Full entry requirements

First Year

The course examines the history of America from independence to superpower, 1776 to the present. The major historical themes and events are studied. The literature modules deal with the classic texts of the American literary tradition and the achievements of more recent twentieth-century writers. The development of American government and political institutions is introduced and examined. A multidisciplinary module explores the American West using a variety of disciplinary approaches.

Second Year

Specialist modules examine the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States and broaden the range of disciplines.

Some core modules:

• Multicultural History and Literature
• American Film and Visual Culture
• Diplomatic History: American Foreign Policy
• The American City

Additionally, in the second semester, you choose a module, which may include:

• The History of American Slavery
• Domestic Revolutions: Women, Men and the Family in American History
• The Civil War and Reconstruction in American History and Memory
• The United States in the Progressive Era 1890-1920

The course examines the history of America from independence to superpower, 1776 to the present. The major historical themes and events are studied. The literature modules deal with the classic texts of the American literary tradition and the achievements of more recent twentieth-century writers. The development of American government and political institutions is introduced and examined. A seminar course explores themes on the American West.

Third Year

You will gain direct experience of life in the USA by spending a year at one of our partner universities:

• University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa)
• University of Arizona (Tucson)
• Arizona State University (Tempe)
• University of Calgary (Canada)
• California State University (Long Beach)
• Colorado State University (Fort Collins)
• University of Florida (Gainesville)
• George Mason University (Fairfax)
• University of Georgia (Athens)
• Hastings College (Nebraska)
• Illinois State University (Normal)
• James Madison University (Virginia)
• University of Kansas (Lawrence)
• Kent State University (Kent, Ohio)
• Le Moyne College (New York)
• Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge)
• University of Miami (Coral Gables)
• University of Mississippi (Oxford)
• State University of New York (Buffalo)
• University of North Carolina (Greensboro)
• North Central College (Naperville, Illinois)
• Oklahoma State University (Stillwater)
• Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Virginia)
• St John’s University, Queens (New York)
• San Diego State University (San Diego)
• University of Southern Maine (Portland)
• University of Texas (Arlington)
• University of Tulsa (Oklahoma)
• Utah State University (Logan)
• Willamette University (Oregon)
• University of Windsor (Ontario)

Modules are chosen from a range of approved options.

Fourth Year

You will complete the degree with two options in each semester, chosen from a wide range including:

• American Culture in the 1950s and 1960s
• Women in American Society
• US Foreign Policy after the Cold War
• Hollywood and Melodrama
• The Presidency of Franklin D Roosevelt
• The Civil Rights Movement
• Coming of Age in America
• Crime and Punishment in the US
• American Autobiography
• American Culture after 9/11
• The USA and Vietnam
• New York Fiction
• American Masculinities
• Modern American Poetry
• B Films and Serials
• Race and Slavery
• Science Fiction Cinema
• Conceptual Art and its Aftermath
• The Mexico-US Border
• Contemporary US Texts

You will also write a dissertation on the topic of your choice. Recent student dissertations have included:

• Nurses and Social Class in Civil War Virginia
• A Study of Horror Films since the Second World War

Contact

Admissions Secretary
Centre for American Studies
0116 252 2678 or 0116 252 5009
Fax: 0116 252 5213
amstudies@le.ac.uk
www.le.ac.uk/americanstudies/

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