American studies
Undergraduate study Entry 2013
Key facts
Admissions policy
Admissions information
provided in this pamphlet is
intended as a general guide and
cannot cover all possibilities.
Entry requirements are generally
stated in terms of A level grades
and/or UCAS points, but we
encourage applications from
people with a wide range of
other qualifications and/or
experience. Some further details
of the various entry routes are
included in our general
prospectus. Please contact the
Admissions Service (see below)
with any specific queries about
admissions.
Disclaimer
This publication is intended
principally as a guide for
prospective students. The
matters covered by it – academic
and otherwise – are subject to
change from time to time, both
before and after students are
admitted, and the information
contained in it does not form
part of any contract. While every
reasonable precaution was taken
in the production of this
brochure, the University does
not accept liability for any
inaccuracies.
Address
For general enquiries, please
write to
Admissions Service
University of Hull
Hull, HU6 7RX
T 01482 466100
F 01482 442290
E [email protected]
Picture credits
© Pierre Contant
© iStockphoto.com
© fotolia.com
Dates of semesters
Semester 1
30 Sep 2013 – 24 Jan 2014
Semester 2
3 Feb – 13 June 2014
Degree course
UCAS code
Single Honours
American Studies (4 years)
T701 BA/AS
American Studies (3 years)
T702 BA/AS3
English and American Literature and Culture
QT37 BA/EALC
Joint and major/minor Honours
American Studies with Creative Writing
T7W8 BA/ASCW
American Studies and English
TQ73 BA/ASE
American Studies and Film Studies
TP73 BA/ASFilm
American Studies and French
TR71 BA/ASF
American Studies and German
TR72 BA/ASG
American Studies and History
TV71 BA/ASH
American Studies and Italian
TR73 BA/ASI
American Studies and Philosophy
TV75 BA/ASP
American Studies and Spanish
TR74 BA/ASSp
Estimated places, entry 2013
55
Typical offer
Typical offers range from 280–320 UCAS points at A level. Applicants for
American Studies and French, German, Italian or Spanish require some
language qualifications. We also welcome applications from prospective
mature students and others with any other qualifications.
Contacts
Kay Nock
Admissions Coordinator
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The University of Hull
Hull, HU6 7RX
T 01482 466191
F 01482 466122
www.hull.ac.uk
Dr David Eldridge
Admissions Tutor
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
T 01482 465830
E [email protected]
American studies at Hull
Why would you not study America? American studies is not about
loving the USA but about making sense of this incomparable country,
its rich and rapid historical and cultural development, and the
pervasive significance and power it has in a global context. As one of
the pioneers in the field among British universities, this has been our
perspective at the University of Hull for 50 years.
American Studies at Hull has repeatedly scored 100% for its teaching quality
and overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey. It was named
as the UK’s top university in both of these categories by The Guardian’s 2013
University Guide. Many students come to us having studied history or
literature, but Hull embraces a diverse range of teaching expertise – so you
will encounter many other disciplines, from politics, philosophy and religion
to the non-traditional subjects of media, film, television, radio, art and
photography. Our largely optional modular system enables you to study the
United States from a variety of academic perspectives, exploring the facets of
American society and culture that most interest you – with new options
being introduced every year. Moreover, by virtue of being so well
established, we have built up one of the finest collections of American
resources of any British university. Students on our four-year course also
have access to the UK’s largest American studies exchange programme, with
nearly 50 different campuses to choose from for a full year of study in the
United States.
Contents
Undergraduate
courses | 4
The first year | 8
The second year | 10
The final year | 14
Dissertation | 17
The American Year | 18
Looking back at a year
abroad | 19
Staff and the American
Society | 22
After graduation | 23
Highly regarded both academically and professionally, the department has a
reputation among current and past students of being a very friendly place.
The intimate scale of the department means that students and lecturers
interact on a one-to-one basis. We pride ourselves on being available to
address student concerns and issues in both formal and informal settings.
In the following pages we have tried to give answers to the most frequently
asked questions about American studies at Hull. We have also included
testimonials from current and recently graduated students. If you read
through this pamphlet and have any questions, please contact us by email,
phone or post.
I would also encourage you to come to one of our open days. Seeing Hull for
yourself can make all the difference.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Dr John Osborne
Director of American Studies
www.hull.ac.uk
American studies
1
Heightened
states
America loves a success story.
So it’s appropriate that our American
Studies Department was rated first
nationally in the 2011 National
Student Survey and rated the best in
the UK for course and teaching
satisfaction in the 2013 Guardian
University Guide.
And your learning extends far
beyond lectures. We operate the
largest exchange programme of any
UK university: our four-year degree
incorporates a year studying at one
of nearly 50 US colleges, including
campuses in California, New York
and Florida.
Undergraduate courses
American Studies (4 years)
Our four-year Single Honours degree in American Studies is designed for
students who wish not only to study the history and culture of the United
States but to experience life and education in America. Indispensable to such
students is the year in an American university (described on page 18).
Single Honours students take first-year core survey modules in American
history, literature, culture, film and society. These introduce the range of topics
in American studies and provide a broad and firm foundation from which they
can develop their study programmes in future years. A varied choice of options
is then made available to students, who take six modules in their second year
and four in their final year. Options outside the department are also available.
Single Honours finalists are required to produce an extended piece of work in
the form of a dissertation, based on original research.
American Studies (3 years)
The three-year Single Honours degree is similar to the four-year course (see
above), but a third year at an American university is not required and the finalyear dissertation is optional. A module designed to prepare students for the
year abroad is omitted, but modules offered in literature, history, politics,
culture, film, etc, are the same as those for the four-year degree.
This degree is intended for students who wish to focus solely on American
studies but who wish, like those studying joint combinations, to obtain a
degree in three years. This group will include students who, despite its value,
find the cost of a year abroad prohibitive, as well as those with families or
other commitments in Britain who are simply unable to spend a year abroad.
English and American Literature and Culture
This course aims to give students the opportunity to study and compare two
related literary and cultural traditions – the British and the American – along
with American art and the British and Hollywood film industries. Please
contact the English Department for further details.
From top: our bustling campus
with the Brynmor Jones Library in
the background; the students’
union building; students in a
lecture.
Joint and major/minor Honours degrees
Some students may wish to combine the study of American society with
another academic discipline. At the time of writing, our range of joint and
major/minor degrees allows American studies to be combined with creative
writing, film studies, history, English, philosophy or modern languages.
Joint Honours students take survey modules in American history and/or
literature in their first year. In their second and final years they then select
three modules each year from the same range of options offered to Single
Honours students. These courses are very flexible and allow students either to
maintain a balance in their work in both areas or gradually to concentrate on
certain subjects so that, for example, the joint degree in American Studies and
English becomes essentially a course in American and English literature with
subsidiary modules in American history.
