Atlantic History and Politics
The Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy and MU College of Arts & Science are pleased to now offer a one-year, interdisciplinary MA in Atlantic History and Politics. Through the degree, students complete 30 hours of coursework that examines the connections and conflicts among the diverse peoples of the Atlantic basin, from the dawn of European empires, through the age of revolutions, into the more recent "American century." The MA's core curriculum situates the development of nation-states, including the United States, in relation to the exchange of ideas, goods, and power across the Atlantic world, and elective coursework associated with the degree will allow students to explore the histories of Native Americans, Latin American, de-colonization and 20th-century Africa, the ancient world, slave resistance in the Caribbean, and many other subjects, and will also include coursework in political thought and public affairs.
Chief among its many unique features, the MA will kick off each July with a nine-credit hour month of study at University of Oxford. Students will live and dine in the housing of Corpus Christi College, founded in 1517, and classes will be held at the Rothermere American Institute, the largest center for the study of the United States outside of North America. Additionally, the month fill feature group excursions to such sites of historical interest as Blenheim Palace, Sulgrave Manor (ancestral homeland of George Washington), and the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool. During the fall and spring semesters, when MA candidates are required to be in residence at MU, students will take the remaining 21 credit hours of coursework for the degree. This will include an interdisciplinary seminar, discipline-specific work in the Departments of Political Science and History, an experiential professional development seminar, and nine hours of elective coursework across multiple departments at University of Missouri. Per approval of the degree director, students can also earn up to three hours of course credit by arranging an internship or work placement position at an institution or organization that aligns with the MA's scholarly focus.
The Kinder Institute, College of Arts & Science, and School of Law also offers a joint MA/JD, through which candidates complete requirements for both degrees.
Founded in 2014, the Kinder Institute is a signature academic center at University of Missouri which engages students, faculty, and the community at large in study of and spirited dialogue about the complicated history and development of constitutional democracy both in the United States and around the globe. In addition to the MA, the Kinder Institute supports Ph.D. and postdoctoral fellowships in History and Political Science, a monograph series with University of Missouri Press, a robust series of academic colloquia and scholarly conferences, and a wide variety of undergraduate programs, including a BA in Constitutional Democracy.
Kinder Institute Director, Professor J. Dyer**
Kinder Institute Associate Director, Professor J. Pasley**
Kinder Institute Endowed Chair, Professor J. Sexton**
Professor J. Dow**, R. Fletcher**
Associate Professor T. Bennett**, C. Conklin**
Assistant Professor J. Ikuta*, A. Zuercher Reichardt*
Senior Faculty Fellow A. Gibson*
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Graduate Faculty Member - membership is required to teach graduate-level courses, chair master's thesis committees, and serve on doctoral examination and dissertation committees.
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Doctoral Faculty Member - membership is required to chair doctoral examination or dissertation committees. Graduate faculty membership is a prerequisite for Doctoral faculty membership.
For an undergraduate degree program offered within the Kinder Institute please see the BA in Constitutional Democracy. The catalog provides a complete list of degree program options.