Course summary

Our three-year American Studies degree is very attractive to those wanting to develop a deep understanding of the US, both at home and around the world. You have the option of one semester of immersive study in North America. The course enables you to think in interdisciplinary ways about the United States, including its extensive forms of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ power. This course encourages you to integrate a variety of methods and approaches, allowing you to develop critical and contextual thinking. As you progress, you will have the choice to concentrate more on one approach: you might focus on historical topics – and we employ one of the largest groups of American historians in the UK, offering classes from the beginning of European colonization to the contemporary period – or you might decide to concentrate more on American literary and cultural studies. At Manchester, we train our students to be attentive to the counter currents of US history, society and literature, and many of our course emphasize the themes of race, capitalism, sexuality, the cultures of labour, political protest, environmental crises and questions of governance. You will learn how to analyse a wide range of texts and materials, including historical documents, literary works, social media communication, films, manuscripts, political rhetoric, marketing campaigns and popular music. Having developed these interpretive skills, you will develop an advanced grasp of theories of change (and continuity) in a nation that continues to exert considerable influence over international politics, culture, and economics.