4
American studies
‘One thing that my classmates and I
almost instantly agreed on about Hull
was that we didn’t know just how
fantastic it was until we came and saw it
for ourselves.
‘The American Studies Department here
is small, and I think it creates an
incredibly beneficial study experience.
The family feel of the department
ensures that I get the feedback, advice
and attention that pushes me to
succeed. When the lecturers put so much
time and effort into your development, it
makes you want to return the favour by
working hard!
‘The flexibility of American Studies at
Hull is also a huge reason why I enjoy it
so much. When applying to university,
I wanted to study history. However,
when introduced to the range of choices
available in American Studies, I soon
realised that I could do just as much
history if I took that course. And,
perhaps more significantly, I could also
spend an entire year in the USA,
immersing myself in the history that
other degrees would only be able to
convey through a textbook.
‘Doing American Studies at Hull, I am
having nothing less than the perfect
student experience. The relationship
between the staff and the students is a
huge benefit here, and I fully recommend
picking Hull. It was my only choice, and
so far I’ve enjoyed every single second of
it.’
George Gabriel
BA American Studies
www.hull.ac.uk
American studies
5
Admissions
For applicants taking three A levels the typical offer is 280–320 UCAS points.
Particularly relevant subjects include English, History, Politics, languages,
Sociology, Theology, Theatre, Film and Media Studies. General Studies is
acceptable, and all combinations are considered. But we welcome applications
from people with a wide range of other qualifications and/or experience. We
also welcome applicants who wish to take a ‘gap’ year.
All students who receive an offer are invited to an open day, to see the
University and to meet staff and current students.
Teaching and assessment
Close personal contact between staff and students is the norm. First-year
American history and literature modules are based on lectures and tutorial
groups for discussion. In the second and final years, our course is based on
optional modules that are largely taught as seminars, in which multimedia are
increasingly used as part of our focus on the visual and aural dimensions of
American culture.
Our approach is designed to train students not merely to ‘pass the exam’ but to
assimilate, analyse and evaluate information, and to formulate and defend
their own ideas and positions.
Assessment methods include traditional essays, seen and unseen end-ofmodule exams, class presentations, oral assessments and journals. Almost all
modules combine different types of assessment and will involve an element of
coursework. First-year examinations are held at the end of each semester to
measure progress, but do not count towards your final degree assessment.
Modules taken in subsequent years all contribute to your final degree result, as
do the results obtained by four-year Single Honours students during the Year
Abroad.
Support
From top: the Golden Gate
Bridge, Las Vegas; San Francisco;
the Grand Canyon.
The move to university may at first be a disconcerting experience, but we will
help to make the transition as easy as possible. The size and atmosphere of the
department ensure that contact between staff and students is frequent and
personal. During your years here you will get to know the members of staff –
certainly your module tutors – quite well. Tutors are always happy to give
individual advice if needed, and to discuss written assignments and general
progress.
Throughout your time in American Studies, you will have a member of the
teaching staff as supervisor, to help you with any academic or personal
concerns whenever you need advice or guidance. And if you need special
assistance, he or she will point you in the right direction. A wide range of other
people are also available and willing to help on a University level. From the
Study Advice tutors, the Women’s Officer, the Disabilities team or the staff of
the Advice Centre in the students’ union, to the professional counsellors and
6
American studies
the chaplains, there are people who will assist with
any and all academic, financial or personal
concerns.
General issues can be raised through the
departmental Staff–Student Committee. American
Studies has student representation in all regular
departmental meetings. Student representatives for
all years and degree courses, elected by their
classmates early in the academic year, are present
for discussions of all departmental matters.
Students are encouraged to approach their
representatives with any relevant problems or
concerns that they wish to see addressed by the
staff.
Induction programme
American Studies conducts an ongoing induction
programme. In the first year it covers key topics
crucial to academic achievement, such as essay
writing and preparation, study skills and specific
module requirements. Second-year induction
includes information on essay-writing skills,
assessment and module details for all second-year
students. The final-year programme addresses the
topics of dissertation preparation, assessment and
the degree classification system.
www.hull.ac.uk
Suggested preparatory reading
We hope that you will enjoy reading something of
America’s early history and some of its classic
literary texts before you come to the department.
Our first-year modules are carefully planned, but
they cover many topics and concepts, and
preparatory reading will help.
American history
Our core modules are based on the assumption that
only a few students entering the department will
have made any systematic study of American
history, and we urge all students to purchase
Pauline Maier et al, Inventing America: A History of
the United States, 2nd edition (Norton), as the core
text for the introductory survey.
Other recent introductions include Maldwyn Jones,
The Limits of Liberty (Oxford University Press),
Hugh Brogan, The Pelican History of the United
States (Penguin) and Edward Countryman,
Americans (Tauris).
American literature
The following is a sample of the texts that you may
be expected to read for the first-year core modules.
Edgar Allan Poe, Selected Writings
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Walt Whitman, Selected Poems
Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Stephen Crane, Maggie
Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth
F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Ernest Hemingway, Fiesta (The Sun Also Rises)
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, Slaughterhouse-Five
Sara Paretsky, Indemnity Only
Toni Morrison, Beloved
Alice Walker, The Color Purple
American studies
7
The first year
Year 1 is about finding your feet and discovering what aspects of America
interest you the most. We take it for granted that new students are
unlikely to have spent much time studying American history, literature
or culture at A level, so we devote our attention to introductory survey
courses in each area, providing students with a broad foundation upon
which they can build their own interests in future years.
Six modules are available in the first year: one history and one literature
course each semester, and two modules on topics in American culture, film
and society which run concurrently throughout the year. There is a further
option to take a free elective module from outside the department.
Single Honours students take all four history and literature courses and at least
one of the American culture modules. You may do both culture modules if you
do not wish to take a free elective module outside the department.
Joint Honours students select two of the four history and literature modules,
and one of the American culture modules.
History modules
From top: a star on Hollywood’s
Walk of Fame; Mount Rushmore.
American History: Birth of a Nation
American History: The American Century?
American History: Birth of a Nation deals with events from the discovery and
colonial settlement of the North American continent through to the industrial
revolution at the end of the 19th century. American History: The American
Century? covers the development of the United States to its hyperpower status
over the course of the 20th century.
Together these two modules cover everything from the first explorations and
colonisation, through the Revolution, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the
Great Depression and Vietnam, to 9/11 and the War on Terror.
Using primary sources and documents, you will study the experiences of
American patriots, Puritan children, slaves, women during the Civil War, and
so forth, to understand the forces and events that shaped American identities.
You will look at Hollywood movies and the development of American cultural
history; consider the domestic upheaval caused by the wars of the 20th
century; and come to terms with the activists who forged the civil rights
movement.
The introductory
courses in Year 1
provide a broad
foundation upon
which you can build
your own interests
in subsequent
years.
