American & New England Studies Program

Interdepartmental Program

The following list reflects the 2007/2008 faculty.

Director, American & New England Studies (PhD) Anita Patterson

Director, Preservation Studies (MA) Claire W. Dempsey

Faculty

American & New England Studies

David Bittermann Lecturer of American & New England Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. BS, MArch, University of Illinois, Urbana; MA, Boston University

Richard M. Candee Professor Emeritus of American & New England Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. AB, Oberlin College; MA, State University of New York, Oneonta; AM, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Claire W. Dempsey Director of Preservation Studies; Associate Professor of American & New England Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. BA, Wheaton College; MA, Boston University

Eric Dray Lecturer of American & New England Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. BA, Brown University; MA, JD, Boston University; MUP, Harvard University

Elaine Finbury Adjunct Associate Professor of American & New England Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. BA, Simmons College; MA, Boston University

Jessica Sewell Director of Undergraduate Studies; Assistant Professor of American & New England Studies and Art History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Harvard College; PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Anthropology

Anthony G. Barrand Associate University Professor; Associate Professor of Anthropology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, University of Keele (England); PhD, Cornell University

Charles Lindholm University Professor; Professor of Anthropology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, PhD, Columbia University

TOP OF PAGE

Archaeology

Mary C. Beaudry Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, William and Mary College; MA, PhD, Brown University

Ricardo Elia Director of Graduate Studies, Archaeology; Associate Professor of Archaeology, College of Arts & Sciences. PhD, Boston University

Rafique Mughal Professor of Archaeology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Gordon College (Pakistan); MA, University of Punjab (Pakistan); PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Art History

Melanie Hall Director, Museum Studies Certificate Program; Associate Professor of Art History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, University of Leeds (England)

Patricia Hills Professor of Art History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Stanford University; MA, City University of New York, Hunter College; PhD, New York University

Keith Morgan Professor of Art History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, College of Wooster; MA, University of Delaware; PhD, Brown University

Paolo Serivano Assistant Professor of Art History, College of Arts & Sciences. PhD, Politecnico di Torino (Italy)

Kim Sichel Associate Professor of Art History, College of Arts & Sciences. AB, Brown University; MPhil, PhD, Yale University

Communication

Raymond Carney Professor of Broadcasting & Film, College of Communication. AB, Harvard College; PhD, Rutgers University

Roy Grundmann Assistant Professor of Broadcasting & Film, College of Communication. MA, PhD, New York University

English

Robert Chodat Director, Writing Seminar; Assistant Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, McGill University; PhD, Stanford University

Bonnie Costello Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Bennington College; PhD, Cornell University

Gene Jarrett Associate Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Princeton University; MA, PhD, Brown University

Laura Korobkin Associate Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Williams College; MA, Brandeis University; JD, Harvard Law School; PhD, Harvard University

Maurice S. Lee Assistant Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Stanford University; PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

John T. Matthews Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. AB, University of Pennsylvania; MA, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Susan Mizruchi Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Washington University; PhD, Princeton University

Leland Monk Associate Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, University of California, Santa Cruz; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Anita Patterson Director of American & New England Studies; Associate Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Harvard College; MA, PhD, Harvard University

Charles Rzepka Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, University of Michigan; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Matthew Smith Assistant Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Brown University; MA, University of Chicago; MA, PhD, Columbia University

William L. Vance Professor Emeritus of English, College of Arts & Sciences. AB, Oberlin College; AM, PhD, University of Michigan

TOP OF PAGE

History

Allison Blakely Chair of African American Studies; Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, University of Oregon; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Brooke Blower Assistant Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, University of California, Berkeley; MA, PhD, Princeton University

Charles Capper Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Johns Hopkins University; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Louis Ferleger Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BBA, MA, PhD, Temple University

Marilyn Halter Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences; Research Associate, Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs. AB, Brandeis University; EdM, Harvard University; PhD, Boston University

Linda Heywood Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Brooklyn College; MA, PhD, Columbia University

Brendan McConville Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Reed College; MA, PhD, Brown University

Ronald Richardson Director of African American Studies; Associate Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, PhD, State University of New York, Binghamton

Jon Roberts Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. AB, University of Missouri; AM, PhD, Harvard University

Bruce Schulman Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Yale; PhD, Stanford University

Nina Silber Associate Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Andrew Bacevich Professor of History and International Relations, College of Arts & Sciences. BS, United States Military Academy, West Point; MA, PhD, Princeton University

Law

Peter L. Freeman Lecturer in Law, School of Law; Partner, Wylie, Lipman, and Freeman. BA, Yale University; JD, Boston University

Music

Victor Coehlo Professor of Music, College of Fine Arts. BA, University of California, Berkeley; PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

