UMPI MA in American Studies

[Jonathan Whatley]

The University of Maine System Academic and Student Affairs Committee voted at its August 25 meeting to recommend that the UMS Board of Trustees approve a new Master of Arts in American Studies from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, to be delivered through the YourPace CBE modality.

From the proposal,

The UMPI YourPace M.A. in American Studies is a 30-credit hour, interdisciplinary, non-thesis program. This M.A. in American Studies degree is an interdisciplinary graduate program that focuses on the study of American culture, history, society, politics, and economics. This program explores the complexities of American identity, values, and institutions by drawing on a wide range of subjects such as literature, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, and art.

Proposed courses at launch, each coded AST, are

• Discovering and Interpreting Local History
  
• Oral History
  
• Gender and Sex in America
  
• Social Media and American Culture
  
• Makers of America
  
• Cold War America
  
• The American South
  
• Violent America
  
• Silent Stories: American Cemeteries as Material Culture and Reflections of Death, Memory, and Identity
  
• Echoes of Valor: Exploring Union Civil War Soldiers Experiences Through Pension Records
  

Fuller description of the degree and each course is provided in the proposal, linked here.

The committee discussion indicated UMPI is interested in the future in potentially adding concentrations in collaboration with other UMS faculty, and in potentially adding a thesis option. UMPI believes a student in the non-thesis program will develop a strong portfolio of written work.

[ss20ts]

Makes sense given the number of people I've seen complete the BA in History/PoliSci.

[Patchouli_Skoal]

I graduated from the BA History/Poli Sci program and this looks like it's designed to build nicely on that. I wonder if any of the lower level courses will roll up to it the way a few of the business courses do for the MAOL.

[RbxFunRocks]

This sounds like a really interesting degree program. Excited to see how it comes together.

[Duneranger]

I graduated from the BA History/Poli Sci program and this looks like it's designed to build nicely on that.  I wonder if any of the lower level courses will roll up to it the way a few of the business courses do for the MAOL.

Hopefully not, as someone with a MA in history, the rigor is 100% different than the undergrad courses at UMPI.

No thesis/dissertation is bizarre for a history-esque degree....

[Vle045]

Fascinating.

[Patchouli_Skoal]

I graduated from the BA History/Poli Sci program and this looks like it's designed to build nicely on that.  I wonder if any of the lower level courses will roll up to it the way a few of the business courses do for the MAOL.

Hopefully not, as someone with a MA in history, the rigor is 100% different than the undergrad courses at UMPI.

No thesis/dissertation is bizarre for a history-esque degree....

I wouldn't expect they'd roll up either.  Was just curious because a few of the business classes do for MAOL and MSB.  

I think the no-thesis plan is becoming more common for MA history programs of this tier, at least by my sample size of two.  It isn't required at either EWU or SNHU.

[Duneranger]

I graduated from the BA History/Poli Sci program and this looks like it's designed to build nicely on that.  I wonder if any of the lower level courses will roll up to it the way a few of the business courses do for the MAOL.

Hopefully not, as someone with a MA in history, the rigor is 100% different than the undergrad courses at UMPI.

No thesis/dissertation is bizarre for a history-esque degree....

I wouldn't expect they'd roll up either.  Was just curious because a few of the business classes do for MAOL and MSB.  

I think the no-thesis plan is becoming more common for MA history programs of this tier, at least by my sample size of two.  It isn't required at either EWU or SNHU.

I understand its more common and its a bizarre cash grab. EWU and SNHU are no-name history MA programs. I guess that's what this tier is now? Notice how ZERO top or even mildly close to top programs do this? Wonder why. MONEY.

If you aren't contributing to the field in an original historiographical manner, I have no idea why someone would be in a history MA program. The whole purpose is to analyze the current evidence critically, then contribute something interesting or novel in the form of a thesis. Otherwise, how is it different than an undergrad history program?

Other MA or MS programs don't necessarily require a thesis, I get it. But HISTORY? That's honestly ridiculous. My thesis took me 400 hours and 5 months of work to earn the MA....

History is a lot different than business. Nothing in the UMPI History/PolSci curriculum comes even close to a grad level history class. It's all superficial rote memorization with some mild critical analysis.

It's honestly sad how these types of programs are all low-effort cash grabs nowadays...

[bjcheung77]

Basically, it's a cash grab for those who want a Masters and have a Bachelors already (especially from UMPI, such as the BAS, BLS, BBA, or BA History/Political Science, etc). I think it's a good option for those who don't want a specific Masters and more of a Liberal Arts studies is what they're looking for...

[NotJoeBiden]

Ya, I dont see how a history degree can go without a thesis. History is a scholarly field. I honestly think most masters should have a thesis or capstone at the end.