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Welcome from Anita Patterson
As the director of the American and New England Studies Program (AMNESP), I would like to take this opportunity to describe just a few of the unique advantages our program has to offer.
Established in 1970, from its inception AMNESP has been genuinely and fundamentally interdisciplinary, dedicated to the study of American society in all its aspects: arts, culture, history, institutions, literature, religion, and diverse intellectual traditions. Our talented faculty represents the widest possible variety of disciplines. My own field is American literature, focusing on intercultural influences and transnationalism, from the antebellum period to the rise of modernism. I am joined by other colleagues in American literature whose work reveals how texts simultaneously reflect and shape cultural life in America - Jack Matthews, Susan Mizruchi, Laura Korobkin, Bonnie Costello, Gene Jarrett, Maurice Lee, Matthew Smith, Robert Chodat, and Leland Monk. Our roster of faculty also includes a number of distinguished colleagues in American History. Marilyn Halter, Nina Silber, Bruce Schulman, Lou Ferleger, Jon Roberts, Charles Capper, and Brooke Blower integrate the study of history within a broader investigation of American society. Furthermore, we maintain a particularly strong commitment to the study of Art History, and to this end we offer a comprehensive curriculum that covers courses in material culture, architecture, and historic landscapes as well as American painting and photography. Our outstanding faculty from Art History who teach in these areas and have been centrally involved in the program include Patricia Hills, Keith Morgan, Kim Sichel and Melanie Hall. In addition, Jessica Sewell, who holds a dual position, half-time in American Studies and half in Art History, has particular expertise in material culture studies while Claire Dempsey, our Director of Preservation Studies, also offers courses in these fields.
Adding to our strengths in History, Literature and Art History, the program attracts faculty whose scholarship ranges from the social and political sciences, to religion, to film studies, including Allison Blakely, Linda Heywood, and Ronald Richardson in African American Studies; Anthony Barrand in Anthropology; Mary Beaudry in Archeology; Nancy Ammerman and Nazli Kibria in Sociology; Graham Wilson and David Mayers in Political Science; Roy Grundmann and Ray Carney in Film Studies; and Stephen Prothero and Dana Robert in the Department of Religion.
The range of on campus resources notwithstanding, the Boston area offers AMNESP students unparalleled opportunities for scholarly research and the interpretation of the nation's heritage. Collaboration with Boston-area museums and cultural institutions has long been a distinctive hallmark of our program. Students have access to internships at the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Heritage Museum, the National Park Service, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, and other institutions.
We place special emphasis on fostering a sense of community within the program. Students and faculty gather regularly for formal lectures and presentations, and for more informal "American Conversations" where speakers come from neighboring universities and colleges in the Boston area to speak on topics of common interest. Our students may also take classes at Brandeis University, Boston College, Northeastern University, MIT, and Tufts University, institutions with which Boston University also maintains a free library exchange. There are, in addition, several student-run discussion groups, where individuals present aspects of their current research. Finally, the program sponsors a series of seminars on "Learning the Ropes," where faculty and advanced students offer timely and pertinent advice on preparing for orals, writing a prospectus, completing a dissertation, applying for fellowships, preparing to publish, entering the job market, and other topics.
Graduates of the program have shown a significant record of achievement in publication, teaching, and public history, and many have taken on positions as curators and directors of major cultural institutions and art agencies.
With regard to admissions: no one factor is decisive. Our admissions committee carefully assesses each candidate's qualifications on an individual basis. The University requires the GRE or its equivalent, but we weigh those scores within the broader context of your college record, recommendations, and personal statement. We make every effort to accommodate applicants who may be returning to graduate study after a period of time spent away from the academy.
Last, but obviously not least: financial aid comes in several forms. The most generous award is a Presidential University Graduate Fellowship (PUGF), which provides tuition and a stipend for the first year followed by teaching fellowships in the second, third and fourth years. The Graduate School awards PUGFs in a series of rounds, so we encourage early applications. Our program also provides some fellowship aid. In many cases, we can cover most or all of tuition costs, and teaching fellowships are available for some students each year. Many of our students also rely on work/study and educational loans to finance their academic work.
If you have any questions or are planning to be in Boston and would like to arrange a campus visit, please call 617-353-2948 or send us an email. I would be happy to meet with you and arrange for you to speak with other faculty and students in the program.
Sincerely,
Anita Patterson
AMNESP Director
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