Areas of Study - M.A. in Liberal Studies

Students in the MA in Liberal Studies program will complete an Area of Study, a combination of four courses selected from any of the following disciplines or thematic groupings (listed below).

Teachers who have initial certification

Teachers with initial certification in English, History (Social Studies), Modern Language (Spanish), or Visual Arts (beginning in Spring 2020), may use the MALS degree to achieve full certification by selecting their Area of Study in their initial field. Students who do not yet possess initial certification may consult degree offerings within Old Westbury’s School of Education.

Areas of Study for the MA in Liberal Studies

American Studies

  • AS6310 Atlantic Slavery and Folklore
  • AS6320 American Cities in the 20th Century
  • AS6330 Visualizing America
  • AS6340 New Media Narratives
  • AS6350 Ethnographic Media
  • AS6360 Topics in American Studies
  • EL6510 Foundations of U.S. Literature
  • HI6510 Topics in U.S. History: Struggles for Justice

Cultural Studies

  • AS6310 Atlantic Slavery and Folklore
  • AS6330 Visualizing America
  • SY6310 The Sociology of Music and Listening
  • VA6310 Case Studies in Graphic Design
  • VA6320 African Visual Traditions in the Americas
  • VA6330 Curating

English Literature

  • EL6310 Moral Choices in Classical Literature
  • EL6320 From Homer to Aristotle: Classical Origins of Western Civilization
  • EL6510 Foundations of U.S. Literature
  • EL6520 Foundations of English Literature
  • EL6530 Topics in Multicultural Literature
  • EL6540 Topics in World Literature
  • EL6550 Rhetoric and Composition (by permission of Graduate Director only)

History

  • HI6310 The French Revolution: A Social History
  • HI6320 Transnational Migration and Identity: Asian American History
  • HI6510 Topics in U.S. History
  • HI6520 U.S. Constitutional and Political History
  • HI6530 Economics: Theories, Tools, and Debates
  • HI6540 Topics in European History
  • HI6550 Topics in African History
  • HI6560 Topics in Chinese Civilization
  • HI6565 Topics in the History of India
  • HI6570 Topics in Islamic Civilizations
  • HI6580 Topics in Latin American History
  • HI7500 Questioning Global History

Immigration and Migration Studies

  • AS6310 Atlantic Slavery and Folklore
  • AS6320 American Cities in the 20th Century
  • EL6530 Topics in Multicultural Literature
  • EL6540 Topics in World Literature
  • ML6310 Latin American Cinemas in Context
  • ML6320 Decolonial Thinking
  • ML6540 Points of Contact: United States and Latin America (taught in English)
  • ML6810 Topics in Peninsular and Latin American Art (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6820 Topics in Spanish and Latin American Cinema (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6820 Topics in Caribbean Anti-Slavery Narrative (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6840 Topics in Pre-Columbian Cultures and Literature (taught in Spanish)
  • SY6320 Nationhood, Citizenship, and International Migration

Media Studies

  • AS6330 Visualizing America
  • AS6340 New Media Narratives
  • AS6350 Ethnographic Media
  • ML6310 Latin American Cinemas in Context (taught in English)
  • VA6310 Case Studies in Graphic Design
  • VA6330 Curating

Mental Health (this Area of Study is available on a limited basis; contact the MALS Graduate Director for more information)

  • MH6120 Psychopathology
  • MH6500 Lifespan Development
  • MH7500 Diagnosis and Treatment of Addictive Disorders
  • MH7510 Career Development

Modern Languages

  • ML6310 Latin American Cinemas in Context (taught in English)
  • ML6320 Decolonial Thinking (taught in English)
  • ML6510 Structure of Spanish (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6520 Masterpieces of Hispanic Literature (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6530 Cervantes and the Golden Age (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6540 Points of Contact: United States and Latin America (taught in English)
  • ML6810 Topics in Peninsular and Latin American Art (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6820 Topics in Spanish and Latin American Cinema (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6830 Topics in Caribbean Anti-Slavery Narrative (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6840 Topics in Pre-Columbian Cultures and Literature (taught in Spanish)
  • ML7500 Culture and Literature for Classroom Instruction (taught in Spanish)

Social Justice

  • AS6310 Atlantic Slavery and Folklore
  • AS6320 American Cities in the 20th Century
  • AS6330 Visualizing America
  • AS6340 New Media Narratives
  • AS6350 Ethnographic Media
  • HI6510 Topics in U.S. History
  • HI6520 U.S. Constitutional and Political History
  • ML6320 Decolonial Thinking
  • SY6330 Contemporary Social Theory

Visual Studies

  • AS6330 Visualizing America
  • AS6340 New Media Narratives
  • AS6350 Ethnographic Media
  • ML6310 Latin American Cinemas in Context (taught in English)
  • ML6810 Topics in Peninsular and Latin American Art (taught in Spanish)
  • ML6820 Topics in Spanish and Latin American Cinema (taught in Spanish)
  • VA6310 Case Studies in Graphic Design
  • VA6320 African Visual Traditions in the Americas
  • VA6330 Curating

Self-designed Area of Study:

  • Students who wish to design their own Area of Study may contact the MALS Graduate Director for information about how to submit a proposal.

Interdisciplinary Knowledge

For a truly interdisciplinary experience, students must take courses from at least three departments over the course of their degree. No more than five courses from any single discipline or department can count toward the MALS degree.