University of Manchester

BA in American Studies

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 units emphasise 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 You will learn how to analyse a wide range of texts and materials, including historical documents, literary works, social media communication, films, manuscripts, political rhetoric, marketing campaigns and popular music.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.

Special features

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through an optional placement year in your third year of study (making this a four year programme), enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks.

Teaching and learning

In Year 1 and 2, you will learn through a combination of lectures and seminars.

Lectures are used to sketch an outline of the major themes and questions, and often to underscore the wider significance certain topics have had in society or among scholars.

Seminars usually involve groups of around 10 to 15 students, enabling you to discuss in detail a body of reading, or to advance inquiry into a specific subject area. 

This will help you to hone your ability to express and defend your ideas.

To benefit from lectures and seminars, you will spend a significant amount of time preparing through reading, taking notes, preparing presentations, and drafting and writing essays.

On some units, students are also taught in regular tutorials, which may be used to discuss a draft of an essay or provide feedback on one already submitted. 

Several final-year course units are also taught through a weekly workshop model, in which students work collaboratively with each other on a research project, assignment, or presentation.

Your degree is completed by your final-year dissertation, which is undertaken under the supervision of a specialist, and will allow you to carry out independent research and produce an extended piece of writing.

Coursework and assessment

Our assessment methods for this course are designed to improve your ability to work and think independently, to express your ideas with clarity, and to allow you to produce imaginative and incisive interpretations of the subject.

We are keen for our students to learn to write for different audiences.

To do this you will produce varied written work, including essays, journals, gobbet responses and your final-year dissertation.

Most units are assessed through a combination of essays and final examinations.

American Studies modules also allow you to undertake more creative forms of assessment, such as producing visual essays, films, historical map-making, and short radio-style oral essays.

All modules encourage you to work collaboratively with other students.

Course content for year 1

Receive an introduction to the field of American Studies, the development of American literature, and US history from the period of colonisation to the end of the Cold War.  

You will also examine more recent social, political, and cultural issues, and be able to take an optional course unit of your choice.

Course content for year 2

Receive advanced training in interdisciplinary ways of working through a module on African-American history and culture, `From Jamestown to James Brown', and select from a range of units covering 20th-century US history, literature, film and politics. You can also apply to spend some of your second year abroad in the US.

Course content for year 3

Complete a long essay or dissertation on a subject of your choice under individual supervision.

You will also select five other course units from a range of specialised modules in American Studies.

A degree in American Studies from the University of Manchester provides you with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to embark on a successful, and rewarding career in the global workplace of the twenty-first century.

Over the past decade and far beyond our graduates have entered any number of fields, including the professions of teaching, law, accountancy, journalism, publishing, and even surveying. Many now occupy commanding roles in the 'creative industries', both in the UK and elsewhere.

On the Careers and employability page you can read more about how we are preparing students for the workplaces of tomorrow, and the role that a degree in American Studies has played in recent years in shaping the professional lives of many of our graduates.

We are looking for applicants who have the predicted A-level grades (or other qualifications) for the relevant degree programme and whose personal statement demonstrates an enthusiasm for the subject.