Philosophy

Victor Kestenbaum Associate Professor of Philosophy, College of Arts & Sciences; Associate Professor of Education, School of Education. AB, EdD, Rutgers University; MAT, Trenton State College

Alfred Tauber Professor of Philosophy, College of Arts & Sciences; Director, Center for the Philosophy & History of Science, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; Professor of Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine. BS, Tufts University; MD, Tufts School of Medicine

Political Science

John Gerring Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

David A. Mayers Chairman, Department of Political Science; Professor of Political Science and History, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Oberlin College; MA, PhD, University of Chicago

Graham Wilson Professor of Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, DPhil, Oxford University (England); MA, University of Essex (England)

Religion

Stephen R. Prothero Assistant Professor of Religion, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Yale University; MA, PhD, Harvard University

Dana Robert Truman Collins Professor of World Mission, School of Theology. BA, Louisiana State University; MA, PhD, Yale University

TOP OF PAGE

Sociology

Nancy Ammerman Chair, Department of Sociology, Professor of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Southwest Baptist University; MA, University of Louisville; MPhil, PhD, Yale University

Julian Go Assistant Professor of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, University of Michigan; MA, PhD, University of Chicago

Nazli Kibria Associate Professor of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences. MA, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Daniel Monti Associate Professor of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, Oberlin College; MA, PhD, University of North Carolina

John Stone Professor of Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences. BA, MA, Cambridge University; (England) PhD, Oxford University (England)

The Graduate Program

The graduate program draws on the faculty of several departments to offer a diversified curriculum in American cultural studies. At the core is the faculty’s commitment to grasping American historical culture, with a focus on the form and content of a wide range of American experiences.

The program is especially strong in social, cultural, and intellectual history; in literary history and theory; in American painting, architecture, and decorative art, including the vernacular tradition; and in material culture and historic preservation. A student’s individual graduate program may include study with faculty not only from history, English, and art history, but also from anthropology, archaeology, economics, philosophy, political science, theological and religious studies, sociology, urban affairs, African American studies, and women’s studies, as well as from the School of Law, College of Communication (including film studies), and School of Management. Though the program’s focus is national, students specializing in the study of New England have access to many local resources.

Two separate but related master’s degree programs are the MA in preservation studies and the joint JD/MA in law and preservation studies. Each degree program has a selective admissions policy, and each offers students the possibility of serving as interns in museums and historical agencies. The program is closely affiliated with several of the major museums and historical agencies in New England.

Further information is available from the program office, 226 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-2948; fax: 617-353-2556; e-mail: amnesp@bu.edu; American & New England Studies Program website at www.bu.edu/amnesp.

TOP OF PAGE

PhD in American & New England Studies

The PhD program is committed to the interdisciplinary study of American culture. While the resources of New England offer unique opportunities for research in the history and culture of the region, the program’s orientation is emphatically national and cross-cultural in scope. With strong participation from faculty members in history, English, art history, anthropology, archaeology, and other disciplines, the program encourages students to develop their own distinctive blend of courses and independent study. Students are urged to select a course of study from a variety of disciplines that provide a foundation in literary and historical perspectives. While pursuing the PhD degree, students may concurrently work toward a Master of Arts degree.

The program maintains a close relationship with a number of New England museums and historical agencies, and internships are often available. Students have worked, for example, at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Peabody Essex Museum, Historic New England (formerly known as SPNEA), the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Boston Athenaeum, and the Museum of American Textile History. Students also have access to the archival collections and galleries of these institutions.

In addition to those external resources, PhD students may use the library holdings of Boston College, Brandeis University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston. The Boston Public Library also offers significant holdings for reading and research.

Prerequisites and Admissions Tests Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree. Students who majored in anthropology, art history, English, history, sociology, or other humanities and social sciences are invited to apply. Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). International students must take the TOEFL.

Advisor The program assigns a temporary advisor to all incoming students; students then choose their own permanent advisors.

Course of Study Students entering the program with a BA take 16 graduate-level courses before proceeding to their PhD qualifying examinations; those with an MA take eight courses before their qualifying exam. Two required courses, GRS AM 735 Studies in American Culture and GRS AM 736 The Literature of American Studies, provide an introduction to analytical methods and theoretical problems. Otherwise, students devise their own programs of study, choosing courses from a wide variety of disciplines: anthropology, architectural history, art history, decorative arts, English, film, historical archaeology, history, political science, sociology, and women’s studies. GRS AM 901, 902 Directed Study provides a means of working individually with faculty.

Language Requirement Students must demonstrate reading competence in a single modern foreign language. This can be accomplished in one of the following ways: through an examination given by the program, by earning a score of 570 in the Graduate Student Foreign Language standardized exam, or by successfully completing a language reading course numbered 621 offered through the Graduate School.

