BA American Studies (United States) is for those with enthusiasm, passion and intellectual curiosity about all things American. Essex offers students an opportunity to understand some of the diverse and paradoxical aspects of the US through interdisciplinary studies. The US – perhaps more than any other society – lends itself to interdisciplinary study; its literature and film are connected to its politics, its cultures are linked to its histories.
Crucially, students also spend either a term or a full academic year studying in the United States, so they can explore and become immersed in American culture.
The degree is built to be extremely flexible and student-led, and as students progress through the course they can choose from an enormous range of options from across the humanities and social sciences including:
- Contemporary social issues, such as the struggles for racial justice
- The legacies of slavery and the civil rights movement
- Environmental protection of the ‘wilderness’ of the Far West
- Native American histories and rights
Based within the Interdisciplinary Studies Centre (ISC), this course allows students to explore the many ways of understanding the American experience. They draw on multiple perspectives in order to reach a deeper understanding of the world we inhabit, opening up exciting possibilities to discover the American continent. The cities, vast open plains, mountains and deserts shape diverse and intriguing ways of life.
By encouraging students to think and operate across traditional boundaries, the American studies course has produced confident, assertive and intelligent graduates who have become successful in many professional fields.
