American Studies
Curriculum Description
Three major dimensions of American culture are explored through American Studies: the historical origins and development of the nation; the political and philosophical ideas which brought about the United States Constitution and an evolving political system; and the religious beliefs, cultural traditions, and literary texts which, for more than three centuries, have shaped the nature and direction of American society and civilization. The goal is for students to develop a critical, balanced, and integrated view of American life and society, and in the process to answer the question posed by Hector St. John de Crevecoeur in the eighteenth century, "What, then, is the American, this new man?"
Three major dimensions of American culture are explored through American Studies: the historical origins and development of the nation; the political and philosophical ideas which brought about the United States Constitution and an evolving political system; and the religious beliefs, cultural traditions, and literary texts which, for more than three centuries, have shaped the nature and direction of American society and civilization. The goal is for students to develop a critical, balanced, and integrated view of American life and society, and in the process to answer the question posed by Hector St. John de Crevecoeur in the eighteenth century, "What, then, is the American, this new man?"
Faculty Advisor
Ronald M. Johnson, Ph.D., University of Illinois; Professor of History, Georgetown University. He teaches and researches as a specialist in the field of American Studies with an emphasis on race, gender, and literature.
johnsorm@georgetown.edu
Degree Requirements
In order to earn a Master's degree in the American Studies curricular field, students must complete six courses in this field including one Core course and one Human Values course or two Core courses, and a three-credit thesis reflecting this field. To complete the total number of credits required for the MALS degree, 30 credits, three elective courses may be selected from any Liberal Studies courses or other courses at the University appropriate to this degree with the approval of the Program Director. The selected curricular field will appear on the final transcript of record.
In order to earn a Master's degree in the American Studies curricular field, students must complete six courses in this field including one Core course and one Human Values course or two Core courses, and a three-credit thesis reflecting this field. To complete the total number of credits required for the MALS degree, 30 credits, three elective courses may be selected from any Liberal Studies courses or other courses at the University appropriate to this degree with the approval of the Program Director. The selected curricular field will appear on the final transcript of record.
Curricular Field
Click here for the current pamphlet describing the requirements for this field and the listing of its courses and faculty advisor. The following courses are a sampling of recent course offerings in this field.
Click here for the current pamphlet describing the requirements for this field and the listing of its courses and faculty advisor. The following courses are a sampling of recent course offerings in this field.
Curricular Field Core:
American Literature and the American IdeaAmerican Policies in the Post 9/11 World
Path to the Future: The U.S. in the 21st Century
Path to the Present: The U.S. in the 20th Century
The Court, The Constitution, and the Shaping of the American Nation
The Federalist: Creating a New Nation
The Founding Era: The Great Debates
U.S. and Pacific Asia: Past, Present, and Future
Values Issues in Public Policy
Curricular Field Elective:
America and China in Historical PerspectiveAmerican Art
Approaches to the Study of Christianity and Islam
Budget, Finance, and Public Policy
Ethics, Intelligence, and National Security
Immigrant Literature and the American Experience, 1965 to the Present
Propaganda and American Foreign Policy
The Consequences of Pragmatism: Law, Education, and Politics
The Economic System and Interest Group Politics
The History and Development of American Labor
The World of Thomas Jefferson
U.S.-Vietnam Relations: Five Themes
Your Family in History
Curricular Field Human Values:
American Religious Voices: Ralph Waldo Emerson and William JamesAmericans at Work: Evolving Attitudes to Work in the United States
Anti-Trust, Changing Technology, and American Values
Arthur Miller: An Ethical Study
Becoming American: Immigration in Historical Perspective
Black Liberation Theology
Caesar, God, and The Constitution
Cinema and American Values
Classical Roots of American Founding
Crises of Conscience in American Foreign Policy
Freedom and Slavery in American History
Globalization and the American Worker
Issues and Values in American Management Thought
Moral and Political Equality
Religion and Politics in the U.S.
Religion in America
Scorpions in the Constitutional Bottle: Uncivil Speech, Civil Society
Social Inequality
The Citizen and the Regime: The Convergence of Politics and Ethics
Understanding Terrorism and Terrorists
Courses:
MALS Continuous Thesis RegistrationMALS Continuous Thesis Registration
MALS Thesis Proposal Workshop
MALS Thesis Research
MALS Thesis Writing