Course overview

How do we find meaning in the events of September 11th? Hollywood and the American Dream: the Americanisation of popular culture or cultural imperialism? The US economic blockade of Cuba: promoting or subverting democracy? What do the presidential aspirations of Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama tell us about race, class and gender in the United States? What was the significance of the extradition proceedings against General Pinochet of Chile? What are the global implications of the political and economic crises in Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil? What does the new Mexican cinema tell us about contemporary Mexico? Why are the novels of Gabriel Garcia Màrquez and the poetry of Pablo Neruda worth reading?

All of these are reasons to be curious about the Americas, their nation-states and peoples, and their diverse cultures. If you wish to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the wider American geographic area, with its shared past and present, American Studies at the University of Portsmouth will be for you.

You should take pleasure from approaching a subject or an issue from different perspectives. This might mean viewing a range of films to see what they tell us about US or Latin American societies. It might involve following coverage of current political events or economic developments in newspapers and magazines. A visit to the shopping mall or McDonalds can provide evidence of Americanisation in our social and cultural landscape, which you will learn to view from a critical perspective.

Placements

Students on this programme are eligible to apply for an internship through the Brockport Washington Intern Program, offering work experience and learning opportunities in the heart of the American political process. For more information contact Lee Sartain.

An optional period abroad in the USA or Mexico is available in year three.

This course also allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies.  The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.

Further information

For further details on all courses offered by the School, visit the website of the School of Languages and Area Studies (SLAS). If you are interested in this course and would like further information please contact us (details above). 

Course content

American Studies at Portsmouth is Pan-American in its approach and will require you to think critically about the Americas as a region rather than narrowly focus on the United States. The combination of core units and a wide range of options provide opportunities for you to learn about North America, Central America and South America through their literature, film, politics, history, sociology, geography and economics. Your programme will be made up of core and optional elements with an opportunity to specialise in either North or Latin America (or combine both!) as the course progresses.

First year core units

In the first year you will study introductory units to the various disciplines that you will cover on the course. These core units in subjects such as North American History, Culture and Society, and Politics and Economy in the Americas will offer you a chance to acquire a coherent understanding of the Americas as a whole.

Second and third year

In the second and third years of study there will be a range of options that will allow you to pursue your own particular interests. Options may vary from year to year but are likely to include units on literature and cultural studies; history and politics; sociology, economics and geography. These include Civil Rights USA, US Foreign Policy, Race and Slavery, Transitional Justice and Human Rights in Latin America, African American History and Culture, Colonial Latin America, American Civil War or The Latin American City.

Through the course, you will have an opportunity to study in-depth critical and theoretical approaches to a wide range of subjects. A large part of the final year is given over to the preparation of a dissertation, which is a major piece of independent work on a topic of your own choice (eg. the impact of the Vietnam war on US foreign policy, women in the Black Power movement, etc).

An attractive feature of the course at Portsmouth is that students can develop their language skills ab initio, from GCSE or post-A Level. Optional language units offered include Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Here are outlines of some of the course units to give you a flavour of the kinds of things you may study, depending on the options you choose:

Year 1

Introduction to North American History

This course covers the history of North America and the United States from the first English settlements in the early-seventeenth century to the present day. The course focuses on aspects of cultural, social, political, economic, and religious history. Topics covered include the American Revolution, Slavery, Civil War, Reconstruction, racial segregation, early-American imperialism, the New Deal, the Civil Rights Movement, and the rise of the New Right.

Politics and Economics in the Americas

This course provides students with a hands-on introduction to the socio-economic reality of the region. Using a variety of case studies and media related sources drawn from across the region (Canada, the US, Mexico, Honduras, Argentina and Guatemala) students encounter a variety of economic tools embedded in real life examples. The problem is - as in the real world - making optimal decisions when information is at a premium.

Culture and Society in the Americas

This unit provides students with a framework of appreciating United States and Latin American issues through cultural expression which is how most people relate to historical and political forces in society.  Topics covered include the Frontier in American and Latin American History, Sport and Society, Music and Protest, Conspiracy Culture, Art and Landscape, and television.

Year 2

Race and Slavery in the Americas

This course examines the history of race and slavery in the Americas in comparative perspective from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth century. Focusing on the United States, the Caribbean, and Brazil, the course explores topics including the origins and development of American slave societies, slave culture, resistance, and emancipation, and how slavery is portrayed in various countries.