8
American studies
Literature modules
American Literature Survey to World War I
Modern American Literature Survey
These two modules introduce you to a vast range of writing – so you can
forever challenge the prejudices about the ‘paucity’ of American culture that
your friends and parents might have. Beginning with the chants and tales of
Native Americans and the introduction of the English tongue to the continent,
we will look at all the classics – but also challenge your expectations.
You will study the flowering of American literature
in the 19th century, taking in Edgar Allan Poe, Walt
Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain,
Henry James, and the work of leading female
authors such as Emily Dickinson, Louisa May
Alcott and Edith Wharton. And when we move on
to the 20th century, you will study a whole body of
literature that both reflected and helped to shape
America’s historical and cultural development –
including the writing of F Scott Fitzgerald, William
Faulkner, Arthur Miller, Raymond Chandler, Sylvia
Plath, Ken Kesey, Alice Walker, Philip Roth and
Toni Morrison. Race, gender, sexuality and the
‘Americanness’ of American literature will be at the
forefront of our teaching.
American culture, film and society modules
Interpreting American Culture
This module marks the diversity of American
culture with a multidisciplinary approach to the
artistic and commercial endeavours of the 20th and
21st centuries. With studies as diverse as The
Postman Always Rings Twice, Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and The Simpsons and topics ranging from
sports to jazz and from poetry to photography, you
will learn how to read all manner of cultural forms.
American Film and Society
This module examines the ways in which
Hollywood movies reflect and interpret American
society, from the 1930s to the present day. What do
war films, Westerns and Marx Brothers comedies
tell us about the United States and its cultural
preoccupations? How did Hollywood respond and
adapt to crucial moments in American history like
the Great Depression or the Vietnam War? What
does a movie like Brokeback Mountain reveal about
America’s current sexual politics? Academics from
the Departments of American Studies and Film
Studies join forces to find out.
www.hull.ac.uk
‘In terms of educational decisions, doing
American studies at Hull is undoubtedly one of
my best. My principal area of interest was
history, but I knew I wanted to take it in
conjunction with something that offered a range
of multidisciplinary modules. American studies
is the perfect choice for this. Real satisfaction
comes from the knowledge that you can tailor
your degree through the choice of such an
abundance of disciplines. I have been able to
tackle a range of enjoyable topics, taught by
some of the most enthusiastic and
approachable staff I have encountered.
‘The area which contains Hull city centre, the
University and Cottingham is an area that I and
all my friends love. Within roughly four miles
you find a vibrant student village, a wellmaintained campus and a top night out. Such is
my enjoyment here that I now find myself
regularly calling Hull my home, a development
that is not entirely appreciated by my parents!
‘I would thoroughly recommend American
studies at Hull to anybody. It’s a great subject,
on a great campus, in a great city.’
Robin Lanfear
BA American Studies and History
American studies
9
The second year
In Year 2 you start to construct your own degree course. You simply select
modules from the options on offer. You could therefore choose to
specialise in American literature or the history of the United States and
develop your interests in depth, or you might embrace a wide range of
disciplines and skills, picking courses that involve everything from
history and literature, through film studies and theology, to gender
studies and geography.
Single Honours students on the four-year course select five modules from the
options on offer, plus the Introduction to the American Year Abroad.
Single Honours students on the three-year course select six modules from the
options on offer.
Joint Honours students take three modules in American Studies over the
course of the year (one in Semester 1, one in Semester 2 and one year-long
module).
Introduction to the American Year Abroad
This module prepares second-year students on the four-year Single Honours
degree in American Studies for their compulsory year abroad in the United
States.
From top: Broadway in New York;
the White House, Washington,
DC.
The first semester focuses on placing the student at the most suitable host
campus. They will be briefed by the International Office on its procedures, and
they will research the variety of campuses available to them and make
informed choices – developing papers and/or presentations on their choices.
Interaction with American students studying in Hull will be an essential
component of this research process. Students will identify their concerns about
studying abroad and will address those concerns in student-led discussions.
Provisional placements will be made at the end of the first semester.
Once placed, students will spend the second semester (a) making formal
application to the host campus, applying for appropriate visas, dealing with
accommodation applications, etc (department-led briefings will enable them
to work through these processes); (b) developing their understanding of the
American university system in general, academic requirements, etc, so that
they will make appropriate choices in their studies in America and be prepared
for the different ethos and experience of academic work in the USA; and (c)
researching the distinctive history and culture of the city, state and region in
which they will be living for a year. This preparation will improve their
understanding of contemporary America and make them better ambassadors
to that country.
10
American studies
Some recent second-year options
Hollywood in 1950s
‘Safe’, glossy and superficial entertainment – or
politically engaged documents of social history?
You decide, as we put classic Hollywood movies
under the microscope – from Singin’ in the Rain to
On the Waterfront, from The Ten Commandments to
Rebel without a Cause – to see what they reveal
about America in the 1950s.
Hollywood hardly had an easy time of it in the
years after World War II – losing its mass audiences
to television, facing the break-up of the studio
system, and under scrutiny by Cold War anticommunists searching for ‘reds under the bed’. We
will look at how this affected the movie-making
community – from the political propaganda
produced to attack the Communist menace, to the
subterfuge that others engaged in to make movies
which resisted the Red Scare.
We will look at the great genres of the decade –
science fiction, such as Invasion of the
Bodysnatchers or the giant ants of Them!; classic
Westerns like High Noon and John Ford’s The
Searchers; and musicals such as Calamity Jane and
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. You will also see the
great stars – including James Dean, Marilyn
Monroe, John Wayne and Marlon Brando – and
examine why they had so much appeal. And
throughout the module we will challenge the
typical dismissal of the Fifties, demonstrating that
escapist entertainment can be just as revealing
about the real problems and anxieties of the time
as any obvious ‘social problem’ movie.
American Art, 1900–1940
offers an examination of American painting,
photography, sculpture, architecture and applied
art in the first four decades of the last century.
Issues explored include the influence on American
art of the international Modernist movement; the
emergence of major women artists; the relationship
between art and the socio-economic conditions of
its production; and the concept of avant-gardism.
No prior knowledge of art is assumed.
www.hull.ac.uk
Artists studied include Frank Lloyd Wright, Alfred
Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Walker
Evans, Dorothea Lange and Grant Wood.
Modern American Women’s Writing
examines a range of work by both celebrated and
neglected women writers of the last century.
Writers and topics may include women in
Hollywood; Sylvia Plath; recent African-American
writing; women of the Jazz Age; and women’s
detective fiction. We will consider a mix of
canonical and popular texts, and students will be
given the opportunity to select the texts for the
second half of the module. If there is a novel, poem
or play that you want to read or reread, let us know.
