“By creating we think, by living we learn” Patrick Geddes
Whether we like it or not, America leads the way in the globalisation process and there is considerable merit in knowing more about the structures shaping the environment in which we will live and work in the 21st century.
Our aim is to provide a holistic approach to the study of the culture and society of America with maximum flexibility of course choices. Whatever your main interest – history, literature, geography, politics – you will have the opportunity to experience a broad-based range of options in American Studies. Each of the contributing departments is a leader in its field with many obtaining top ratings in research and in teaching in the recent RAE and QAA assessments. Our courses are created around the expertise of contributing scholars, most of whom have international recognition.
This international reputation is further enhanced by our being part of the Institute for Transatlantic, European and American Studies (ITEAS), which brings in speakers of international renown and hosts numerous events of significant social and political importance.
Our courses deal with the issues of importance to today's students such as gender issues, race and ethnic relations, economic and political conditions, as well as exploring the impact of popular culture (films, music, etc.) on the development of American society.
The choice of programme is yours. Below are some of the module titles and pathways you can take in American Studies. If you have questions or wish to speak with us, our contact details are on American Studies website.
We pride ourselves on the friendliness and activities of both staff and students through the very active American Studies Student Society which hosts trips, parties, balls, and weekly events throughout the academic year. The society also produces a student newsletter highlighting events and offers a forum for student expression. Visit their website.
Some courses have, as part of their class, trips to the United States, either New York City or a tour through the American South.
| Core: Changing World Order Since 1945 - AG12024 | Semester 2 | Credits 20 |
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| This module seeks to provide an understanding of the ways in which geographers, historians and political scientists work, and to offer a multidisciplinary study of world order since 1945. It will examine some of the major debates concerning the world order since 1945 with particular reference to the origins and impact of the Cold War and the dynamics of the post-Cold War international system. | ||
The two core American Studies modules have been designed primarily as an introduction to the Honours Programme in American Studies. The modules examine particular themes of the American experience utilising several disciplinary approaches. Student questionnaire returns suggest that the variety of topics and disciplines is the most enjoyable feature of this course.
| Core: The Shaping of Early America to 1877 - AM21001 | Semester 1 | Credits 20 |
|---|---|---|
| This module discusses the various elements that helped determine the shape of American society from geographical land patterns to settlement, political intrigue, and literary influence through to the American Civil War and end of Reconstruction in 1877. It provides a general historical context with input from geography, philosophy, and literature. | ||
| Core: The Development of Modern America from 1877 - AM22002 | Semester 2 | Credits 20 |
| This part of the course continues the saga of developing American society and culture by taking a close look at the social, political, and economic landscape of the United States. Race relations and political turmoil, along with the social problems, will be addressed through historical events, literary responses, and economic and political events. | ||
Study Abroad students may take level 3 & 4 modules, however, evidence of prior knowledge may be required in the form of transcripts. To find out more about this contact us.
| Core: Postwar American Society and its Critics - AM31001 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
|---|---|---|
| This is a core course, obligatory for all Level 3 students in American Studies. It is interdisciplinary, using historical and literary texts, film, video and music to examine the conflict between conformism and dissent. Topics include Civil Rights, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the Vietnam War, Gay Liberation and the Women's Movement. | ||
American Gothic Writing from Brockden Brown to Stephen King - EN42019 |
Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This course will introduce students to a range of American Gothic texts from the nineteenth century to the present day. It will develop the student's understanding of the genre of American Gothic writing as it develops and changes over a defined historical period. | ||
| American Literature - EN32001 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This course introduces students to key examples of fiction, poetry and didactic prose from the American Renaissance and subsequent decades. It will also acquaint students with current research in the field and build on students' work by initiating skills of literary analysis and independent thought. | ||
| American Modernist Poetry - EN42010 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This course will introduce students to the main currents in American modernist poetry, focusing on those movements and poets coming to prominence in the first two decades of the twentieth century as well as the trajectory of poetic careers from that period. | ||
| An Environmental History of the American West: Land, Water, Forest, Wilderness - GE32010 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This module will explore how, following the European settlement of the American West, the natural resources of land, water and forest were identified, documented and exploited. The understanding of the concept of wilderness is a crucial element in this understanding of land, water and forest. | ||
| Cultural and Historical Geographies of the United States - GE42011 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| The purpose of this module is to familiarise students with the rich tapestry of social groupings, places and processes to be found in the contemporary US. Workshops are designed to familiarise students with the projects they will be undertaking during a week long field trip in New York, thereby maximising 'active research time' in the field. | ||
