films depicting liberation struggles, and protest music scoring such struggles. The curriculum spans Abolitionism, Civil Rights, Second-Wave Feminism, Black Power, Gay Liberation, Anti-Colonialism, Third World Liberation, Reproductive Justice, Anti-Apartheid, Labor Rights, Occupy, Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, Palestinian Solidarity, and beyond emphasizing the roles of young peopleand students. Throughout, we will chart the histories of these movements, theorize their characteristics, and hone our own strategies for collective resistance and liberation.
AMST328M
Perspectives on Identity and Culture; Black Baltimore in the Post Racial U.S: African American Urban Culture in the Age of Obama
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AASP398Q. Credit only granted for AASP398Q or AMST328M.
Using the city of Baltimore as our case study and taking an interdisciplinary approach that draws from the scholarly fields of African American studies, sociology, geography, anthropology, history, and urban planning this course explores how both Blackness and anti-Blackness shape the city, its histories, its racial and cultural geography, its social movements, its political economy, and the competing visions for its future. This is an interactive course that will work to develop students capacity to understand and discuss major and minor moments in the history of Black Baltimore; understand and discuss the relationship between material conditions, racism, and urban policy; develop interdisciplinary frameworks through which to interpret and analyze the contemporary and historical conditions shaping the lived experiences of Black Baltimoreans; and analyze scholarship produced within the African American Studies tradition.
Using the city of Baltimore as our case study and taking an interdisciplinary approach that draws from the scholarly fields of African American studies, sociology, geography, anthropology, history, and urban planning this course explores how both Blackness and anti-Blackness shape the city, its histories, its racial and cultural geography, its social movements, its political economy, and the competing visions for its future. This is an interactive course that will work to develop students capacity to understand and discuss major and minor moments in the history of Black Baltimore; understand and discuss the relationship between material conditions, racism, and urban policy; develop interdisciplinary frameworks through which to interpret and analyze the contemporary and historical conditions shaping the lived experiences of Black Baltimoreans; and analyze scholarship produced within the African American Studies tradition.
AMST328Q
Indigenous Feminisms
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Cross-listed with: WGSS330.
Credit only granted for: WGSS379I, WGSS330, AMST328Q.
Formerly: WGSS379I Special Topics in WGSS Indigenous Feminisms.
Students will engage with scholarship concerning Indigenous conceptions of gender, sexuality, family, and governance. In each unit, participants will study traditional practices, conceptions, and expressions of Indigenous feminisms; identify the disruptive tactics of settler colonialism, centering the resilience and resurgence of Indigenous communities. In a collaborative "pod" framework, students will engage in discussions and projects throughout the term. By the end of the course, students will craft a creative project reflecting their insights and intended contribution to Indigenous feminist movements. Key focal points include the deep dive into traditional conceptions of gender, the impact of colonial interventions, the complexities of Indigenous sexualities, familial adaptations under colonial strain, Indigenous governance, and Indigenous-led resistance and reclamation such as pipeline protests, protection of sacred Mauna Kea, and the MMIW movement.
Cross-listed with WGSS330. Credit will be only granted for WGSS330 or AMST328Q.
AMST328W
Cross-listed with: AAST355.
Credit only granted for: AAST355, AAST398L or AMST328W.
Formerly: 398L.
Explores how Asian Americans have historically been represented in the U.S. by Hollywood, and in turn, how independent and Hollywood Asian American filmmakers have represented themselves. It covers the history of racial, gendered, and sexualized representations of Asian Americans in Hollywood, as well as Asian American filmic responses within and outside Hollywood. It also introduces how four basic tools of film analysis mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound work together to create meaning in moving images. It examines how these elements are put together in three different types of films by Asian American filmmakers: narrative, documentary, and experimental. How films function in society to circulate ideas that reproduce and challenge stereotypes about Asian Americans.
AMST340
Introduction to History, Theories and Methods in American Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Prerequisite: Must have completed AMST201; and 2 courses in AMST.
Restriction: Must be in American Studies program; and sophomore standing or higher.
Introduction to the process of interdisciplinary research, including research literatures, questions, first-hand sources and library and analytic methods in American Studies. Each student will craft a prospectus for original research.
AMST386
Experiential Learning
Credits:
3 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Restriction: Permission of ARHU-American Studies department; and junior standing or higher.
AMST388
Honors Thesis
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
AMST398
Independent Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg
AMST418H
Cultural Themes in America; Cultural Themes in America-Honors
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Prerequisite: At least three credit hours of prior coursework in AMST.
AMST498C
Special Topics in American Studies; Central Americans and the United States: Culture, Politics, and Community
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Cross-listed with USLT450. Credit only granted for AMST498C or USLT450.