American Literary Modernism
An examination of the contributions of the USA to
the international Modernist movement in the fields
of prose fiction, drama and poetry. Topics and
issues studied include the Jazz Age; Eugene O’Neill
and the influence of Freudian psychology; Zora
Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and the Harlem
Renaissance; the impact of the women’s suffrage
movement; Henry Miller and the bohemian
lifestyle; and the free-verse techniques of T S Eliot,
Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams and
e e cummings.
Women in American Literature
examines a range of writings by, and depictions of,
American women from the mid 19th to the early
20th century. We will begin the module by
revisiting Louisa May Alcott’s much-loved ‘girls’
stories’, Little Women and Good Wives. Other
writers and topics may include Charlotte Perkins
Gilman’s controversial story ‘The Yellow
Wallpaper’; Edith Wharton; and Henry James’s
depictions of American women (text to be chosen
by the group). We will also consider the life and
work of Alice James, long overshadowed by her
famous brother, Henry. There will be the
opportunity to view and discuss excellent film
adaptations of a number of the texts.
American studies
11
Television and the Everyday
Undertaking the formal and ideological analysis of
a range of television texts, including soap operas,
sitcoms, news and lifestyle programming, this
module looks at the way in which television
represents or mediates aspects of our everyday life.
Beyond individual texts, it considers how features
such as scheduling (including repeats), adverts,
network announcements and televisual ‘flow’
create the meanings of the broadcast medium and
stitch it into the everyday.
Analysing Television Drama
This module is designed to help you ‘see more’ in
narratives on television (and beyond). You will
examine the varied ways in which narration
controls its flow of information, and to what ends;
you will reflect on how audiovisual style is used to
create meaning; and you will explore the complex
treatment of a range of themes, both within
individual television episodes and across seasonlong story arcs. A case study looks at the work of
the television auteur Joss Whedon.
Cold War Culture
This module encourages students to consider the
significance of culture during the Cold War. It
engages with popular culture as well as statesponsored propaganda, psychological warfare
operations and public diplomacy, examining the
influence of film, music, literature and journalism.
Hitchcock: An Anatomy of an Auteur
This module begins with an introduction to auteur
theory then examines Hitchcock’s early British
movies, his Hollywood output and his peak years
during the 1950s and 1960s, which saw the release
of such canonical films as Vertigo, North by
Northwest and Psycho. The module concludes by
considering whether late films like Topaz and
Frenzy, together with the unproduced screenplay
The Short Night, justify the consensual view that his
career ended in decline.
12
American studies
A Cultural Study of the USA since 1980
This module is organised around key themes,
including ‘Postmodernism and Popular Culture’,
‘Race and Urban Space’, ‘Gender Politics’,
‘Consumerism’ and ‘Celebrity Culture’. Indicative
texts are Spike Lee’s film Do the Right Thing, the
television series Sex and the City and Roseanne, the
novel American Psycho and the the work of the
stand-up comics Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock.
’Mi Raza Primero!’ – Mexican-American History
This module considers some of the major
upheavals that people of Mexican descent had to
face as the USA pushed into the Southwest. Key
topics include Popé’s Rebellion of 1680; the
Mexican–American War of 1848; American
involvement in the Mexican Civil War; MexicanAmericans and the New Deal; Operation Wetback
and immigration restriction; and the Chicano
movement for civil rights.
Hollywood Musicals
Taking a serious look at pure entertainment, from
its origins in the 1930s – with the stunning
choreography of Busby Berkeley and the dance
genius of Fred Astaire – up to the millennial
resurgence witnessed in Moulin Rouge and Chicago,
we will examine the highs and lows of the musical
film. Looking at movies as diverse as The King and I
and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, we will also
chart the genre’s response to matters of race,
sexuality, gender and stardom – and ponder why
some people just can’t help bursting into song.
American Biography
You will study the sweep of American history by
investigating the life and times of selected
historical figures with a range of backgrounds and
accomplishments. By reading and analysing the
biographies of America, you will develop a deeper
understanding of the nuances of the United States’
history; and by studying people from the worlds of
business, activism, war, economics, culture,
entertainment, invention and politics, you will
become able to determine the role of the individual
in the course of history.
Cyberculture and Its Discontents
is designed to engage you with the debates on
cyberculture: postmodern cultural theory; issues
relating to virtual cultures and online
communities; social networking; and more
specifically issues of identity, organisation and
gender/race representations. You will learn how to
analyse several instances of cyberculture and the
discontents associated with it – for exmple,
pornography, identity theft, addiction and virtual
abuses – and learn the basics of internet politics,
advanced cultural theory and gender-/race-/classrelated literature in cyberspace.
America in the Long Sixties
What transpired to change the United States from a
symbol of youthful vigour under John F Kennedy in
the 1960s to a symbol of corruption and dishonesty
under Richard Nixon in the 1970s? What happened
to make American college campuses hotbeds of
protest and violence? Why did American cities
erupt into orgies of racial rioting? Was it really a
time of drugs, sex and rock and roll? This module
gets to grips with the myths and the realities of one
of America’s most turbulent decades.
Understanding America
This module provides an introduction to the
political culture of the USA, and the domestic and
international environment in which its political
institutions operate. From the limits of presidential
power within the federal system to the role of the
United States in global security, any student
interested in the behavior and role of the world’s
sole superpower will benefit from taking this
module.
‘Coming from another university, I transferred
right into my second year at Hull. I didn’t have
the best of experiences before, so I expected a
lot from my new university – and so far, Hull
has even exceeded my expectations.
American Studies at Hull is a fantastic subject
to study. The choice of modules ranges from art
to politics, from history through religion to
musicals.
Studying for classes has become a pleasure
instead of a chore! Everyone in the department
is lovely and always there to help with any
problems, academic or personal.
I live in a student house right next to campus,
which adds to the homely feel. The centre of
Hull is only minutes away, offering everything a
student could want – bookstores, cinemas,
nightclubs and coffee shops.
I wholeheartedly recommend American Studies
at Hull to anyone; I’ve only been here one
semester and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been!’
Jennifer Zeller
BA American Studies
Piracy, Privateering and the Atlantic Economy
Looking at British, French and American
privateering, this module is concerned with the
various forms of maritime violence that were
practiced in the Atlantic region during the early
modern period. Attention is also afforded to the
enduring place of pirates and piracy in popular
culture.
www.hull.ac.uk
American studies
13
The final year
For Single Honours students returning from the
States, the pinnacle of this year is the
dissertation – a project entirely of your own
design, based on research undertaken while in
America, and worth one-third of your final-year
grade. Students on the three-year courses can
also choose to produce a dissertation by
developing a project in consultation with
American Studies staff. For more about
dissertations, see page 17.
Other modules on offer will vary from year to year,
but have recently included the following.
