Skip to main content
Panoramic collage of university campus architecture

BA (Hons) American Studies

Northumbria University Newcastle, United Kingdom
See University Details Apply with BHE UNI
Save

Course Overview

American Studies is the perfect course if you want to learn more about the history, literature, politics, film, art, and popular culture of the United States. Whether your interests lie in the Civil War or the War on Terror, Walt Whitman or Walt Disney, this course will help you to develop your critical and imaginative skills in the context of the American experience and its global significance. If you want to gain an in-depth understanding of US society and how it has come to exert such a powerful influence on the modern world, Northumbria is the university for you. We have one of the largest concentrations of US specialists working outside North America. We also offer opportunities to spend a semester or a whole year at one of our partner institutions located throughout the US, from New York to California. The cornerstones of American Studies are History and English, meaning our graduates have excellent employment prospects similar to students from those disciplines. Possible careers after successful completion of the course include journalism, publishing, teaching, and government service.

General Eligibility

120 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Part Time Work Details

20 Hours of Work permit weekly for international students.

What You'll Study

1 Year 1

  • Introduction to American Studies (Core)

  • Contemporary America (Core)

  • Representing the US: From Slavery to Terrorism (Core)

  • Concepts in Criticism and Culture (Core)

  • From Sea to Shining Sea: US History from 1776 to 2008 (Core)

  • Making History (Core)

  • Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only)

2 Year 2

  • Humanities Study Abroad (Optional)

  • American Studies Extended Essay (Core)

  • The American West (Core)

  • Literature and Identity (Optional)

  • Tragedy (Optional)

  • Literature and Adaptation (Optional)

  • Slavery, Sectionalism and Manifest Destiny (Optional)

  • Your Graduate Future (Optional)

  • At Home in America: Society, Politics and Environment in the Home, 1860 to the present (Optional)

  • Dictatorship and Development: Central America, 1912-1996 (Optional)

  • History/Film: Using Popular Film as Historical Evidence (Optional)

  • Field Notes: Politics and Policy Making in Place (Optional)

  • Foreign Policy Analysis (Optional)

  • Unilang - Languages for all - Level 5 Placeholder (Optional)

  • Cultural Identities on Screen (Optional)

  • Academic Language Skills for Humanities and Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only)

3 Year 3

  • Humanities Work Placement Year (Optional)

  • Humanities Study Abroad Year (Optional)

  • Year in International Business (This is made up of modules studied in Newcastle (Semester 1) & Amsterdam (Semester 2) (Optional)

  • Year in International Multidisciplinary Innovation (4 modules studied in Amsterdam (Semester 1) & Newcastle (Semester 2) (Optional)

4 Year 4

  • Dissertation (Core)

  • States of Nature: Environments and Peoples in the Americas (Core)

  • Vamps and Virgins: Gothic Sexualities (Optional)

  • The Black Atlantic: Literature, Slavery and Race (Optional)

  • Twenty First Century Literature: Writing in the Present (Optional)

  • The African American Freedom Struggle Since 1945 (Optional)

  • The Black Panther Party (Optional)

  • Law and Order USA: Police, Prisons, and Protest in Modern America (Optional)

  • Nicaragua in Revolution, 1979-1990 (Optional)

  • Creatures of Empire: an Animal History of British Colonialism (Optional)

  • Politics of Oil and Global Warming (Optional)

  • Popular Music on Film and Television (Optional)

  • Cult Film and Television (Optional)

  • Adaptations on Film and TV (Optional)

  • The Modern Horror Film (Optional)

  • Academic Language Skills for Humanities & Social Sciences (Core – for International and EU students only)

Language Requirement

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

Similar Courses

Other programmes you might be interested in.

Undergraduate

BA Language and/with Management ( Part-Time )

Birkbeck University of London · £ 6935, £10710
Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Education - Top Up

London South Bank University · £9,250
Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Education Studies

Bishop Grosseteste University · £9,250

Ready to get started?

For any enquiries or further details, please don't hesitate to contact us. Let's take the next step in your academic journey together.

Contact Us
Call
WhatsApp
Email