Transcript Part one - Discover American Studies

What is
American
Studies?
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
What is
American Studies?
American Studies explores
the United States through its
history, diverse cultures and
global role
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
What is
American Studies?
American Studies is different
to many other degree courses
because it combines a
number of subjects including:
History, Literature and
Politics
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
American Studies
offers you choice
You can focus on the
subjects you know and love
or broaden your horizons
and find new areas to
explore
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
American Studies
offers you choice
You can study subjects together:
History and Literature
Foreign Policy and Film
Politics and International
Relations
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
American Studies
offers you choice
Depending on the route you
choose to take within your
degree you could study a
combination of the following
subjects …
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
Music
Geography
Religion
Foreign Policy
Visual Arts
History
Politics
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Culture
Literature
Film
What is American Studies?
What will
you study?
You might study the American
political system whilst taking a
course on jazz, explore Native
American History or analyse
early Hollywood cinema – or
even all of these together!
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
What will
you study?
A broad range of topics – like the
1950s – or topics such as the
African American experience or
the US media
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What is American Studies?
Here are some of
the modules you
might study…
American Crime Fiction
US Foreign Policy and Terrorism
The Civil Rights Movement
Slavery and Freedom and …
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
Here are some of
the modules you
might study…
American Musicals
The CIA and International History
The Blues
Women in American Society
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What is American Studies?
Make
connections
As well as drawing on a range
of subjects, American Studies
is also interdisciplinary,
which simply means that it
seeks to make connections
between subjects
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What is American Studies?
For
example
You might study the Vietnam
war in a Foreign Policy module
but you can also investigate
how it is represented in Film
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What is American Studies?
Or
You might learn about The
American Civil War in a
history module and study it
through poetry and fiction
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
You choose the
direction your
studies take
This allows you to build
connections between
different subjects
Increasing the scope of your
knowledge
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
You choose the
direction your
studies take
It provides you with original
lines of enquiry
So you can follow your own
path
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
So
remember…
“It's not what you look at that
matters, it's what you see”
Henry David Thoreau, American author and philosopher
“Nothing great was ever
achieved without enthusiasm”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author and philosopher
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What is American Studies?
Quick
quiz
How much do you already
know about the USA?
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What is American Studies?
Quick
quiz
Which is the largest state in the
US?
A. Texas
B. Alaska
C. California
Answer: B. Alaska
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What is American Studies?
Quick
quiz
Which of the following is NOT a
real museum in the US?
A. The shark tooth museum
B. The museum of death
C. The hamburger hall of fame
Answer: A. The shark tooth museum
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
Quick
quiz
When did America declare its
independence from Britain?
A. 1492
B. 1776
C. 1914
Answer: B. 1776
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What is American Studies?
Quick
quiz
The classic American novel Moby Dick
tells the story of a hunt for what?
A. a bear
B. a criminal
C. a whale
Answer: C. a whale
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What is American Studies?
Why study
America?
(click image to
start movie
clip)
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
Why study
America?
Because its study is exciting
and relevant and will help you
develop a broad range of skills
And it opens up wide
employment prospects
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
Why study
America?
Because of its cultural richness
and diversity
Because of its power and
influence
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
Because of its
cultural diversity
Its many vital, exciting and
complex cultures draw on
such traditions as the African
American, Asian American,
Hispanic, European and Native
American traditions
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What is American Studies?
Because of its
powerful influence
America is often described as the
only remaining “superpower” in
the world. After the end of the
Cold War, America emerged as
the most powerful nation in the
world because of its economic and
military strength
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What is American Studies?
Because of its
powerful influence
And the culture of the United
States – its art, literature, TV, film
and music – has a huge impact
around the world.
These attract large international
audiences and often influence the
cultures of other nations
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What is American Studies?
Because of its
powerful influence
Whether you believe this is a good
or bad thing it is vital to
investigate and understand the
cultural, economic and military
power of the United States and its
effects on the rest of the world
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What is American Studies?
Because of
its history
In its short history the United
States has been shaped by:
mass immigration
civil war
revolution
imperial
ambitions
colonisation
democracy
slavery
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What is American Studies?
Because of
its history
All of these are not issues that
belong to the past, they are
crucial to understanding the
modern world we live in
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What is American Studies?
Because it raises
global issues
So American Studies gives you
insight into topics and ideas
that are interesting and
relevant
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
But what can an
American Studies
degree do for you?
vital skills
excellent career prospects
the opportunity to study
abroad
a global outlook and cultural
awareness
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What is American Studies?
What kind of job
can you get?
The broad range of skills
gained by taking American
Studies means you have many
different employment options
when you complete your
degree
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What is American Studies?
What kind of job
can you get?
Here are just some of the
most popular careers and
professions that American
Studies graduates take up…
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
What kind of job
can you get?
Film and TV Production •
Education • Politics • Sales •
Journalism • Media • Research •
Publishing • Public Relations •
Business Administration •
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?
What kind of job
can you get?
Marketing • Museum work •
Human Resources • Archival
History • Corporate
Communications…
…and many more
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What is American Studies?
“Do not go where
the path may lead,
go instead where
there is no path and
leave a trail”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author and philosopher
©Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
What is American Studies?