American Fiction of the 1930s
addresses major issues in American fiction of the
1930s. It begins by considering the genre of the
Hollywood Novel, described by Leslie Fiedler as the
great literary invention of the decade. Hollywood
texts will include Horace McCoy’s cult classic They
Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and Nathanael West’s
apocalyptic The Day of the Locust. We will examine
the hard-boiled, ‘tough-guy’ literary tradition with
James M Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice
and Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep.
Other writers and topics include Margaret Mitchell’s
blockbusting Gone with the Wind (book and film);
Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald; and Thirties Gothic.
There will be the opportunity to view and discuss a
number of film adaptations of many of the module
texts, and students may chose any piece of
American fiction of the decade as the subject of a
class presentation.
Postmodernism and Gender Studies, 1950–1975
An examination of the extent to which theories of
gender and postmodernity can facilitate an
understanding of the culture of the USA between
1950 and 1975. Issues addressed include the midcentury institutionalisation of Modernism; the
coded bisexuality of 1950s male movie stars such as
James Dean and Marlon Brando; homoeroticism
and misogyny in Beat literature; proto-feminism in
the poetry of Sylvia Plath and the photography of
Diane Arbus; Pop Art and consumer capitalism;
and the emergence of feminist and Postmodernist
discourses.
14
American studies
Postmodernism and Gender Studies, 1975–Present
An examination of the extent to which theories of
gender and postmodernity can facilitate an
understanding of the culture of the United States
between 1975 and the present. Issues addressed
include Postmodernist aesthetics; the challenge
posed to the concept of universal sisterhood by
African-American women’s literature; the sexual
politics of the industrial working class;
pornography and violence in contemporary culture;
and gay writing in the era of AIDS. Works studied
include Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, Toni
Morrison’s Beloved, Percival Everett’s Erasure and
the movies Thelma and Louise, Pulp Fiction and
Crash.
The American History Film
Try a different way of studying American history.
From the Revolution and the Civil War, through the
settling of the West, to world wars and the
assassination of Kennedy – as told by Hollywood.
This module compares Hollywood’s versions of
history with what historians and historical sources
say ‘really’ happened – and asks what makes a
‘good’ history film, and whether or not moviemakers need to be held to account for their
distortions. We will evaluate the handling of history
in movies from Birth of a Nation and Gone with the
Wind to the controversies surrounding Mississippi
Burning and Oliver Stone’s JFK. And we will look at
the less ‘obvious’ representations of the past too –
in Westerns like Shane, war movies like Saving
Private Ryan or comedies like Some Like It Hot – to
see just what ‘history’ means to movie-makers and
why they keep plundering the past.
The Civil Rights Movement
The American civil rights movement – the
concerted effort to attain greater social, political
and economic opportunities for African-Americans
– was one of the great reform movements of the
20th century. This module examines the dynamics,
composition, objectives and achievements of the
civil rights impulse from World War II to the passing
of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Emphasis is placed
on grass-roots contributions to the civil
rights struggle, the role of women, the activities of
the various organisations which constituted the
civil rights coalition, and the interaction of the
movement with the American political system.
America in the Two World Wars
In his 1970 hit single ‘War’, Edwin Starr sang: ‘War!
What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.’ But is that
true? Can no good come out of war? In this module
we analyse the morality of modern warfare by
investigating how wars begin, how wars are fought,
and the impact of wars on domestic issues such as
civil liberties and civil rights. We focus on the
United States in the first half of the 20th century,
considering its involvement in both World Wars.
Using Just War theory as a base, we will ask not
only why the United States was neutral in the early
days of both wars but also whether or not the
United States should have been neutral. We will
apply the same theory to other issues and events on
the war fronts, such as the use of gas in World War
I, the bombing of civilians and the development of
the atomic bomb. Are these legitimate acts of war?
On the domestic front we will want to discover
whether or not a government at war has the right to
suppress individual freedoms such as the freedom
of speech, or to intern citizens and to institute
military conscription.
The American President
You will study the history of the United States
presidency by investigating selected past presidents
from Washington to Clinton. By reading and
analysing the papers of the presidents, you will
engage in primary research and be able to discern
the major currents of domestic and foreign policy
activity within various administrations. Each
president has put his own personal stamp on the
Executive Office. By exploring goals, achievements,
scandals and responses to emergency situations, we
will be able to determine how individual presidents
have coped with events as they unfolded.
www.hull.ac.uk
F Scott Fitzgerald and Edith Wharton
F Scott Fitzgerald has been credited with creating
the Jazz Age and imprinting youth and celebrity
culture on the American literary consciousness
before being mythologised as the writer destroyed
by money, success and consumer excess. Edith
Wharton, greatly admired by Fitzgerald, was one of
America’s most popular and prolific writers –
becoming the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize
for the Novel in 1921.
We examine a select number of texts by these
writers (including The Great Gatsby and The House
of Mirth) as well as their lucrative work in the shortstory genre, contemporary media coverage and a
number of film versions of their fiction, including
The Great Gatsby, the Bette Davis vehicle The Old
Maid and Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of The Age
of Innocence.
The United States in Vietnam
aims to give you a deeper understanding of
America’s role in Vietnam and of this war’s larger
historical significance. At the end of the module
you will be able to explain the causes of the
Vietnam War and the reasons that the Vietnamese
Communists were able to defeat the Americans and
understand the larger significance of this
controversial conflict in Cold War history.
America in the 1920s and 1930s
In the 1920s, radio, cinema and advertising
combined to produce a mass society and culture,
while the 1930s was dominated by the worst
depression in living memory. This era was defined
by issues as diverse as prohibition, automobile
culture, the Harlem Renaissance and the Dust
Bowl, as conservative movements of the 1920s gave
way to the liberal New Deal of the 1930s. This
module will explore the myriad political, social and
economic events which shaped this intriguing era.
Disney Studies
This course looks at the artistic, cultural, technical,
political and commercial history of the Disney
studio. By examining the history of the studio and
its founder, Walt Disney, you will become familiar
American studies
15
with what is arguably one of Hollywood’s most
influential studios and one of the most important
purveyors of popular culture in the 20th century.
Furthermore, you will gain a greater understanding
of how Hollywood functions (both historically and
currently) as an industry, as well as how wide
ranging the Disney studio’s influence has been on
cinema, television and the arts.
The African American Experience in Post Civil Rights
America
Though African Americans held great hopes that
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would offer immediate
equality, hopes were oftentimes dashed in the postcivil rights era. You will engage with themes such
as racism and discrimination, economics and labor,
African racial identities, religion, gender and
sexuality, protest and resistance to consider the
plight of, and gains made by, African Americans in
recent decades. This will include studying cultural
texts as diverse as gang memoirs and gangsta rap,
Spike Lee’s documentary on Hurricane Katrina,
Richard Pryor’s stand-up comedy, and political
biographies of President Obama and the Reverend
Jesse Jackson.
