Winterthur Program In American Material Culture (MA)

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Please see the Program Policy Document for more information.

Program Educational Goals:

Students will demonstrate:

Knowledge of American material culture and its traditions across different times and places, and a high level of knowledge in areas of object study and museum studies.
The ability to write about objects and the decorative arts with appropriate attention to factors such as style, condition, provenance, and reception. They will demonstrate the ability to present their writing with the appropriate citations of primary and secondary evidence involving material, visual, and textual sources.
The ability to communicate their knowledge concerning American material culture in oral form, both to cultural heritage professionals and the more general audiences.
Demonstrate fluency in equitable approaches to studying and interpreting objects, material culture, and cultural heritage of the Americas in a global context using multiple modes of communication.
Awareness of interdisciplinary theories, methodologies and disciplines that contribute to the study of material culture.

Requirements For The Degree

The Winterthur Program uses an interdisciplinary approach to the study of material culture. It requires 42 credit hours of coursework at the 600 to 800 levels. The 42 credit hours include 24 credits of core courses and 18 hours of other courses approved by the Program’s Director. The capstone experience is the master’s thesis.

Core Requirements:

18 credits.

EAMC 601 - Introduction to Decorative Arts in America to 1860 Credit(s): 3
EAMC 602 - Material Life in America Credit(s): 3
EAMC 607 - Bristish Design History, 1530-1930 Credit(s): 3
EAMC 671 - Connoisseurship of the Decorative Arts in America I Credit(s): 1-3
EAMC 672 - Connoisseurship of the Decorative Arts in America II Credit(s): 1-3
EAMC 673 - Connoisseurship of the Decorative Arts in America III Credit(s): 1-3

Thesis Research:

6 credits.

EAMC 869 - Master’s Thesis Credit(s): 3-6

Electives:

18 credits.

Distribution Requirement:

Fellows must fulfill a Distribution Requirement of two graduate seminars (6 credits total) in two different academic disciplines at the University of Delaware, generally in the Departments of Art History, English, or History. With permission of the Director, Fellows may also take courses in other disciplines. In general, the distribution requirement emphasizes research, historiography, and interpretative goals rather than training in professional practice.

Courses counting as Distribution Requirements are, for example, graduate seminars offered in Art History, English, History, or Museum Studies on the 600 or 800 level. For example:

ARTH – 600/800 level, Thematic Seminars
ENGL – 600/800 level, Thematic Seminars
HIST – 600/800, Approaches to History & Thematic Seminars

Additional Electives:

12 credits. These are graduate courses offered within the Program and/or across the disciplines at UD, for example:

EAMC – 606, Thematic Seminar: Utopias
EAMC – 609, Thematic Seminar: Craftsmanship
ARTH – 600/800 level, Thematic Seminars
ENGL – 600/ 800 level, Thematic Seminars
HIST – 600/800 level, Thematic Seminars

Additional Requirements

Fellows have taken increasing advantage of Museum Internships to augment professional training and experience. There are two strategies for gaining this experience: the course offered by the Museum Studies Program, MSST 804 - Museum Internship ; or shorter experiences generally registered under the EAMC 666 - SPECIAL PROBLEM . The latter course is directed study that may or may not take the form of an internship.

EAMC 666 - SPECIAL PROBLEM Credit(s): 1-12
MSST 804 - Museum Internship Credit(s): 3

Non-Credit Requirements

All Fellows participate in field trips, workshops, career symposia, and other events as required by the Executive Committee. These requirements are listed on a master calendar; Fellows maintain this calendar in collaboration with Museum Faculty. The master calendar may change due to unforeseen circumstances. In the event that these “non-credit” requirements conflict with scheduled classes, a Fellow’s first responsibility is to be in class unless excused by their instructor.

Field-Study Requirements

One of the Program’s strengths is its emphasis on field-based learning and other travel opportunities. During the two-year program, students and faculty travel as a group and individually for course work, enrichment, and research.

Required enrichment travel includes three field studies. These typically include:

North, South, and New York City field studies. Coursework travel currently includes a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, for students enrolled in the Craftsmanship course; a journey to the United Kingdom during the British Design History course; and occasional day and overnight trips during Connoisseurship and other courses. Other day or overnight trips are occasionally scheduled to Washington, D. C., or other locations and are optional.