BA (Hons) American Studies

This American Studies course offers an opportunity to study at an American partner institution as part of the University's American Exchange scheme and also a fieldtrip to the USA.

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BA (Hons) American Studies at University of Winchester

American Studies at Winchester aims to provide a broad understanding of American culture by bringing literary, historical, geographical and other perspectives to bear upon a wide range of materials including books, film, TV, music, popular culture and the Internet.

Fact File

SINGLE/COMBINED HONOURS

UCAS codes: T700 BA/AS

Typical offer: 280-320 points

International Baccalaureate:
26 points

Degree duration:
3 years full-time 6 years part-time

If English is not your first language:
IELTS 6.0 (including 6.0 in writing) or a TOEFL iBT score of 87 or equivalent

Course Enquiries and Applications

Telephone: +44 (0) 1962 827234
Email: course.enquiries@winchester.ac.uk

For Combined Honours UCAS codes and entry requirements

Programme Content

The programme is composed of modules which are typically organised around a theme, for instance the Presidency, African-American, Hollywood and the phenomenon of Sex and the City. In such modules, ideas and theories about aspects of America in terms of ethnic and racial identity and cultural products such as books, films, TV, music and physical artefacts are explored.

Study in Year 1 introduces students to the core ideas, such as American national character and the opportunities and challenges of modern multicultural America. The growing focus in Year 2 is cultural America, with a shift towards contemporary America in Year 3. There are some core modules but mostly students adopt the themes that are of the most interest to them by choosing from a range of modules.

Modules

Year 1
• Introduction to American Studies
• Transatlantic Narratives
• Americanisation
• American Genres

Year 2
• Researching American Culture
• American Science Fiction
• Southern Cultures
• American Presidency

Year 3
• Contemporary American Film
• American Conspiracy
• African-American Culture
• Sex and the City

Field Trip module (optional)
A 12-day intensive field trip to the USA is available in Year 2. The programme has visited Las Vegas, driven along Route 66 and hiked in the Mojave Desert.

American Exchange (optional)
During Year 2 there is the opportunity to spend the entire semester studying at an American university. Tuition fees are dealt with via the exchange but airfare, insurance, living costs and any other expenses are financed by the student.

Erasmus Exchange (optional)

There are Erasmus Exchange opportunities with Charles University in Prague and the Warsaw School of Social Psychology in Poland.

Careers

American Studies is an academic degree that can lead to a range of career opportunities as well as provide a firm grounding for postgraduate study or further training. Many students have gone on to work within business, retail, the creative industries, journalism, teaching and the public sector.

Combinations

BA (Hons) Creative Writing
BA (Hons) English Language Studies
BA (Hons) English
BA (Hons) Film Studies
BA (Hons) Journalism Studies
BA (Hons) Media Studies
BA (Hons) Politics and Global Studies

Combined Honours programmes enable you to study two subjects, jointly (50% / 50%) and it is possible to transfer to a Single Honours programme at the end of Year 1.