Course overview
These courses provide you with the opportunity to study the literature, history, politics, music, visual arts and popular culture (notably film and television) of the United States and Canada. The analytical and research skills you develop will help you to gain in-depth knowledge of major literary theories, political ideas and historical debates as they relate to a North American context.
This degree will give you greater insights into North American society and culture, and you will also prove you are resourceful, independent and can adapt to new situations.
Year one
You are introduced to the basic themes and events of American history and the key authors and texts of American literature, as well as Canadian literature, film and culture. These introductory modules provide the foundation upon which the programme will subsequently build. You will learn and practise technical and academic skills, developing your abilities in research, writing and argumentation.
Year two
In addition to core modules in American thought and culture, which develop themes covered in the first year, you can choose from a range of specialised modules that will allow you to study certain periods, events, authors or texts in more depth. You will also be given the opportunity to select modules from other schools.
Year three
You will attend a major North American university for an academic year, and will be required to take modules in American studies as well as choosing from a wide range of alternative modules. During this year you will also begin research for your dissertation which will be completed in your final year.
Year four
You will continue and extend the process of specialisation you began in year two. You will write a dissertation on a subject of your choice, supervised by staff, and you will choose from a range of advanced-level modules in North American history, literature, culture and film, led by staff who are active researchers in these areas.
Entry requirements
A-levels: AAB, must include essay-based subject. We do not accept general studies or critical thinking.
English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
TOEFL iBT 100 (no less than 21 in listening and writing, 22 in reading and 23 in speaking)
Alternative qualifications
For details please see the alternative qualifications page
Modules
The modules we offer are inspired by the research interests of our staff and as a result, may change from year to year. The following list is therefore subject to change but should give you a flavour of the modules we offer.
Typical year-one modules
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American History 1: 1607-1900
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American Literature 1: American Literature to 1900
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Canadian Literature, Film and Culture
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Approaches to American Culture
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American History 2: 1900-Present Day
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American Literature 2: 1900-Present Day
Typical year-two modules
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American Thought and Culture 1: Settlement to World War 1
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American Thought and Culture 2: 1917-Present
Typical year-three modules
You will attend a major North American university for an academic year, and will be required to take modules in American studies, along with a choice from a wide range of alternative modules.
Please see the Department of American and Canadian Studies study abroad page.
Typical year-four modules
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Dissertation in American and Canadian Studies
Typical optional modules
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North American Film Adaptations
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The CIA and US Foreign Policy, 1945-2008
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African-American History from Slavery to the Second World War
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American Culture in the 1960s
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The Contemporary American Novel
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Policing the City and the Frontier
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The Civil War and its Origins 1850-1865
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American Labor History
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Contemporary Canadian Literature
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Women in American History, 1920 to the Present
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History of the Civil Rights Movement
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Popular Music Cultures and Countercultures
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Hollywood and Crime
Skills and careers
Among the major intellectual benefits of this degree will be your ability to interpret, analyse and evaluate evidence across a wide variety of materials. You will also gain additional research, written and oral communication and presentational skills.
Average starting salary
The average starting salary for 2009/10 full-time graduates of the Department of American and Canadian Studies was £18,562.*
*Average starting salary from known destinations of first-degree leavers who studied full-time, 2009/10.