American Studies programs

[The Shade King]

@NoirFemme 

Carrying over from my start in Geography, I wish to study race, space and place in a primarily contemporary American context but understanding how these concepts are linked transnationally and historically to colonialism, slavery and capital accumulation through empire building. I privilege a cultural study based approach that uses popular culture to examine the intersects of race and masculinity hoping to eventually explore the tension between culture and economy. Additionally, I am foundationally interested in understanding how knowledges are shaped, validated and contested, how knowledge is affixed to bodies, places and abstract concepts.

My dream programs are Michigan and Yale but I think I could make my project work in any of the programs I have applied to. And yourself?

[NoirFemme]

My work right now focuses on the 1900-1950 period, where I explore how black women resisted Jim Crow and Colonialism through literature. I'm developing a transnational feminist lens that draws on material and print cultures of the diaspora, as well as an interest in Black Modernism.

It's difficult to choose my dream program because I've applied to so many amazing places, but I think I'll go with Yale. They have faculty involved in everything that interests me.

[The Shade King]

@Noirfemme, Yale seems to have it all lol. I like Minnesota and Brown as well. I was going to apply to Harvard but I screwed up the due dates lol. Also while I would fit in NYU I just didnt end up applying.

I could see your project fitting in Yale, but also in NYU, Michigan, and a few other places. Hopefully, we all end up the best places for us. That's my biggest concern as fit is so so important.

[NoirFemme]

1 hour ago, The Shade King said:

@Noirfemme, Yale seems to have it all lol. I like Minnesota and Brown as well. I was going to apply to Harvard but I screwed up the due dates lol. Also while I would fit in NYU I just didnt end up applying.

I could see your project fitting in Yale, but also in NYU, Michigan, and a few other places. Hopefully, we all end up the best places for us. That's my biggest concern as fit is so so important.

Ha, I know! I guess that's why they're Yale.

I didn't apply to NYU because of the insane cost of living. I'm an older student, so that whole "GIRLS" is not for me anymore! But the program looks extremely good, especially its emphasis on POC and social justice. 

Everyone's work sounds sooo good. I want to fast-forward a few years to read your dissertations, lol.

[The Shade King]

@noirFemme thanks thats nice of you to say. I hope after this is all done some of us can meet up at ASA to share what we have learned from our programs lol. As a nontraditional student myself being a few years older than many I definitely hoping to do things to empower students and to facilate the PHd process being easier and more justice centric. And yes I would love to learn more about your research as well. I am always wanting to learn about things that are not in my wheel house especially as it concerns the African diaporsa as I have many gaps to fill in my knowledge.

[kekology4]

What wonderful projects. It's great to see other people doing this kind of critical work. That cost of living in NYC has certainly been on my mind. 

While writing this post out, I got a notification that my academia edu page was googled and found, and it seems the person is rather close to one of my schools. I'm laughing.... mostly 

[kekology4]

Both of your projects make me think of Demonic Grounds: black women and the cartographies of struggle. 

[The Shade King]

21 minutes ago, kekology4 said:

Both of your projects make me think of Demonic Grounds: black women and the cartographies of struggle. 

 

Yeah coming from Geography, I would hope that my work is in a similar vain to  this..  Katherine Mcckittrick is a very good scholar. My project topic is actually focused through an examination of a sport. That's one reason that I not only applied to American Studies but also to a few Communication and Black Studies programs. My project could go a few ways depending on where I land. 

[PetiteFilleNoire]

As of right now, I am broadly interested in Black women's cultural labors in 20th century performance spheres. In graduate study, I want to focus on affective and sexual labors in the performance work of women funk and disco artists. 

Everyone's work sounds great! 

[towonderland72]

On 1/10/2017 at 2:29 AM, The Shade King said:

No worries we are in a similar boats lol .. uncertainy breeds a bit of craziness. I am curious thought, why didnt u apply to a few history programs, have your interests shifted that much? Chicago, Northwestern, Columbia were all programs I looked at when I thought I might be able to apply to history before I realized they would hate me and my work lol.

Haha, that is a good question. I did look at history PhDs, but was concerned that I wouldn't be able to study as widely as I wanted. In the UK, a History undergraduate degree means three years of doing nothing BUT History--I never took classes in anything else! So, really, I wasn't looking for a course where I'd have to take a lot more History classes. When I was doing my masters at USC, I also taught Writing 140, which was an oddly broad course. I could choose to set essays on anything I wanted, really, and most of mine, I realized later, probably fell under the jurisdiction of American Studies, which got me thinking about applying for PhDs where I could focus more in that field!