Major Paper The candidate must submit a polished scholarly paper, usually a revised essay written for a graduate seminar, that employs a range of interdisciplinary methods. The paper, distributed in written form, must be approved and signed by first and second readers and the program director before scheduling the PhD Qualifying Examination.

PhD Qualifying Examination A student must pass oral qualifying examinations in a major and two minor fields. The major field must be presented in full historical depth and with European backgrounds. At least one of the minor fields must be in a discipline different from the major. Students who major in art history also take a slide examination, and part of the oral examination may involve the interpretation of objects. Details on the composition of the major and minor fields are available in the American Studies office, as well as on the website.

TOP OF PAGE

Dissertation Prospectus See General Requirements for the PhD on this site. Each student is required to submit a prospectus for approval within six months after the PhD Qualifying Examination has been passed. This prospectus should be prepared in consultation with the prospective dissertation advisor. The prospectus, distributed in written form, must be approved and signed by the prospective first and second readers of the dissertation before submission to the program director. The prospectus explores the main issues to be addressed in the dissertation, the methods to be employed, and the sources to be consulted.

Dissertation A dissertation reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the program is required. See General Requirements for the PhD.

Residency Requirements and Final Oral Examination General Requirements for the PhD.

Financial Assistance Financial assistance is available in the form of teaching and research fellowships, Presidential University Graduate Fellowships, scholarships and graduate assistantships, and internships at related institutions. An endowment restricted to the program provides additional funding.

As members of the program in American & New England Studies, students may be eligible to teach courses at Boston University during the academic year and in Metropolitan College’s summer school. Students may, as part of their curriculum, be eligible to undertake an internship at a program-approved museum or historical or cultural agency. These internships may provide on-site training as well as course credit and financial assistance.

Courses

Required courses for first-year PhD students:

GRS AM 735 Studies in American Culture

GRS AM 736 The Literature of American Studies

Electives

CAS AM 502 Special Topics in American Studies

CAS AM 524 New England Cultural Landscapes

GRS AM 730 Seminar in American Architecture

GRS AM 765 Readings in American Vernacular Architecture

GRS AM 867 Material Culture

GRS AM 901, 902 Directed Study in American and New England Studies

GRS AM 945, 946 Practicum

TOP OF PAGE

Courses Offered Through Departmental Curricula

CAS AA 514 Comparative Slavery

CAS AA 590 The World and the West

CAS AH 501, 502 Practicum in Museum Studies

CAS AH 520 The Museum and Historical Agency

CAS AH 521 Curatorship

CAS AH 570 Early American Architecture

CAS AN 568 Symbol, Myth, and Rite

CAS EN 533 American Literature: Beginnings to 1855

CAS EN 534 American Literature: 1855–1918

CAS EN 536 Twentieth-Century American Poetry

CAS EN 545 The Nineteenth-Century American Novel

CAS EN 546 The Modern American Novel

CAS EN 547 Contemporary American Fiction

CAS HI 583 Black Radical Thought

CAS PO 512 Informal Political Process

CAS PO 513 Development of American Constitutional Law

CAS PO 514 The Judiciary and Civil Liberties

CAS SO 534 Modernity and Social Change

GRS AH 779 Visual Culture in the Nineteenth-Century United States

GRS AH 782 Colloquium in Nineteenth-Century Architecture in Europe and America

GRS AH 884 Seminar in Nineteenth-Century Architecture

GRS AH 891 Seminar in Photography

GRS AR 702 Contemporary Theory in Archaeology

GRS AR 780 Archaeological Ethics and Law

GRS EN 746 Faulkner and the Global South

GRS EN 788 Transnationalism and African American Literature

GRS HI 749 United States History, 1850–1900

GRS HI 750 American Historiography

GRS HI 755 American Immigration History

GRS HI 868 Science and American Culture

GRS HI 869 Science and Christianity

GRS HI 871 African American History

GRS HI 874 Intellectual History of the United States, 1900 to the Present

GRS HI 885 Atlantic History

GRS PO 625 Political Movements in America

GRS PO 674 United States as World Power

GRS RN 613 Hinduism in America

GRS SO 808 Seminar: Ethnic, Race, and Minority Relations

TOP OF PAGE

MA in Preservation Studies

For more than 30 years, the Preservation Studies Program at Boston University has provided the interdisciplinary training necessary for successful careers in the analysis and management of cultural resources. More than 200 graduates have gone on to distinguished leadership positions in preservation, and that network of alumni is among the program’s greatest strengths.

The Preservation Studies Program integrates challenging coursework with extensive opportunities for practical, professional experience through group projects, independent work, and internships. Boston and New England have long been at the center of the preservation movement as home to many of its founders and to practitioners and institutions in the vanguard of developments in the field. Class projects take advantage of the tremendous scope of preservation activity in the region, from large-scale regional initiatives to grassroots neighborhood efforts in cities and towns. The program also draws on that community for its adjunct faculty, for internships, and for employment after graduation.

