Core Subjects

History

In addition to the comprehensive foundation survey of American History in the First Year you will explore key themes such as Westward Expansion, African American History and have the opportunity to pursue a rigorous study of an exciting sub-field of American History such as Women’s History, Foreign Policy or Vietnam.

Literature

Modules offered in American Literature emphasise the degree to which literary themes and genres relate to other areas of American Culture. The Literature modules in the first two years deal with the development of American writing from Puritan origins to modern struggles for personal and ethnic identity. Specialist courses include American Autobiography, American Poetry, Contemporary American Fiction and American Literary Adaptations.

Politics

The Politics foundation course reveals the distinctive way in which Americans have thought about their political institutions and practices, including such key areas as the Constitution and Congress. Specialist modules in the Final Year investigate American Foreign Policy and The Presidency.

Film and Visual Culture

As well as introducing the study of film, painting and photography on the multidisciplinary modules 'The West' and 'The City', all students take a module in American Film and Visual Culture in the second year. In this module you will examine the institutional history of Hollywood, the style and nature of the films it produced, and the wider contexts of visual culture in the United States. Optional modules dealing with film currently include 1950s and 1960s American Culture, American Filmmakers and the Studio System, Hollywood and Melodrama and Postmodern Genres