I wouldn't say my interests have shifted- actually, I might have gone for American Studies as an undergrad if it were a more respected (and better taught) discipline here in the UK. Truthfully, I'd always wanted to go to Cambridge, and they don't offer it. Now, my interests are an interdisciplinary mix between culltural History and American Studies, so... that is my answer. Haha. 

Edit: d'oh, I just read further back in this thread. Everyone's work sounds great! I admit, before I applied, I aggressively stalked the 'current students' sections of all my schools and got SO SO jealous of all the projects people were working on.

Edited January 12, 2017 by towonderland72
Added text

[towonderland72]

7 hours ago, kekology4 said:

What wonderful projects. It's great to see other people doing this kind of critical work. That cost of living in NYC has certainly been on my mind. 

While writing this post out, I got a notification that my academia edu page was googled and found, and it seems the person is rather close to one of my schools. I'm laughing.... mostly 

That... is terrifying! Hopefully it means good things. Also, now I'm wondering if I should have an academia.edu page. *cries*

[cypressknee]

On 1/10/2017 at 0:03 PM, NoirFemme said:

To get back on topic a bit--what work are you doing in American Studies that you want to explore at the graduate level? 

What is your dream program and why?

I got my MA in English Lit and happened to fall into food studies, the history of labor, and the hemispheric South. Specifically, I'm interested in exploring the ways in which drinking/imbibing affects our conception of urban and regional spaces. I also got really into digital humanities as an MA student and public history, so I hope to continue that sort of work as a PhD student.

Brown and UNC Chapel Hill are my top schools, because both have focuses on public humanities and have several faculty members I would love to work with. Yale would be a great program too, but I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting into Yale! 

[cypressknee]

4 hours ago, towonderland72 said:

That... is terrifying! Hopefully it means good things. Also, now I'm wondering if I should have an academia.edu page. *cries*

But seriously... should we have an academia.edu page?

[kekology4]

that's an interesting story @towonderland72 I'm curious if you looked into cultural studies programs.

I would not worry about having an academia edu page! There are so many ways of showing your passion for your work, I would stick to the ones that feel genuine. If you have already published papers, the site is a good place to share them with other scholars and connect, but if not then it is only useful for the true nerds like me  I'm on there so I can get notifications when interesting papers in my field are uploaded, and when scholars I like upload new work. And you can search periodically for papers. 

When I was looking at current grad students at the programs I'm applying to, I was really excited by a lot of the projects they are working on. Lots of critical stuff going on in the field. And in this thread! The focus on black women is really exciting. 

[NoirFemme]

15 hours ago, kekology4 said:

Both of your projects make me think of Demonic Grounds: black women and the cartographies of struggle. 

This the best response ever, because I love that book. 

And yes, the focus on black women is indeed exciting! I don't feel like my interests are too 'out there' (my current school has a strong focus on the traditional social sciences, so I've had to fight for support of my interdisciplinary work).

I have an academia page for the same reason as you: keeping up with amazing scholars--especially new phd grads and junior faculty. Also, staking out my professional internet presence.

Edited January 12, 2017 by NoirFemme

[anon4now]

First: Everyone's projects sound *fantastic,* which makes me feel really nervous, excited, and privileged to be a part of this year's application season.

Second: I am also applying to Yale's American Studies Program (it's actually the only AMST program I'm applying to) and was wondering where people's doubts lie in not being accepted? This is my first year applying and I'm not sure if I am being naive about the (non)-importance of GRE scores... or if I am just missing how out-of-the-box our projects must be...? Although my apps are already submitted (lol @my life), I am still kind of caught on what makes an exciting interdisciplinary project stand out, esp. to the eyes and hearts of Yale (or other "top-tier" program) adcomms. Any advice? Similar concerns?

In response to previous posts: McKittrick is incredible, and I would just add that I highly, highly recommend Sylvia Wynter's work for anyone thinking about geography, the African diaspora, colonialism, post-colonialism, the category of the Human, etc. Wynter is phenomenal.

(A little bit abt me: I am interested in 19th century American Literature, AfAm studies, queer/feminist studies, performance studies, and affect studies.)

[towonderland72]

23 minutes ago, ♀ KING ♀ said:

First: Everyone's projects sound *fantastic,* which makes me feel really nervous, excited, and privileged to be a part of this year's application season.

Second: I am also applying to Yale's American Studies Program (it's actually the only AMST program I'm applying to) and was wondering where people's doubts lie in not being accepted? This is my first year applying and I'm not sure if I am being naive about the (non)-importance of GRE scores... or if I am just missing how out-of-the-box our projects must be...? Although my apps are already submitted (lol @my life), I am still kind of caught on what makes an exciting interdisciplinary project stand out, esp. to the eyes and hearts of Yale (or other "top-tier" program) adcomms. Any advice? Similar concerns?