Students in the program engage firsthand with both time-tested and innovative forms of preservation practice and receive essential preparation in preservation planning, adaptive use, building conservation, and preservation law. The program also offers excellent opportunities to study the built environment through courses that examine architecture and the cultural landscape. Together, these provide a broad grounding that emphasizes the variety of historic resources and the diversity of approaches to their preservation.

For further information, see General Requirements for the MA on this site, as well as the following requirements:

Admission Candidates with degrees in a variety of fields including American studies, art history, city planning, economics, history, and business administration are encouraged to apply. The program is selective, with the intent of training a limited number of persons to a high level.

Course Requirements Students must complete 12 courses or 48 credits at the 500 level or above, including five required core courses, distribution requirements, and a major project. The five required courses are: CAS AM 546 Historic Preservation, CAS AM 553 Documenting Historic Buildings, GRS AM 747 Building Conservation, GRS AM 751 Financing for Historic Preservation, and GRS AM 754 Planning and Preservation. Students are also required to take three courses that address the built environment from those offered by the American & New England Studies Program, the Archaeology Department, or the Art History Department. In addition, students will take three or four electives, depending on their plans for a major project. Selection of courses, definition of the major project, and the overall direction of the student’s program will be designed in consultation with the student’s advisor, normally the program director.

Residency Requirement Full-time residency over three semesters is desired, but students may also enroll on a part-time basis (two courses per semester) for one or more of their semesters. Some of the core courses are taught in the late afternoon or evening. Students typically finish in four semesters.

Internship A three-month, full-time paid internship in an appropriate public or private agency, firm, or historical commission is an integral part of the program. Placement is approved by the program director. Internships are available with preservation agencies such as the Boston Landmarks Commission, the National Park Service, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and private organizations including the Boston Preservation Alliance, PreservatiONMASS, Historic New England (formerly known as SPNEA), and the Northeast office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In certain cases, prior experience may be considered as equivalent to the internship.

Financial Assistance Limited financial assistance is available in the form of graduate assistantships or research fellowships. In addition to the required summer internship, many students hold part-time positions with many of the same agencies and nonprofits. The program assists students in finding these opportunities.

TOP OF PAGE

JD in Law and MA in Preservation Studies

Each year, selected students in the School of Law are admitted to a joint program with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences leading to Juris Doctor in Law and Master of Arts in Preservation Studies degrees. The students take one historic preservation course each semester of their second and third years of law school; work in a full-time, three-month internship relating to preservation law; and take an additional four courses (16 credits) in preservation studies after completing their law degree. For further details on the Preservation Law Program, contact the School of Law, 765 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.

CAS AM 546 Historic Preservation

CAS AM 553 Documenting Historic Buildings and Landscapes

GRS AM 747 Building Conservation

GRS AM 751 Financing Historic Preservation Development

GRS AM 754 Planning and Preservation

Prereq: CAS AM 546 and consent of instructor. This class covers the role of historic preservation planning at the national, state, regional, and local level, putting preservation planning both in an historical context and in the context of the larger field of planning. Dray. 4 cr, 1st sem.

Electives

CAS AM 524 New England’s Cultural Landscape

GRS AM 730 Seminar in American Architecture

GRS AM 748 Historic Preservation Seminar: Adaptive Building Use

GRS AM 755 Colloquium in Preservation Planning

GRS AM 765 Readings in American Vernacular Architecture

GRS AM 780 Problems in Historic Preservation

GRS AM 867 Material Culture

GRS AM 901/902 Directed Study

GRS AM 903, 904 Directed Study in Historic Preservation

GRS AM 946 Practicum

Courses Offered Through Departmental Curricula

CAS AH 570 Early American Architecture

CAS AH 584 Greater Boston: Architecture and Planning

GRS AH 782 Colloquium in Nineteenth-Century Architecture in Europe and America

GRS AH 798 Colloquium in Twentieth-Century Architecture

GRS AH 884 Seminar: Nineteenth-Century Architecture

CAS AR 572 Studies in Industrial Archaeology

GRS AR 770 New World Historical Archaeology: Colonial America

GRS AR 771 New World Historical Archaeology: Post-Colonial America

GRS AR 780 Archaeological Ethics and the Law

GRS AR 805 Archaeological Heritage Management

GRS AR 810 International Heritage Management

MET UA 515 Urban Planning

TOP OF PAGE

Published by Trustees of Boston University
One Silber Way
Boston, MA 02215

9 January 2009
Boston University
Questions
Credits