US Foreign Policy

This unit examines the rise of the United States as a superpower from 1898 up to the present.  Major issues covered include early imperialist impulses, the world wars, American isolationism, the Cold War, the Vietnam conflict, post-Cold War policy, and the War on Terror.  Case studies are undertaken such as human rights and foreign policy, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

American Civil War

This unit examines the making of a modern United States through the civil war of 1861–65 and the reconstruction of the nation.  Topics covered will include Reconstruction during and after the civil war, neo-slavery, and the rise of American capitalism.

US Politics

This unit relates to the American political system and relates it to contemporary issues in the US. American institutions are examined, such as the presidency, Congress, and political parties, and related to contentious issues in US society, such as healthcare, the media, abortion, and the death penalty.

Final year

The Civil Rights Movement in the USA

This unit explores the African American rights movement during the twentieth century from Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King to the election of Barack Obama in 2008. The unit will also explore the impact the movement has had on other rights movements in the US such as women's rights, gay rights, indigenous rights and Hispanic rights.

Transitional Justice and Human Rights in Latin America

Latin America has both embraced and rejected neo-liberalism, the dominant development paradigm advocated by the international financial institutions. This course seeks to explain why by analysing recent events - whether it be economic collapse (Argentina), the expansion of drug trafficking (Colombia), a political impasse (the Fox administration in Mexico), the destitution - and rapid return - of a President (Venezuela) or extensive street protests (Bolivia). Given the contemporary nature of the course, the lecture programme changes from year to year.

African American History and Culture

The course sets out to analyse African American civil rights protest in the twentieth century through a cultural analysis. This will go beyond traditional civil rights history programmes to examine black literature, music, sport, poetry, comedy, and religion as being central to cultural protest. Areas studied will cover the Harlem Renaissance, black music (jazz, spirituals, blues, rap), radio, television and cinema representation, and the rhetoric of rights in black religion and politics and the movement in popular memory.

Teaching and assessment

We provide a varied, creative and stimulating learning environment. Our aim is to enable you to become an independent thinker equipped with skills that will continue to influence your experiences beyond your time at university.

Your courses at the University of Portsmouth will involve lectures, seminars and workshops. Most of our seminar teaching and workshops are undertaken in small groups so that students acquire skills and confidence in their analytical skills and are encouraged to ask questions and develop arguments and debates. Students are encouraged to work in small teams analysing primary documents and debating contemporary issues so that all students learn from a range of opinions and interpretations and increase their academic abilities in a genial environment. Emphasis is also placed not just on what the student can take from the seminar but what they can bring to the experience and how they interact and learn from their peers.  Workshops are undertaken to develop student skills through small groups and usually relate to specific assessments across the units.

We use continuous assessment on our degree programmes. The assessment methods are varied, incorporating some formal examinations but with a main focus on assessments through case studies, projects (including using internet and digital resources), presentations, book reviews and creative writing assignments. The focus is to encourage enthusiastic learners by having engaging and challenging assignments that will develop important academic and life skills.

Our staff are highly motivated and research active, ensuring that you are taught by enthusiastic specialists in their subjects.

Career prospects

Our students have the opportunity to study abroad during their final year, either in the United States or Mexico, or to undertake an internship in Washington DC where they can develop their personal as well as professional skills. Often opportunities open up to students when abroad that they would not otherwise have imagined.

Your time at University of Portsmouth will help you to develop a wide range of skills in analysis, criticism and argument. Students on these programmes often have a worldview and study experience abroad, which makes them flexible and adaptable and highly employable. During your course, you will have the opportunity to develop a range of capabilities that are valued by prospective employers. You will have many opportunities to develop transferable key skills such as communication, research, time management, team working and problem solving. These transferable skills are used in a wide range of career opportunities across the private, public and voluntary sectors. Allied with intellectual and academic development, these skills will provide a sound preparation for the world of work or further study.

Facilities and features

The School is located in Park Building, just behind the Guildhall in the centre of the city. Park Building houses two very large modern lecture theatres, a number of smaller lecture theatres and seminar rooms, three computer suites, three language laboratories, the Learning Resources Centre and a café. All the teaching for language courses takes place in this building. You will also have access to the University Library, which has recently undergone an £11 million extension, housing more study rooms, IT spaces, a new café and space for an extra 60,000 volumes. For more details about the School of Languages and Area Studies and its facilities, visit www.port.ac.uk/slas.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) American Studies for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).