With attention to history, memory, politics, and culture, this course examines the relationships, conflicts, and exchanges of people and powerbetween the United States and the Central American isthmus. We willinvestigate the role of the US government and military, as well as US corporate interests and US-backed dictatorships, in the culture, politics, and economy of nations including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras. Through literature, feature films, documentary films, theatre,poetry, and other mediums, the class will analyze responses to this history in Central American cultural productions originating both from the isthmus and from Central Americans living in the United States.In addition to US interventions in the Americas, the course will examinemigration from Central America to North America and will concludeby exploring thelives and activities of Central Americans living in the USA.
With attention to history, memory, politics, and culture, this course examines the relationships, conflicts, and exchanges of people and powerbetween the United States and the Central American isthmus. We willinvestigate the role of the US government and military, as well as US corporate interests and US-backed dictatorships, in the culture, politics, and economy of nations including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras. Through literature, feature films, documentary films, theatre,poetry, and other mediums, the class will analyze responses to this history in Central American cultural productions originating both from the isthmus and from Central Americans living in the United States.In addition to US interventions in the Americas, the course will examinemigration from Central America to North America and will concludeby exploring thelives and activities of Central Americans living in the USA.
AMST498D
Special Topics in American Studies; Black Women in Twentieth Century America
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Cross-listed with HIST319X, WGSS379J, and AASP398J. Credit only granted for HIST319X, WGSS379J, AMST498D, or AASP398J.
Traces twentieth-century United States history from the perspective of Black women. We will center their diverse voices and experiences as we explore themes including family, work, activism, and cultural expression.
Traces twentieth-century United States history from the perspective of Black women. We will center their diverse voices and experiences as we explore themes including family, work, activism, and cultural expression.
AMST498J
Cross-listed with: AAST443, GVPT368C.
Credit only granted for: AAST498T, AAST443, GVPT368C or AMST 498J.
Formerly: AAST498T.
Students will gain a greater understanding of 1) the role of Asian Americans in US politics, 2) the political attitudes and behaviors of Asian Americans and 3) how to conduct research on Asian American politics. Though the class will concentrate on Asian Americans, issues related to Asian American politics will be examined within the larger context of America's multicultural political landscape.
AMST601
Introductory Theories and History in American Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Must not be a Graduate Advanced Special Student.
Explores the formative literature, theories, research approaches, and history of American Studies.
AMST628C
Seminar in American Studies; Race and Media Theory and Practice
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Permission of instructor. Cross-listed with WGSS698E. Credit only granted for AMST628C, WGSS698E, or WMST698E.
This class looks at foundational and new interdisciplinary scholarship on race and media. The course will explore topics such as media production, distribution, markets, representation, and audiences.
This class looks at foundational and new interdisciplinary scholarship on race and media. The course will explore topics such as media production, distribution, markets, representation, and audiences.
AMST628R
Seminar in American Studies; THE BLACK RADICAL TRADITION
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
The Black radical tradition is a revolutionary impulse, a struggle against domination, a drive to imagine and create better worlds, and a will to liberation emerging from Black life (often in antiblack contexts). Propelled by this will to liberation, Black people have cultivated radical worldviews, social movements, political praxes, theologies, artforms, aesthetic principles, and ways of life. In this course, we will examine acts and articulations of this centuries-long tradition in life-writing, movement manifestoes, historical accounts, speeches, philosophy, critical theory, fiction, cinema, music, and the Black quotidian. The result will be a study of the tradition in its myriad forms: abolitionist, antiracist, pan-Africanist, anticolonial, anarchist, feminist, socialist, queer, pessimist, and otherwise. Among the questions we will consider: How might the Black radical tradition provide tools and insights for confronting our current sociopolitical conjuncture? How might we activate and participate in this tradition here and now?
AMST655
Introduction to Museum Scholarship
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Cross-listed with: ANTH655, HIST610, INST653.
Credit only granted for: AMST655, ANTH655, HIST610, INST728T or INST653.
Provides students a basic understanding of museums as cultural and intellectual institutions. Topics include the historical development of museums, museums as resources for scholarly study, and the museum exhibition as medium for presentation of scholarship.
AMST698
Directed Readings in American Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
AMST798
Non-Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
AMST799
Master's Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
AMST857
Museum Scholarship Practicum
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Prerequisite: AMST856, ANTH856, or HIST810.
Restriction: Permission of Museum Scholarship Program required.
Cross-listed with: ANTH857, HIST811, INST787.
Credit only granted for: AMST857, ANTH857, HIST811, INST728I or INST787.
Students devise and carry out a research program using the collections at the Smithsonian Institution or some other cooperating museum, working under joint supervision of a museum professional and a university faculty member.
AMST878A
American Studies Pedagogy Mentoring; Mentoring for First Year Teaching in American Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F
Prerequisite: permission of department and must be a current AMST teaching assistant.
AMST878B
American Studies Pedagogy Mentoring; Mentoring for Second Year Teaching in American Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F
Prerequisite: permission of department and must be a current AMST teaching assistant.
AMST878C
American Studies Pedagogy Mentoring; Mentoring for Third Year Teaching in American Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F
Prerequisite: permission of department and must be a current AMST teaching assistant.
AMST898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
AMST899
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
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