| Crime and Detection in American Fiction - EN41015 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| This module examines a range of 19th and 20th century American fiction dealing with the themes of crime and detection. Students will study issues of race, gender, technological progress and urban living as they manifest themselves in crime fiction. | ||
| Early American History - HY32018 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This module examines the development of American society in the British North American colonies from their first settlement in 1607 to the era of the American Revolution. This module will focus on exploring the forces which were responsible for the transformation of Europeans into Americans. | ||
| From Wilderness to Borderland: The Early American Frontier 1615-1815 - HY41032 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| This module is being taught as early American historians redefine the very nature of the frontier. This gives students the option to explore for themselves the development of the early American frontier and to examine a range of different concepts and interpretations. | ||
| Governing the USA - PO31002 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| This course aims to examine how American federal government operates and considers the relationship between the different aspects of government. It also analyses a range of issues in contemporary American politics (including abortion, the death penalty, the election in 2004, War powers and civil rights). | ||
| Other Americas | ||
| This course introduces the factors affecting change and continuity in a consideration of ethnicity in contemporary American culture and demonstrates that such change can only be understood through interpretative discipline-based strategies. | ||
| Race and Region: the American South, 1865-1965 - HY32023 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| Race and Region traces the social, political, cultural and economic development of the South from the aftermath of the Civil War, through to the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. Central to the course will be the question of the meaning of being 'Southern'. There will be an opportunity to study a variety of sources, including music and film. | ||
| Scotland and the Americas, 1620-1865 - HY31005 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| This course explores the impact of Scotland on the New World, and the reciprocal effects in Scotland. Political, social, economic and cultural influences are considered, with an emphasis on emigration and trade as well as intellectual and religious significance. | ||
| Scots on the Move: A Century of Scottish Emigration, c. 1830-1930 - HY32008 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This course looks at demographic change in Scotland over the period between 1830 and 1930. This module will examine theories and explanations of population growth as well as population movement; why the Scots were so migratory within the borders of Scotland, and why so many Scots left their homeland. | ||
| Slavery and Society in the American ante-bellum South 1800-1865 - HY42029 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This course uses slave and ex-slave narratives, travel accounts, plantation records, political statements and personal diaries to offer an appraisal of slavery and society in the ante-bellum South, exploring issues of race, class and gender. It includes consideration of the back-country, urban areas and coastal regions, as well as plantation society. | ||
| The African American Freedom Struggle, 1890-1954 - HY41031 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| This module offers the opportunity to study African Americans' struggle to secure freedom from racial oppression in the years before Martin Luther King came to national prominence. It plots the many debates and divisions that existed within African American communities over how best to fight racism, and considers the importance of such leaders as Ida B. Wells, Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey in helping to establish the roots of the modern civil rights movement. | ||
| The Invasion of America: European - Native American Relations in North America to 1764 - HY41002 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| This course examines the developing relationship between settlers and Native Americans up to the end of 'Pontiac's War' in 1764, a period when there was a 'balance of power' which allowed each side to shape the development of the other. | ||
| Politics of Transatlantic Relations - PO32003 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
| This module examines the contemporary transatlantic alliance. Although it mainly focuses on security issues, it also considers the wider transatlantic relationship, including trade and environmental issues. | ||
| The USA and the International Political Economy Since 1945 - PO41007 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| The first section of this module will explore contrasting Marxist and Socialist theories of imperialism with the views of liberal and social democratic approaches to IPE. The second section will examine the role of the USA in the world economy from 1945 until 2002 and its bilateral relationship with Britain. | ||
| Urban Geography - GE32005 | Semester 2 | Credits 30 |
This course focuses on the dynamics of cities in the developed world and addresses a range of key questions about the shaping of urban environments and the experiences of urban living. |
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| US Foreign Policy since 1945 - PO41002 | Semester 1 | Credits 30 |
| This course will explain the formation and execution of US foreign policy since 1945. The course will end by analysing the challenges of the future and different interpretations of US foreign policy after the Cold War. | ||
| Dissertation | ||
|---|---|---|
| A dissertation is based upon independent research into a specialised topic, or a programme of directed individual study within a specialised subject area. Dissertation topics have ranged widely in recent years, including US Foreign Policy and the Spectre of Bolshevism, The Significance of the Forest in 'Twin Peaks', Poetry of the Beat Generation, Hollywood and History, Witchcraft in Old and New England. | ||
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