Course overview

American Studies and History at Portsmouth will enable you to study two complementary subjects in depth, combining an interest in European history and culture with an interest in the Americas.

This course is designed to develop critical awareness in relation to the development and current state of two different academic fields. The course incorporates a balance of compulsory units from both subject areas. It offers the opportunity to acquire a core body of knowledge from the disciplines of American Studies and History and also aims to foster your ability to work in an interdisciplinary context.

Why study at Portsmouth?

American Studies and History at the University of Portsmouth takes a pan-American, multi-disciplinary approach. This will enable you to acquire a substantial knowledge of North America, Latin America and Europe, through a range of disciplines including film, literature, politics, geography, economics and, of course, history.

On this course you will also have the opportunity to spend a period abroad at one of our link universities in the USA or Mexico. A further advantage of studying American Studies at Portsmouth is that you can study in a city university by the sea.

How do I apply?

All undergraduate applicants should apply through UCAS by 15 January each year. Late applicants should contact the Admissions Centre first for advice.

For further information and advice, please contact our Admissions Centre (details above). As the support base for all our students, the Admissions Centre is happy to help you with your enquiry, through to completion of application forms and offer.

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.

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). You can also view a virtual tour of the School.

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.  The History course will allow you to study European history which balances well with the global perspective of US and Latin American studies.

First year core units

In the first year you will study introductory units to the various disciplines that you will cover on the course. On the American side these core units include subjects such as North American History, Culture, Politics, Economy and Society in theAmericas. They will offer you a chance to acquire a coherent understanding of the Americas as a whole. On the History side you will follow courses in Historical Methods and Modern European Society. Optional courses include Belief, Culture and Popular Protest 1550 – 1750, Sport and the British Empire and Maritime Development and British Society.

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, cultural studies; history and politics; sociology, economics and geography. These include American Studies units such as 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. In the history strand, you might follow The First World War, Outlaws at Sea 1600-1850, US Government and Politics, Filming the Past or the History Workplace Experience.

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, including American Studies and History units:

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.

Historical Methods

In Historical Methods students are taught about important themes in historical study. The programme focuses on class, identity, fact, heritage, race and patriarchy. The course is designed to empower students so that they feel confident and capable dealing with big theoretical topics in history. Throughout the course we explore historical writing and thinking surrounding key issues giving students a window into historical debate and controversy.

Modern European Society 1870-1939

The course will introduce students to significant themes within European History and also engage in debate about the nature of historical study. The unit will analyse the key changes in European Society from the 1870’s focusing particularly on the emergence of ‘new’ Imperialism, the impact of the First World War and the rise of Communism and Fascism.

Society in Early Modern Europe 1450-1600

Analysing and assessing the change in Europe from a ‘medieval’ to a more modern ‘entity’, this unit examines European Society and Change 1450-1520, Religion, Revolt and Society 1520-1600 and European Expansion between 1520-1600.

Sex, Lies and Venality: The Old Regime in France

An option for first-year students exploring the turbulent politics of France in the eighteenth century. Students examine the heritage of the rule of the ‘Sun King’, and the use of sexuality as one strategy amongst many in the pursuit of power. Also explored are the competing discourses of Enlightenment and religion in the quest for the hearts and minds of the pre-revolutionary French.

Race and Immigration in 20th Century Britain

This unit will explore the history of race and immigration in 20th Century Britain. In particular, it will consider the ways in which new immigrants and racial minorities were received by the host community. Whilst attention will be given to a range of diverse immigrant communities, special focus will be placed on Jewish immigration between 1900 and 1939 and Black immigration before, during and after the Second World War. As well as looking at immigrant experiences, the unit will explore the ways in which ideas of race developed during the twentieth century and assess how these ideas impacted on immigrants and minorities in Britain.

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 modernUnited Statesthrough 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.

Colonialism and End of Empire in Black Africa

This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of the nature of European colonial involvement in West Africa with particular reference to France, and to compare the French approach to colonial administration with the British approach, to examine the impact of European colonial rule on indigenous developments and African nationalist movements in the process of decolonisation in West Africa, to analyse the relative importance of domestic policy, international developments and African nationalist movements in the process of decolonisation in West Africa and to encourage students to use a wide range of source material in order to enhance their understanding of the nature of colonialism.

Comparing Extreme Right Parties and Movements in the Enlarged Europe

This unit aims to provide students with an insight into comparative method in social sciences and accordingly develop students’ skills in this field, to enable students to understand a variety of core concepts and evaluate their relative usefulness using a series of case studies and to contribute to students global citizenship by encouraging them to evaluate critically some core issues faced by European democracies today.

Conflict and Disaster

This unit seeks to analyse, explore and account for varying institutional responses to major issues of conflict and disaster. The primary aims of the unit are to establish the place of international institutions and regimes in the management of conflicts, crises and disasters; to consider, examine and evaluate their effectiveness to do so; and to explore and analyse why intervention occurs and to what ends and costs.

European Union History 1945-2005

European Union History 1945-2005 covers major events and influential actors in the process of European integration over the last 60 years. It has two conceptual sessions on theoretical approaches to understanding integration and historiographical debates. These are followed by 4 sessions on major treaty negotiations and revisions, 3 sessions on the role of internal and external 'federators' like the UK and the US, and 3 sessions on non-governmental actors in integration like business and political parties.

Year 3

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 inMexico), 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.

The Devil’s Decade: British Society in the 1930s

The 1930s has attracted historians' attention almost as soon as the decade was over. In the immediate post war period, contemporaries and historians viewed the period with distain vowing that welfare reforms would ensure that there would never be a return to the "Devil’s Decade". More recently this traditional perspective has been challenged by revisionist historians who have challenged the pessimistic view of the 1930s. The strand explores contested visions of the 1930s, a period of dramatic social change inBritain. Regional economic depression and industrial boom coincided with an increasing political unrest that questioned the long-term future of capitalism and liberal democracy. These developments coincided with the rapid rise of the mass consumption of leisure, a phenomenon which was thought to undermine the people's engagement with democracy.

The European Witch-Hunt, c.1450- 1750

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, over 100,000 people perished in what has become known as “the European Witch-Hunt‟. The aim of this Special Subject is to introduce students to the cultural, intellectual, political and social factors that brought about the persecution. Throughout the unit, the following themes will be explored: The legal background and geographical patterns of witch-hunting in Germany, France, England and Scotland. Witch-trials, religion and demonic possession. Witch-trials and Puritan culture in North America. The decline of witch-hunting and witch-beliefs.

Gender, War and Social Change

From the 1980s historians have increasingly argued for a "gender history" approach encompassing the experiences of both women and men. The intention of this strand of the special subject is to undertake a detailed analysis of gender relations in twentieth century Britain, with particular emphasis on the impact of the two world wars.

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 University of Portsmouth will involve both lectures and seminars. Most of our seminar teaching is 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.

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 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 in 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
• 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 cafeteria.

All the teaching for language courses takes place in this building. You will also have access to the University Library, which has recently had an £11 million extension added to it, 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 and History for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).