In response to previous posts: McKittrick is incredible, and I would just add that I highly, highly recommend Sylvia Wynter's work for anyone thinking about geography, the African diaspora, colonialism, post-colonialism, the category of the Human, etc. Wynter is phenomenal.

(A little bit abt me: I am interested in 19th century American Literature, AfAm studies, queer/feminist studies, performance studies, and affect studies.)

Similar concerns! My issue, I think, is that I haven't zeroed in on just one 'project'- my doubts lie almost entirely in that. Being on here is not making me feel less nervous... that said, looking at the profiles of current students in the programs I like (Brown, especially), I do think that a lot of them seem to have diverse interests, rather than just one pet project from the outset? The more time I spend on this forum, the less I think I'm getting in anywhere, so I may be the wrong person to give you advice! What other programs are you applying to?

An aside: my interests are in exploring gender and nationalism in American sports (specifically hockey); in the gendering of fan communities (I liked Kristina Busse's work on this) and expressions of fandom in sports (the hypermasculine) versus TV and film (often queer and critical spaces); but also, unrelated, in memory, memorialization and whether there is a 'search for a usable past' (Robert G. Moeller's term, describing postwar Germany) in US popular culture. I do have something of a pet project, in that I've been working with the Women Vietnam Veterans organization to talk about their untold story, and want to help them make their history known, but it's not the only thing I want to do. I took a break from academia for two years and have been working in publishing, editing military history books for DK in the US. I also worked on the books for the new African American museum... my work there has been pushing me to think about America's relationship with its own history and its creation of historical figures (my undergraduate thesis was on the creation of Pocahontas as an American heroine in 19th century literature).

 

[anon4now]

23 minutes ago, towonderland72 said:

Similar concerns! My issue, I think, is that I haven't zeroed in on just one 'project'- my doubts lie almost entirely in that. Being on here is not making me feel less nervous... that said, looking at the profiles of current students in the programs I like (Brown, especially), I do think that a lot of them seem to have diverse interests, rather than just one pet project from the outset? The more time I spend on this forum, the less I think I'm getting in anywhere, so I may be the wrong person to give you advice! What other programs are you applying to?

An aside: my interests are in exploring gender and nationalism in American sports (specifically hockey); in the gendering of fan communities (I liked Kristina Busse's work on this) and expressions of fandom in sports (the hypermasculine) versus TV and film (often queer and critical spaces); but also, unrelated, in memory, memorialization and whether there is a 'search for a usable past' (Robert G. Moeller's term, describing postwar Germany) in US popular culture. I do have something of a pet project, in that I've been working with the Women Vietnam Veterans organization to talk about their untold story, and want to help them make their history known, but it's not the only thing I want to do. I took a break from academia for two years and have been working in publishing, editing military history books for DK in the US. I also worked on the books for the new African American museum... my work there has been pushing me to think about America's relationship with its own history and its creation of historical figures (my undergraduate thesis was on the creation of Pocahontas as an American heroine in 19th century literature).

 

Okay, so you and I have opposite concerns haha. I have a 'pet project' I suppose, but it's mostly grounded in the terminology I'm attempting to theorize. From there, it spans from early to 19th-century American lit with AfAm lit being my main focus. With that said, I feel my sop might be pitching too narrow a project. I've also looked at some of the grad student profiles on Yale's website and other places and, like you said, many of these students have diverse, complex projects. BUT part of the reason I went the pet project route was my fear of submitting an sop that was too list-y, ya kno? It's really impossible to tell what they're looking for though :/

TBH it sounds like your interests are more focused than you think. Your current project is also very contemporary (US sports and popular culture). Now, I'm also curious if anyone applying to AMST programs is interested in 19th-century American literary and cultural studies? Or anything before the 20th century in general?

I've applied to UCLA (English Ph.D.), Northwestern (English Ph.D. w/Critical Studies in Theater and Performance interdisciplinary cluster program), Duke (English Ph.D.), Columbia (English Ph.D.), Yale (AMST Ph.D.), Georgetown (English M.A.), and NYU (Performance Studies M.A.). I am interested in how concepts like 'freedom,' 'fugitivity,' and 'resistance' are unsettled by feminine performances of sorrow, grief, and joy. I've sort of termed these performances- weeping, mourning, nonsense, and silence- by describing them as a 'feminine counter-praxis.' Sort of a broad description, but hopefully you get the gist.  

 

[cypressknee]

7 hours ago, ♀ KING ♀ said:

In response to previous posts: McKittrick is incredible, and I would just add that I highly, highly recommend Sylvia Wynter's work for anyone thinking about geography, the African diaspora, colonialism, post-colonialism, the category of the Human, etc. Wynter is phenomenal.

(A little bit abt me: I am interested in 19th century American Literature, AfAm studies, queer/feminist studies, performance studies, and affect studies.)