American Alternative Cinema
This module examines and critically evaluates film
practice beyond the Hollywood mainstream. You
will develop and apply theoretical approaches to
modes of production and audience and media
reception of ‘exploitation cinema’, ‘trash cinema’,
‘cult cinema’ and ‘independent cinema’. Films
under scrutiny are likely to include Faster Pussycat!
Kill! Kill!; Female Trouble; Foxy Brown; The Toxic
Avenger; and The Big Lebowski.
History of Hollywood Horror
Focusing itself on the way horror as a genre has
been understood and shaped within the Hollywood
context, this module will introduce you to the key
issues and debates in the study of the horror film.
We will look at the impact of censorship on the
horror film; the subjects and sources of the genre;
the function of monsters, insanity and the
supernatural; and Hollywood horror’s advertising
16
American studies
and audiences. You will evaluate psychoanalytic
theory and feminist theory in relation to the genre
and engage with the different sub-genres and crossgenre manifestations of the form, so as to
understand the historical, economic, social,
cultural and aesthetic traditions which have come
to shape it.
Doing Time
This module explores one of the largest prison
structures in the world in relation to issues of
gender, race and class. Key cultural texts include
the Chester Himes novel Yesterday Will Make You
Cry, Sanyika Shakur’s memoir Monster, the movie I
Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang, and
documentaries on San Quentin’s Death Row and
Abu Ghraib.
Spy Cinema
The fictional spy is one of the most iconic figures of
modern visual culture. The vast box office revenues
of the James Bond and Jason Bourne franchises and
the viewing figures for contemporary television
shows such as 24 and Homeland are testaments to
the spy genre’s lasting popularity. But how and
why did the spy become such a mythologised
figure, and what does this tell us about the
audiences and societies that are captivated by the
myth? This module adopts a transatlantic approach
to finding out.
Conspiracy: The Paranoid Style in American
Politics, Society and Culture
This module explores the enduring appeal of
conspiracy theories in American politics, society
and culture. Key historical episodes include the
Cold War, the assassination of President John F
Kennedy and the 9/11 attack. The novels of Don
Delillo and Thomas Pynchon and the films of
directors like Alan Pakula and Sydney Pollack are
analysed in order to understand conspiracy, not
only as a style of mind but also as a form of
narrative with its own conventions and distinctive
features.
Dissertation
The dissertation is an important part of our
students’ work. For four-year Single Honours
students it grows out of work undertaken
during their third year in the United States; for
students on three-year degree courses it is
developed through personal consultations with
American Studies staff. You have a free choice
as to your topic, but where appropriate the
dissertation should be based on a substantial
amount of original research and reading at
libraries and archives in America or Britain.
Four-year Single Honours students
The dissertation is compulsory for all final-year
Single Honours students on the four-year course.
During your year abroad you should have
conducted research on a topic which you then write
up over the following two semesters. The topic of
your dissertation is open; however, it should relate
to some aspect of your American Year, whether that
be a module that you attended, an independent
study that you worked on or an extra-curricular
activity or interest that you pursued. In Semester 1
you will write a 2,000-word essay outlining your
proposed research topic, and in Week 10 of
Semester 2 you will submit the dissertation
(10,000–12,000 words).
Single Honours students who begin research in the
United States receive much help from American
professors in specific modules or through directed
reading. Guidance is also provided by your
supervisor in Hull via email.
Other students
Students on three-year courses (Single and Joint
Honours) may also undertake a dissertation in their
final year. Like fourth-year Single Honours
students, they produce a 2,000-word essay
outlining the proposed topic of research in
Semester 1, before writing up the dissertation in the
second semester.
www.hull.ac.uk
Dissertation topics
Recent successful dissertation topics have included
• Native American Novelists
• Charles Manson and the Media
• Race Riots in World War II
• Masculinity in the Hollywood Musical
• Journalists and Lyndon B Johnson
• American Women in the Early Cold War
• Piracy in the Colonial South
Some students have chosen more personal or
journalistic assignments, using current media
coverage and newspaper archives, and
interviewing participants in the movement or
activity studied. Successful dissertations of this
kind have been written on such topics as
• The Transition of the Vietnam Veteran Image
from Negative Stereotype to Sympathetic
Portrayal
• Student Activism and the North Carolina Speaker
Ban Controversy
• Bilingual Education: The Political Ramifications
of Educating the Chicano Child
• HIV and AIDS in US Prisons
• Audience Reception of American Soap Operas
• Gang Girls in American Society
This short list is intended only to provide examples.
Good dissertations have been written on American
artists and architects, contemporary dramatists,
jazz musicians, sports stars, film directors and civil
rights leaders. The important point is that the
subject should reflect your enthusiasm plus serious
study and analysis of the issue.
American studies
17
The American Year
This is the standfirst
style – The Brynmor
Jones Library offers
rich collections of
material and state-ofthe-art facilities.
Our four-year Single Honours degree is designed for students who wish
not only to study the history and culture of the United States but to
experience it for themselves. From New England to California, from the
Midwest to the Deep South, we have exchange agreements with
approximately 50 campuses across the United States – the largest
selection of partners for any American Studies course. They range from
one of the oldest universities in the country – Washington College,
Maryland – to the California State University system.
The map on pages 20–21 shows the locations of our partners.
We want you to immerse yourself in the American college culture – which is
why our students go for a year, not just one semester. And, while there, you
can select your courses from the full range available, with no restriction on
subject matter.
Hull students enjoying their year
abroad.
Of course, many of our students want to take classes in American history and
literature, as taught by American specialists – being lectured on the civil rights
movement by former Black Power activists is just one of the great opportunities
that our students have exploited. But many also use the opportunity to widen
their education in the broadest sense, taking modules in subjects as varied as
fashion and politics, screenwriting and law, journalism and even Russian
history. Learning in America, and from an American perspective, is just as
central to the Year Abroad experience as learning about the United States.
The results you get from your studies in America will count for 15% of your
final degree classification.
But being in America for a year – with all your friends spread across the
country at other campuses – is not just about study. As our students will
testify, it also gives you an unprecedented opportunity to travel and really get
to know the country. (Many of the photographs in this pamphlet were taken by
our students during their year in America.)
Inevitably, the American Year does involve costs over and above those required
to live in Hull. We make every effort to take into account financial resources in
assigning students to high- or lower-cost areas of the United States. Some
American universities on the programme offer scholarships to Hull students,
and most will allow you to take some paid employment on campus, in
libraries, administration or campus shops and food outlets.
The American Semester
All students taking American studies jointly with another subject have the
possibility of spending the first semester of their third and final year studying
full-time in the USA. This scheme is optional and selective, whereas the Year
Abroad scheme outlined above is universal. It also involves a more restricted
list of exchange partners, including the University of Central Washington
(Ellensburg), the University of Illinois (Springfield), the University of Northern
Iowa (Cedar Falls) and the University of North Carolina (Greensboro).
