©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area StudiesWhat is American Studies?

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What is American Studies?

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What is American Studies?

American Studies explores the United States through its history, diverse cultures and global role

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What is American Studies?

American Studies is different to many other degree courses because it combines a number of subjects including: History, Literature and Politics

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

American Studies offers you choiceYou can focus on the subjects you know and love or broaden your horizons and find new areas to explore

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

American Studies offers you choiceYou can study subjects together: History and LiteratureForeign Policy and FilmPolitics and International Relations

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

American Studies offers you choiceDepending on the route you choose to take within your degree you could study a combination of the following subjects …

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

History Literature

Culture

FilmPolitics

Music

Visual Arts

Foreign PolicyGeography

Religion

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What will you study?

You might study the American political system whilst taking a course on jazz, explore Native American History or analyse early Hollywood cinema – or even all of these together!

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What will you study?

A broad range of topics – like the 1950s – or topics such as the African American experience or the US media

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

American Crime FictionUS Foreign Policy and TerrorismThe Civil Rights Movement Slavery and Freedom and …

Here are some of the modules you might study…

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

American MusicalsThe CIA and International HistoryThe BluesWomen in American Society

Here are some of the modules you might study…

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Make connections

As well as drawing on a range of subjects, American Studies is also interdisciplinary, which simply means that it seeks to make connections between subjects

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

For exampleYou might study the Vietnam war in a Foreign Policy module but you can also investigate how it is represented in Film

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Or

You might learn about The American Civil War in a history module and study it through poetry and fiction

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

You choose the direction your

studies takeThis allows you to build connections between different subjectsIncreasing the scope of your knowledge

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

It provides you with original lines of enquirySo you can follow your own path

You choose the direction your

studies take

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

So remember…

“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see”

Henry David Thoreau, American author and philosopher

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author and philosopher

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Quickquiz

How much do you already know about the USA?

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Quickquiz

Which is the largest state in the US?A. TexasB. AlaskaC. California

Answer: B. Alaska

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Quickquiz

Which of the following is NOT a real museum in the US?A. The shark tooth museum

B. The museum of deathC. The hamburger hall of fame

Answer: A. The shark tooth museum

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Quickquiz

When did America declare its independence from Britain?A. 1492B. 1776C. 1914

Answer: B. 1776

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

QuickquizThe classic American novel Moby Dick tells the story of a hunt for what?A. a bearB. a criminalC. a whale

Answer: C. a whale

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Why study America?

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What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Why study America?

Because its study is exciting and relevant and will help you develop a broad range of skillsAnd it opens up wide employment prospects

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Why study America?

Because of its cultural richness and diversityBecause of its power and influence

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Because of its cultural diversity

Its many vital, exciting and complex cultures draw on such traditions as the African American, Asian American, Hispanic, European and Native American traditions

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Because of its powerful influence

America is often described as the only remaining “superpower” in the world. After the end of the Cold War, America emerged as the most powerful nation in the world because of its economic and military strength

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Because of its powerful influence

And the culture of the United States – its art, literature, TV, film and music – has a huge impact around the world. These attract large international audiences and often influence the cultures of other nations

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Because of its powerful influence

Whether you believe this is a good or bad thing it is vital to investigate and understand the cultural, economic and military power of the United States and its effects on the rest of the world

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Because of its history

In its short history the United States has been shaped by:mass immigrationrevolutioncolonisationslavery

civil warimperial ambitionsdemocracy

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Because of its history

All of these are not issues that belong to the past, they are crucial to understanding the modern world we live in

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Because it raises global

issuesSo American Studies gives you insight into topics and ideas that are interesting and relevant

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

But what can an American Studies degree do for you?vital skillsexcellent career prospects the opportunity to study abroada global outlook and cultural awareness

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What kind of job can you

get?The broad range of skills gained by taking American Studies means you have many different employment options when you complete your degree

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What kind of job can you

get?Here are just some of the most popular careers and professions that American Studies graduates take up…

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What kind of job can you

get?Film and TV Production • Education • Politics • Sales • Journalism • Media • Research • Publishing • Public Relations • Business Administration •

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

What kind of job can you

get?Marketing • Museum work • Human Resources • Archival History • Corporate Communications…

…and many more

What is American Studies?©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author and philosopher