I read Wynter's On Being Human As Praxis for a MA seminar on Race and Cultural theory. It's fascinating stuff, but MAN was it difficult to parse through. Reading theory is a muscle, though, I suppose---it gets easier the more of it you read.

I am also a 19th century American lit person (and early 20th)! Do you have any particular authors you'd like to focus on?

[kekology4]

Love all the appreciation for wynter's work. I've been working with her greater project for a few years now, and most recently read demonic grounds which I really loved. 

8 hours ago, NoirFemme said:

This the best response ever, because I love that book. 

And yes, the focus on black women is indeed exciting! I don't feel like my interests are too 'out there' (my current school has a strong focus on the traditional social sciences, so I've had to fight for support of my interdisciplinary work).

I have an academia page for the same reason as you: keeping up with amazing scholars--especially new phd grads and junior faculty. Also, staking out my professional internet presence.

That's a shame that you've had to fight, but it certainly seems like you'll be at home in these american studies programs. Your project seems like it would fit right in. 

@♀ KING ♀ What I've picked up about admissions committees is that what they're interested in often depends on the interests of the individual people making up the committee. 

@cypressknee Her writing can be really difficult. But it absolutely gets easier with practice. I was just reading an academic text the other day and thinking about how easy it comes to me now, whereas it would have been really difficult a few years ago.

[NoirFemme]

I'm a weird one in that I feel like I am good enough for Yale (or Brown or Penn, etc). I accepted the hierarchy in higher ed--that is, the struggle is real for graduates from "no name" state schools--so I worked my a$$ off to hopefully bring myself to the level of research of students applying to top programs with BAs/MAs from other top schools. 

I do a little work in the 19th century, mostly focused on linking material culture of slavery to resistance in the 20th century. 

@cypressknee  you are so right that reading theory is a muscle to be worked on a consistent basis. I'm keeping up with it so I can enter a phd program ready to dive in.

[kekology4]

I feel similarly NoirFemme, that I am the caliber of student Yale or NYU is looking for. It's a good feeling. I swear every day just gets more exciting. 

[towonderland72]

7 hours ago, kekology4 said:

I feel similarly NoirFemme, that I am the caliber of student Yale or NYU is looking for. It's a good feeling. I swear every day just gets more exciting. 

I think it's very cool that both you and @NoirFemme have that confidence, and I bet it'll serve you guys well wherever you end up. Wish I could say the same. I went to Cambridge and USC, but still suffer from perpetual 'am I good enough' syndrome when it comes to academics. I feel like I'd thrive at the schools I applied to--why apply otherwise?--but am more scared than excited. Second guessing myself, like- should I have applied to more 'safe' schools? Should I have applied to more schools in total? (Rhetorical questions, obviously.)

Going off of your post, @NoirFemme: do you think programs are more likely to accept students with good-not-great grades from top schools than high flyers from 'no name' schools? Asking mostly because I'm curious, not having gone through the US system as an undergrad. At Cambridge, the grad students I knew were not always the most diligent bunch in terms of production and proliferation of research. There was certainly a difference between those who were also undergrads at Cambridge--despite being intellectual powerhouses, they didn't seem to work so hard--and those who went there to grad school having been the Wunderkind at some other place. 

[Beals]

21 hours ago, towonderland72 said:

An aside: my interests are in exploring gender and nationalism in American sports (specifically hockey); in the gendering of fan communities (I liked Kristina Busse's work on this) and expressions of fandom in sports (the hypermasculine) versus TV and film (often queer and critical spaces)

i LOVE this!!!  Do you read 'Check, Please'!?  I have thoughts (not research, this really isn't my area) on how the feminized hockey fandom intensely queers the sport versus the masculinized hockey 'fans' and I would love to read work on this.

[towonderland72]

12 minutes ago, Beals said:

i LOVE this!!!  Do you read 'Check, Please'!?  I have thoughts (not research, this really isn't my area) on how the feminized hockey fandom intensely queers the sport versus the masculinized hockey 'fans' and I would love to read work on this.

YES! Check, Please! OMG, I've been a backer since the start and it's one of my favorite things. Definitely interested in this!! I'm involved with the CWHL and NWHL too (I've done some editing for the latter, and am in the editing pool of the former), so it's been interesting to look at how those growing fandoms express themselves versus fans in the AHL/NHL. But yeah- I'm definitely interested in how fans (with the increasing presence of a hockey fandom on Tumblr, which acquired a lot of BNFs from TV/film fandoms like Harry Potter and Teen Wolf) are queering traditional sports narratives and how this is affecting the league's interaction with fanbases. Especially interesting when this butts up against issues like the Patrick Kane rape case last year, seeing how the two different types of fandom reacted.