SLO 1 - Students will explore and interpret the American experience from an interdisciplinary perspective that encompasses the fields of agriculture, history, political science, English, sociology, mass communication, and/or education.

SLO 2 - Students will develop research skills and theoretical methodologies through which they will foster an integrative approach to learning about American culture and society, both past and present.

SLO 3 - Students will gain intimate knowledge of northwestern Oklahoma and the American West through which they will learn about the culture of the United States, understanding the diverse ways in which regional issues affect the national culture and vice versa.

SLO 4 - Students will strengthen their critical thinking skills through extensive writing, reading, research, and communication with peers, faculty, and community members.

SLO 5 - Students will initiate, develop, and carry out independent enquiry that will allow them to energize the region culturally and economically through leadership positions.

SLO 6 - Students will prepare for a wide range of employment opportunities by developing knowledge, skills, attitudes, and ethics that can be applied to work in schools, junior colleges, archives, museums, galleries, media organizations, and governmental, commercial, and cultural agencies.

Required Core Subjects

• EDUC 5010 Graduate Study Seminar (Required for all graduate students)

Research (3 hours)

• HIST 5433 Historical Methods (Prerequisite: AMST 5103/Introduction to American Studies or director permission)
• AMST 5113 Interdisciplinary Research in American Studies

Methodologies (5 hours)

• AMST 5103 Introduction to American Studies (Required for all American Studies students)

AND choose one of the following:

• HIST 5402 Historic Preservations
• HIST 5412 Museum Studies
• HIST 5422 Public History

Regional History and Issues (choose 9 hours)

• AMST 5163 Environmental History and Sustainable Practices for Oklahoma
• HIST 5123 Oklahoma History and Government
• HIST 5203 The American West
• SOC 5123 Social Gerontology
• SOC 5133 Rural Sociology

Leadership (3 hours) Choose one of the following:

• SOC 5263 Public Service Leadership
• AMST 5153 Studies in American Political Culture

Electives (Choose 15 hours from at least three areas)

• AGRI 5153 Agricultural Economics of Development

• EDUC 5763 Public School Finance
• EDUC 5903 Higher Education Philosophy and Practice
• EDUC 5943 Leadership in Adult Education Venues
• EDUC 5953 Institutional Management

• ENGL 5203 Contemporary Poetry
• ENGL 5213 Nonfiction Prose
• ENGL 5273 20th and 21st Century American Novel
• ENGL 5413 Popular Literature (when taught as Popular Culture: The Western)
• ENGL 5433 19th Century American Novel
• ENGL 5463 American Literature

• HIST 5113 U.S. Diplomatic History
• HIST 5213 American Colonial Period
• HIST 5223 The United States: 1783-1840
• HIST 5233 The United States: 1841-1877
• HIST 5313 The United States: 1933-Present
• HIST 5603 History of Economics in the United States
• HIST 5613 Native American History
• HIST 5623 The United States: 1877-1932
• HIST 5663 Survey of Latin American History
• HIST 5723 African American History

• MCOM5113 Mass Communications Law and Ethics (offered only in Alva)
• MCOM 5123 Advanced Strategic Communication (offered only in Alva)
• MCOM 5213 Business and  Professional Communication (offered only in Alva)

• POLS 5113 Constitutional Studies
• POLS 5123 Advanced Political Theory
• POLS 5213 Public Policy Studies
• POLS 5223 Elements of Public Administration
• POLS 5253 Federal, State, and Local Relations
• POLS 5303 The Federal Legislative Branch
• POLS 5313 The Federal Executive Branch

 

• SOCM 5213 Business and Professional Communication
   
• SOC 5113 Cultural Anthropology
• SOC 5203 Social Theory
   
• TCOM 5423 Principles of Directing (available only when student directs a play by an American author) (offered only in Alva)
• TCOM 5443 Theatre Pedagogy (offered only in Alva)
• TCOM 5733 History of Musical Theatre (offered only in Alva)
• TCOM 5862 Children’s Theatre (available only when student directs a play by an American author) (offered only in Alva)

• AMST5330 Thesis (from 3-6 hours)
• AMST 5500 Internship (from 3 to 6 hours)

*Note: As with other graduate programs at NWOSU, students enrolled in American Studies may take a maximum of six credit hours in any combination of Individual Study (5170), Seminar (5180), Readings (5190), and/or Short Courses (5300) with permission of their graduate advisory committee. These will be counted as part of the elective options.