18
American studies
Looking back at a year abroad
University of California, Long Beach
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
‘How to describe my American Year? It was like
living in a dream. I got the ‘I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA’
feeling every time I drove past a signpost for LA or
Orange County. I could spend my weekends at the
beach watching surfers in the Pacific Ocean. I ate
good (and bad) food and I played beer pong and
drank from red cups! I travelled and saw so many
places that I never ever thought I’d see – Times
Square, Santa Monica Pier, the Golden Gate Bridge,
the Statue of Liberty … I missed home, but I grew as
a person and became so much more independent.
If I could give one piece of advice to anyone
thinking of studying in the USA? Go for it and don’t
look back.’
‘The range of courses available to students in the
States is amazing. I was able to study criminal
justice, journalism, television news production and
snowboarding all in one semester. Not only are the
teaching facilities outstanding; the sports and
leisure services are unbelievable. My American
university had an Olympic-sized swimming pool,
an enormous gym that was free to use, and acres of
space for football and soccer. As international
students, we get to use the facilities that American
students pay thousands to use. Make the most of it!’
Charlotte Conaboy
‘When I visited Hull on an Open Day, I instantly fell
in love with the place. The campus and the
facilities are brilliant and the American Studies
Department is superb. Offering courses in history,
literature and culture ensures you get a taste for
everything, so you can specialize in what you
prefer in the second and fourth years. The staff are
especially helpful in preparing you for the year
abroad in America during the third year. Many
universities offer only a semester abroad – whereas
Hull offers an entire year, which was a massive
selling point for me. The vast range of partner
universities on offer is incredible. My favourite part
of this course was going to America, especially
Wisconsin. I have made some lifelong friends there
and I have grown as a person from the experiences
I have had.’
University of Illinois, Springfield
‘When I first arrived in the cornfields of Springfield
I wondered what I had let myself in for, but I was
soon having the time of my life. America opened
my eyes to so many things. I made new friends,
experienced a variety of cultures and had the
opportunity to travel all over the US. Taking classes
in a variety of academic fields enabled me to
pursue my particular interest in the American
criminal justice system – I even visited prisons
around Illinois and experienced the day-to-day
shifts of the police! Overall my year in America was
a life-changing experience, allowing me to grow as
a person as well as academically. The opportunities
I was given were beyond amazing, and I was sad to
see the year come to an end.’
Tom Savage
University of Wisconsin
Stephen Thurgood
Sarah Eaton
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
‘Once you’re in America, travelling is so easy and
it’s surprisingly affordable. Internal flights, buses
and coaches are all readily available. You can even
take the state driving test and buy an old banger to
drive around for a year. The opportunities to travel
and make friends from all over the world are the
best education you can get.’
Ian Roberts
‘Sunny every day, and ideally located for travelling
between California, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah
and Mexico – you can drive two hours south and
bask in temperatures of 90 ºF, or four hours north
and go skiing and snowboarding. The International
Office organises trips every weekend. As for classes,
those on the American West are particularly
recommended. People are very helpful and always
want to help you learn about their cultures – so
make the most of it.’
Stephen Hannay and Alice McTavish
www.hull.ac.uk
American studies
19
Over many years, the American Studies
department at Hull has cultivated a large
number of exchange agreements with
universities in the USA – chosen for their
academic excellence, geographical location
and the range of undergraduate courses that
they provide.
1
Alaska
University of Alaska, Anchorage; University of
Alaska, Fairbanks; University of Alaska
Southeast, Juneau
2
California
California State University is made up of 23
campuses. In recent years, preferred options for
our students have included
1
Alaska (not to scale)
Fresno; Long Beach; Los Angeles; Sacramento;
San Diego State University; and San Francisco
State University
However, the following Cal State campuses are
also open to our students:
Bakersfield; Chico; Channel Islands;
Dominguez Hills; East Bay; Fullerton;
Humboldt State University; Monterey Bay;
Northridge; San Bernadino; San Jose State
University; San Marcos; Sonoma State
University; and Stanislaus.
3
Washington
Central Washington University, Ellensburg;
Western Washington University, Bellingham
4
Arizona
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
5
Utah
University of Utah, Salt Lake City
6
New Mexico
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
7
Wyoming
University of Wyoming, Laramie
8
Texas
University of North Texas, Denton
9
20
Kansas
University of Kansas, Lawrence
12 Wisconsin
Carroll University, Waukesha
13 Illinois
University of Illinois, Springfield
14 Alabama
University of Alabama, Birmingham; University
of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
15 Florida
Florida International University, Miami
16 Ohio
Baldwin–Wallace College, Berea; John Carroll
University, Cleveland
17
North Carolina
North Carolina State University, Raleigh;
University of North Carolina, Greensboro;
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
18 South Carolina
University of South Carolina, Columbia
19 Maryland
Washington College, Chestertown
10 Iowa
Northern Iowa University, Cedar Falls;
University of Iowa, Iowa City
20 New York
State University of New York, Albany
11
21
Louisiana
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
American studies
Maine
University of Maine, Orono
University of Maine at Orono
Florida International University, Miami
‘A huge and gorgeous campus by the Stillwater
River. Loads of facilities – gyms, American football
stadium, baseball, ice hockey arena, and a super
new union under construction. Maine is a ruggedly
beautiful state – wide open space, mountains and
lakes, rocky coastline and ramshackle wooden
houses. While quietly rural, there is tons of
outdoorsy stuff going on – white-water rafting,
climbing, etc – and the International Society
organises events and trips to Boston and Canada.
Friendly, close-knit, slow-paced and picturesque.
‘A very international university – the best part was
meeting so many people from all over the world.
The most diverse place to be, and unquestionably
the most different from England. An expensive city,
but an incredible place. Just three hours from
Orlando and Key West – and South Beach is the
party capital of the world! Oh, and the courses are
good too …’
Joanna Stewart and Catherine Conder
Caroline Parsons
www.hull.ac.uk
American studies
21
Staff and the American Society
Members of staff
Director of Studies
John Osborne, BA, PhD (Wales)
Modernism; Postmodernism; American poetry;
American art
Senior Lecturers
David Eldridge, MA, MLitt (St Andrews), PhD
(Cambridge)
Cinema; cultural history; 20th-century history
Jenel Virden, BA, MA (Washington State), PhD
(Washington)
Conflict and society; US since 1960
Lecturers
Josephine Metcalf, BA (Hull), MA (Leeds), PhD
(Manchester)
Contemporary African-American and MexicanAmerican history, culture and literature
Simon Willmetts, BA, MA, PhD (Warwick)
Cold War history and culture
Associates
Dr James Aston
Film and media
Professor Raphael Cohen-Almagor
Politics
Dr Amy Davis
Film
Charlie Cordeaux
Media production
Dr Tom Kane
Politics
Dr Athina Karatzogianni
Media, culture and society
Dr Iris Kleinecke-Bates
Film
Dr Laura Rattray
English
Dr James Zborowski
Media, culture and society
22
American studies
The American Society
Run by students, the American Society is one of the
University’s largest departmental societies. It is an
integral part of the informal life of the department
and hosts a series of American-themed social
events throughout the year – such as Mexican
tequila nights, line dancing, Thanksgiving dinners
and end-of-year proms. These provide excellent
opportunities for socialising with other members of
the department, getting to know each other,
exchanging notes on the American Year and
unwinding after all the essay deadlines.
