Courses - Spring 2026
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.
AMST210
Introduction to Ethnography
A qualitative research method course used to study social worlds communities, cultures, institutions, and other social groups from the perspectives of the people who inhabit those social worlds. Ethnographic research involves understanding cultural traditions from an insider's perspective by studying the everyday lives of people steeped in those traditions.
AMST213
Cross-listed with: CINE282.
Credit only granted for: AMST213, HONR219F, CINE282 or FILM298V.
Formerly: HONR219F, FILM298V.
We will examine the complex, changing, and ever-present representations of heroes and villains in American film. Beginning with a foundational understanding of how heroes and, conversely, villains have been defined through classic Hollywood film, we will explore how these definitions have shifted throughout the 20th and 21st century in various narrative genres, including westerns, war films, film noir, fantasy, science fiction, and, of course, superhero movies. In particular, we will be focusing on how the hero and villain maintain or disrupt specific cultural ideologies concerning race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and ability. This course will examine how these various ideologies have evolved throughout the 20th and 21st century, impacting the ways in which heroes and villains are both represented in American film and perceived by diverse audiences. Finally, we will examine our own complicated and sometimes troubling identification with these heroes, even when they might stand in stark contrast to our cultural values and identities.
AMST290
Constructing Cultural Mainstreams and Margins in the U.S.
Credit only granted for: AMST289A or AMST290.
Formerly: AMST289A.
Examines the construction, operation, and meaning of cultural mainstreams and margins in a range of contexts, spaces, and times in the U.S. Using a variety of primary sources, research methods, and interdisciplinary scholarship, we will explore how Americans make and assign meaning to cultural mainstreams and margins. We will examine how and why cultural margins and mainstreams shift over time and what their consequences have been for social policies, laws, power relations, and national identity.
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.
AMST298D
Selected Topics in American Studies; Introduction to Disability Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Explores theories of disability justice as they intersect with feminist and antiracist struggles. Analyzing how disability has been an important aspect of institutions and social experience in the United States and beyond, the course considers how disability activists have responded to ableism by developing art, political strategies, and subcultures that promote a more just society built for a wider variety of human bodies.
Cross-listed with WGSS105. Credit only granted for AMST298D or WGSS105.
Cross-listed with WGSS105. Credit only granted for AMST298D or WGSS105.
AMST298J
Selected Topics in American Studies; Reproductive Justice: An Introduction
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with WGSS205. Credit only granted for AMST298J or WGSS205.
Developed by feminists of color, reproductive justice frameworks offer a roadmap for economic, social, and medical justice advocacy attentive to the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability. This course reviews the historical, legal, and social bases of reproductive rights in the U.S.; discusses the history of feminist organizing for reproductive freedom; surveys critical theories of reproductive justice that go beyond abortion law to advocate for broader social transformation; and evaluates the possible futures of intersectional feminist activism after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Developed by feminists of color, reproductive justice frameworks offer a roadmap for economic, social, and medical justice advocacy attentive to the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability. This course reviews the historical, legal, and social bases of reproductive rights in the U.S.; discusses the history of feminist organizing for reproductive freedom; surveys critical theories of reproductive justice that go beyond abortion law to advocate for broader social transformation; and evaluates the possible futures of intersectional feminist activism after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
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.
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.
AMST328K
Perspectives on Identity and Culture; Gender, Labor and Racial Identities in Diaspora Communities
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AAAS398G. Credit will be only granted for AAAS398G, AASP398G, or AMST328K.
This course will expose students to a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, theories, and methodologies for exploring the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and racial identitiesin multiple post-emancipation and modern African/Black diaspora communities. The class readings and discussions will examine the interactions and linkages between and among various African diaspora/descendant and native-born African American/Black peoples, frommultiple vantage points, in different historical periods and movements in the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Latin American and Europe.
This course will expose students to a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, theories, and methodologies for exploring the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and racial identitiesin multiple post-emancipation and modern African/Black diaspora communities. The class readings and discussions will examine the interactions and linkages between and among various African diaspora/descendant and native-born African American/Black peoples, frommultiple vantage points, in different historical periods and movements in the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Latin American and Europe.
AMST328Z
Perspectives on Identity and Culture; The Civil Rights Movement
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with HIST338A and AAAS398J. Credit only granted for HIST338A, AAAS398J, or AMST328Z.
From the anti-lynching movement and streetcar boycotts of the early 20th century to the mass movement of the 1960s, this course takes up issues that have engaged social movement theorists and activists alike: developing and sustaining social commitment, confronting the strengths and weaknesses of formal organization, raising money, maximizing political influence, and securing long-range objectives. While primarily focused on the U.S. Black Civil Rights Movement, the course considers its impact on other rights struggles (e.g., environmental justice and reproductive justice) and makes connections to the civil rights struggles of other people of color in the U.S.
From the anti-lynching movement and streetcar boycotts of the early 20th century to the mass movement of the 1960s, this course takes up issues that have engaged social movement theorists and activists alike: developing and sustaining social commitment, confronting the strengths and weaknesses of formal organization, raising money, maximizing political influence, and securing long-range objectives. While primarily focused on the U.S. Black Civil Rights Movement, the course considers its impact on other rights struggles (e.g., environmental justice and reproductive justice) and makes connections to the civil rights struggles of other people of color in the U.S.
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.
AMST418N
Asian American Public Policy
Cross-listed with: AAST421.
Credit only granted for: AAST421, AAST498M or AMST418N.
Formerly: AAST498M.