*Note: All American Studies students must put together their Graduate Advisory Committee and meet with its members during the first semester of coursework.

Job Outlook: According to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics and the American Studies Association, employment for graduates with an American Studies background is expected to increase faster than the average through 2021. Competition for jobs as archivists, curators, museum technicians, and other service positions within these areas are expected to be strong. Employment in career areas such as public relations, sales, and marketing will be increasing at a similar rate. Students with computer and visual documentation skills have excellent job prospects. Such positions as archivists, public relations specialists, college professors, and youth programs manager are also expected to grow anywhere between 8% and 28%. The greatest value of the American Studies program is exposure to critical thinking in diverse academic disciplines that will help in a diverse number of occupational areas. 

Career Opportunities: The American Studies program provides students interested in American culture, society, and history the opportunity to apply their background to a variety of professions in many career settings. Graduates of the American Studies program may prepare for careers in museums, government, law, communication, or education. Many business organizations have positions requiring American Studies backgrounds for public relations, art management, and tourism. Communications fields are another example of potential opportunity. Public sector jobs, government agencies, and publicly-supported institutions often seek American Studies graduates as interpreters, explaining an agency's or institution's function, projects, activities, or history to the public.

Job Settings: A graduate of American Studies can explore opportunities within Archives, Art Museums, Art Management, Business, the CIA/FBI, Cultural Organizations, Cunsulting Firms, Colleges and Universities, Department of Justice, Discovery Museums, Foundations, Historic Sites, Insurance Companies, Living History Museums, Galleries, Government, Historical Societies, Law, Magazine Publishing/Writing, National Parks, Natural History Museums, Peace Corps/Americorps, Planetariums, Political Organizations, Radio, Research Firms, Retail, Schools, Science Centers, Television, Tourism, and Voice of America.

Job Titles: The following are some examples of common job titles for American Studies graduates: Archivist, Business Affairs Director, Collections Manager, Community Relations Director, Curator, Development Director, Editor, Educational Programs Director, Exhibit Personnel, Historian, Historic Preservation Specialist, Lobbyist, Market Research Analyst, Membership Coordinator, Museum Curator, Public Administrator, Public Relations Coordinator, Producer, Salesperson, Script Writer, Teacher, Training Coordinator, Visitor Services Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, and Youth Programs Manager.

​​​Jana Brown, M.A.
Instructor of History
B.A., Northwestern Oklahoma State University
M.A., Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Tamara Brown, M.S.
Assistant Professor of Speech; Chair of Communication Department
B.S., Northwestern Oklahoma State University
M.S., University of Oklahoma

Kay L. Decker, Ed.D. 
Professor Emeritus of Sociology
B.A., Northwestern Oklahoma State University
M.A. and Ed.D., Oklahoma State University

John Ellerbach, Ph.D. 
Assistant Professor of Mass Communication
Ed.D., Oklahoma State University
 

Sarah Fry
Instructor of Criminal Justice/Sociology
M.A., Pennsylvania State University
 

Roger Hardaway, D.A.
Professor of History
B.S., Middle Tennessee State University
B.S. Ed., Memphis State University
M.A., New Mexico State University
M.A.T., University of Wyoming
M.A., Eastern New Mexico University
J.D., Memphis State University
D.A., University of North Dakota
 

Shawn Holliday, Ph.D.
Professor of English; Associate Dean of Graduate Studies; Director: American Studies Program
B.A. and M.A., Marshall University
Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Mickey Jordan, M.A.
Director of Technical Theatre
M.A., Northwestern Oklahoma State University
 

Ken Kelsey, M.A.
Adjunct Instructor of Fine Arts and History
B.A. and M.A., Oklahoma State University
M.A., University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
 

Matthew Lambert, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of English
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University
 

Steven Wade Mackie, Ph.D.
Professor of Education
B.A., Prescott College
M.Ed. and Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
 

Aaron Mason, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science
B.A., Northeastern Oklahoma State University (Tahlequah)
M.A., University of Texas (Arlington)
Ph.D., Northern Arizona University
 