After graduation
While clearly not ‘vocational’, our courses confront students with the
study of history, literature and culture, which encourages them to
develop flexible skills in organising and analysing material and in
presenting a well-written and well-argued case. A year in the United
States also boosts confidence and further broadens horizons – and
always attracts the interest of employers when it comes to job
interviews.
Graduates with skill, imagination and confidence are in demand, and our
students now enter a widening range of careers. Many, of course, enter
management training programmes in fields such as broadcasting, the arts,
finance, personnel work and retail, while a number go on to traditional kinds
of employment associated with arts graduates – teaching, law, the Civil
Service and so forth.
Some of our alumni can be found in senior positions in the American
Embassy and in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; another is the
President of the Foundation for International Education. Others have done
very well in journalism (our students seem to make good foreign
correspondents), television and radio broadcasting or writing.
The high percentage of graduates with first class or very good second class
Honours degrees also guarantees that significant numbers of our students
pursue postgraduate study in America and in the UK, and many have gone
on to noteworthy academic careers.
MA in Popular Culture
Below: Pearl Harbour, Hawaii;
Route 66.
This is an interdisciplinary programme in which you are able to combine
compulsory shared modules (for example Theorising Popular Culture and
Research Skills, Methods and Methodologies) with optional modules from
one of three different pathways: American, British and European. These
taught components of the programme make up half of the credits for the
degree, the other half comprising an extended dissertation on a topic of your
choice.
There are two optional modules for the American pathway:
Representing Pearl Harbor in American History and Culture
Marking the beginning of World War II in most American narratives of that
conflict, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was – and remains – an iconic
event in historical and cultural memory. This module aims to engage you
with a range of disciplinary perspectives on Pearl Harbor, beginning with
historical and journalistic accounts of the attack as a military and diplomatic
encounter and then looking at the ways in which this event has been
represented in literary, cinematic, political and artistic texts and discourses
in subsequent years.
www.hull.ac.uk
American studies
23
American Studies
PhD student Chris
Greenhalgh
Chris read for a Joint
Honours BA degree in
American Studies and
English at Hull. After
several years living in
Italy and Greece, he
returned here to write a
doctoral thesis on the
Postmodernist American
poet Frank O’Hara.
His own poems were
published in the arts
magazine Bête Noire
(edited from within our
American Studies
Department) before being
gathered in three
acclaimed collections:
Stealing the Mona Lisa
(1994), Of Love, Death
and the Sea-Squirt
(2000) and The Invention
of Zero (2007). Chris’s
novel Coco and Igor
(2002) was filmed in 2009
as Coco Chanel & Igor
Stravinsky. The movie
was selected for the
prestigious closing slot of
the 2009 Cannes Film
Festival and was put on
general release in the UK
in September 2010.
24
American studies
Postmodernism and the Pulps
This module examines the extent to which theories specific to postmodernism,
cultural and media studies can facilitate an understanding of the United States
in the period 1960 to the present. In particular, the proposition that
contemporary culture is characterised by hybridity between ‘high’ and ‘low’
will be tested in the following arenas: pop art’s use of preprocessed
commercial imagery; the high-art novel’s appropriation of sci-fi and gangsta
modes; the rise of the graphic novel and its address to the Holocaust and the
culture of Islam; the invasion of haute couture by the street language of punk;
the art-house movie’s love affair with such Hollywood cliches as the heist and
boxing genres; and the impact on high culture of the despised discourses of
pornography and the reality chat show.
MPhil and PhD
With our outstanding collection of Americana, we are pleased to offer the
research degrees of MPhil and PhD on a full- or part-time basis.
In history, our principal areas of expertise are immigration; war and 20thcentury American society; civil rights and Black protest movements; and
history on film. In literary and cultural studies the main areas of research
activity include Native American writing; Modernist and Postmodernist
aesthetics; women’s writing; and the visual arts – cinema, painting,
photography, etc.
Many of our successful PhD candidates have obtained posts in universities and
colleges including Cambridge, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bangor, Manchester
Metropolitan and Staffordshire. Others have entered publishing, arts
administration and broadcasting.
Applicants for MPhil and PhD degrees are asked to submit a detailed proposal
for research (a few pages of description and a brief indicative bibliography)
together with examples of their written work (approximately 5,000 words on
any pertinent subject). At least two members of staff with appropriate expertise
will read this material independently and confer, to ensure that proposals for
research are viable from the outset. Once admitted, you are allocated a
specialist as supervisor who remains responsible for your academic progress
and personal well-being throughout the period of study.
Free Elective Scheme
Studying for a degree at the University of Hull is a unique experience. We aim to provide you with
an education that offers both depth and breadth of knowledge. To meet these ends the University
has developed an optional Free Elective Scheme. This scheme enables the majority of
undergraduate students to take one module a year from outside their main course of study.
So, how does it work?
Each year you take 120 credits’ worth of modules.
SEMESTER 1
SEMESTER 2
20 credits
20 credits
20 credits
20 credits
20 credits
20 credits
Here you take modules from your main course of study.
Here you have the option to take a free elective or another
module from your main course of study.
What sort of subjects can I take?
What are the main reasons for participating?
You can take almost any free elective module from
outside your main course of study, usually at your
home campus. You can even take a module from
another faculty. The catalogue of free electives
might include
• The scheme gives you the opportunity to study a
subject without having to commit yourself to
taking further modules in that subject area.
• By taking a free elective you are able to follow up
your interests as part of your degree.
• With a broader education you may acquire extra
skills that will help you when you enter the
employment market.
• Art and Architecture in Context
• Anarchism and Contemporary Global Protest
• Women and Politics
• History through Film
• Modern Strategy
• Anthropological Perspectives
• Perceiving, Learning and Thinking
• Critical Approaches
• Career Management Skills
• War and Politics
• Modern Science Fiction
• Computers and Applications
• Managing your Learning
as well as a wide range of modules from diverse
subject areas.
© University of Hull
Published September 2012
2730~ME
Apples were among the first fruit
crop to be successfully imported
to America by 17th-century
European colonists. Ever since,
apple pie has been a symbol of US
national identity.
Our degrees include modules on
American history, literature, politics,
culture, society and film.
There’s no band camp.
Go beyond | www.hull.ac.uk