Using Asian Pacific Americans as a case study, this course will analyze the development of public policy in America. Each week, topics such as community development, voting rights, and the movement to redress the wartime internment of Japanese Americans will serve as backdrops for discussion. We will explore the policy-making roles of legislators, judges, local and national political leaders, journalists, writers, unions, social movements, and community organizations.
Cross-listed with AAST421. Credit only granted for AAST421 or AMST418N.
Using Asian Pacific Americans as a case study, this course will analyze the development of public policy in America. Each week, topics such as community development, voting rights, and the movement to redress the wartime internment of Japanese Americans will serve as backdrops for discussion. We will explore the policy-making roles of legislators, judges, local and national political leaders, journalists, writers, unions, social movements, and community organizations.
Using Asian Pacific Americans as a case study, this course will analyze the development of public policy in America. Each week, topics such as community development, voting rights, and the movement to redress the wartime internment of Japanese Americans will serve as backdrops for discussion. We will explore the policy-making roles of legislators, judges, local and national political leaders, journalists, writers, unions, social movements, and community organizations.
AMST425
Credit only granted for: AMST418K or AMST425.
Formerly: AMST418K.
Explores how representations of various geographic spaces in American film impact our understanding of community, identity, and place. In particular, we will think about how these spaces are culturally produced and changeable rather than static. The same space can hold diverse meanings for various groups of people and how such a space is represented in film is often wrapped up with issues of power, the reinforcement of stereotypes, and the creation of self/other dichotomies. By analyzing a variety of narrative, documentary, major studio, and independent films, we will seek to understand how American films' representations of rural, urban, and suburban spaces both reflect, contradict, and often influence our lived experiences of these spaces; in other words, this course will examine how the "reel" intersects with the "real".
AMST450
Seminar in American Studies
Prerequisite: AMST201 and AMST340; and 1 course in AMST.
Restriction: Senior standing; and must be in American Studies program.
Developments in theories and methods of American Studies scholarship, with emphasis upon interaction between the humanities and the social sciences in the process of cultural analysis and evaluation.
AMST498G
Special Topics in American Studies; Latina/os on the Silver Screen
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Cross-listed with USLT498A. Credit only granted for USLT498A,USLT420, or AMST498G.
Combining media theory and film history, this course considers the film industry s representation of Latines from the silent era to the present day. To begin, we examine mainstream images created by white Hollywood filmmakers during the twentieth century; the latter part of the course turns attention to self-representations in more recent cinema created by Latine cultural producers.
Combining media theory and film history, this course considers the film industry s representation of Latines from the silent era to the present day. To begin, we examine mainstream images created by white Hollywood filmmakers during the twentieth century; the latter part of the course turns attention to self-representations in more recent cinema created by Latine cultural producers.
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.
AMST498N
Special Topics in American Studies; Citizens, Refugees, and Immigrants
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Cross-listed with ULST403. Credit granted only for AMST498N or ULST403.
AMST498Z
Special Topics in American Studies; Black Women's Art and Culture
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Cross-listed with WGSS498Z and AAAS498B. Credit only granted for WGSS498Z, AAAS498B, or AMST498Z.
AMST603
Current Approaches to American Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs (American Studies (Master's); American Studies (Doctoral)) . Or permission of ARHU-American Studies department; and permission of instructor.
Builds on AMST601 and explores contemporary literature, theory, and intellectual issues in American Studies.
AMST628E
Seminar in American Studies; Colonial Theory
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
This course undertakes an examination of the foundations, debates, and contours of settler colonial theory as well as the challenges to it from a variety of fields, viewpoints, and engagements. Through reading theorists who have come to define the field, many of whom are not Indigenous, as well as Indigenous scholars' responses to and uses of these theoretical interventions, we will examine the utility of the theory for decolonial struggle.
AMST628N
Seminar in American Studies; Space, Place, and Identity in the Digital Age
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
This course will investigate the relationship between the production of space, practices of place, and embodied identity. The relationship between these categories has taken on a new level of importance with the emergence of digital technologies, as seen in both academic studies and in the broader cultural climate. We will study several topics that are situated at the intersection of space, place, identity, and digital technology such as mapping and power, location-aware and pervasive technologies, surveillance, disability and urban design, empire in the digital age, transnational identity, and diaspora in an age of global connectivity.
AMST629K
Seminar in American Studies; Gentrification and the Politics of Displacement
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
This course explores the multiple workings of gentrification and the uses of space. It looks at the history, effects and consequences of gentrification and the role it has and continues to play in shaping and altering cityscapes.
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
AMST856
Museum Research Seminar
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: AMST655, ANTH655, or HIST610.
Cross-listed with: ANTH856, HIST810, INST786.
Credit only granted for: AMST856, ANTH856, HIST810, INST728U or INST786.
A research seminar focusing on the practice and presentation of cultural and historical scholarship in museums and historical sites. Students will complete an original research project on the challenges and opportunities of public exhibition and interpretation of cultural and historical research.
Additional Note: Cross-listed with ANTH856, HIST810, INST728U. For the Spring 2101 semester, Credit only granted for: AMST856, ANTH856, HIST810 OR INST728U.
AMST857
Museum Scholarship Practicum
Credits:
3 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, S-F
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, Aud
AMST878B
American Studies Pedagogy Mentoring; Mentoring for Second Year Teaching in American Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F, Aud
AMST878C
American Studies Pedagogy Mentoring; Mentoring for Third Year Teaching in American Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F, Aud
AMST898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
AMST899
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
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University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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