Dean A. Scarbrough, Ph.D.
Professor of Agriculture; Chair: Agriculture Department
B.S., Oklahoma State University
M.S. and Ph.D., University of Arkansas
 

Eric Schmaltz, Ph.D.
Professor of History; Chair, Department of Social Sciences
B.A., St. Olaf College
M.A., University of North Dakota
Ph.D., University of Nebraska
 

Kimberly Weast, MFA
Professor of Theatre Arts; Chair, Department of Fine Arts
MFA, Lindenwood University

 

*Besides having published several books and numerous journal articles in the fields of American history, literature, political science, sociology, and/or education, many of NWOSU's American Studies faculty have community development experience that will allow them to mentor students engaged in leadership activities within northwestern Oklahoma. Some of the organizations that faculty are affiliated with include the Greater Enid Arts and Humanities Council, Freedom Chamber of Commerce, Preservation Oklahoma, the Cherokee Strip Museum, the Woods County Economic Development Committee, and the Oklahoma Community Institute.

*One of the most important resources that American Studies students have at their disposal is the NWOSU Institute for Citizenship Studies that was developed by the faculty of NWOSU's Social Sciences Department and by the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma. Part of the Institute's mission is to "foster an ethos of constructive patriotism, public service, and civic engagement" in students by promoting such campus events as "Constitution Day, The Cultural Heritage Lecture Series, [and] The Presidential Lecture Series." The Institute's activities, when coupled with such other offerings as the English Department's Visiting Writers Series, will expose students to a wide range of issues and speakers in American Studies. The Masonic Institute also serves as the depository for the "Mr. George D. Coyan Collection," which contains "a growing body of original historic American newspapers and magazines named in honor of the late World War II veteran and educator." Another important mission of the Institute for Citizenship Studies is for faculty to 'engage in collaborative scholarship" and to promote research efforts and "other initiatives to further the dissemination of knowledge within its respective department's disciplines." To fulfill this aim, the Institute's Executive Directors, Dr. Eric Schmaltz and Dr. Aaron Mason, founded the journal Civitas, an "annual, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed publishing venue aimed at promoting scholarship concerning the Humanities and Social Sciences as they relate to citizenship matters." Since the journal welcomes submissions by graduate students, many of those enrolled in the American Studies program will have a possible publishing venue for their work. Selected students may also help with the journal's editing and publishing process as an internship possibility.

 

The mission of NWOSU is to provide "quality educational and cultural opportunities to learners with diverse needs by cultivating ethical leadership and service, critical thinking, and fiscal responsibility." The Master of Arts degree in American Studies fits the university's mission by diversifying the educational and service-learning opportunities available to graduate students. Since American Studies is an interdisciplinary field, this program attracts students from a wide variety of undergraduate majors from English and history to sociology and political science, majors with no other graduate programs available in northwestern Oklahoma. A Master of Arts degree in American Studies provides leaders in northwestern Oklahoma with the tools to confront local and national issues that negatively affect the region, allowing them to energize the area both culturally and economically. To achieve this aim, NWOSU's American Studies program utilizes diverse cultural resources in northwestern Oklahoma, southern Kansas, and southeastern Colorado -- the Sod House Museum, the Santa Fe Trail, the Standing Bear Museum, Amache Japanese Internment Camp, the Cherokee Strip Museum, Fort Supply, etc. -- to help students learn about the United States while also allowing faculty to preserve regional history and local memory. Subsequently, the American Studies program improves the quality of life for area citizens by partnering with state-funded museums and cultural agencies to increase awareness of the region's importance to the state and nation. Most importantly, it also engages students in community leadership and development.

Upon returning to Indonesia after spending two years at Northwestern earning my master’s degree in American Studies as a Fulbright student scholar, I did not expect to miss NWOSU and all the people in Alva so badly. I really miss my American studies classes now that I’m back home!

–Riskariyani Amin

I loved every minute of my American Studies program. The interdisciplinary format gives students a comprehensive understanding of America’s westward expansion as well as prepares students for work in the nonprofit sector and doctoral studies.

–Rebekah Wagenbach

NWOSU’s American Studies program provided me with new ways to approach research topics. Where I had previously viewed my research primarily through a literary lens, the American Studies program enabled me to adopt and implement an all-inclusive understanding through multiple fields of study and to become a better researcher.

–Ashley Wilson