Overview | Summary of Courses

Offered By:

ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences

The United States is still the most powerful nation and the single biggest economy on earth. Whatever the United States does affects the rest of the world in a variety of ways, and so it is vital to understand the broader framework within which it acts on the world stage. A Minor in American Studies assists students to develop their knowledge of the U.S. through a range of courses dealing with its history, politics, literature and other aspects of its culture.

 

The Minor in American Studies caters for students who seek a multi-disciplinary suite of courses that exposes them to a variety of perspectives on the United States and its development. A Minor in American Studies, alongside a Major in History, International Relations, Literature or Politics, also provides an excellent grounding for honours-level and graduate study of the United States in those disciplines.

 

Learning Outcomes

Students completing a Minor in American Studies will:

1. develop research, analysis and writing skills in courses based in a variety of disciplines but linked by their focus on the United States;
2. deepen their understanding of the ways in which key institutions, cultures and socio-economic structures have developed in the United States;
3. broaden their understanding of the United States by using perspectives gained through courses grounded in history, literature and politics.
4. prepare themselves for future study of the United States at Honours and Postgraduate level.

Requirements

This minor requires the completion of 24 units, which must include:

 

24 units from completion of core courses from the following list:

ENGL2005 – Nineteenth Century US Literature (6 units)

ENGL2006 – Modern American Fiction (6 units)

FILM2006 – United States Cinema: Hollywood and Beyond (6 units)

HIST2107 – American Voices: Aspects of Social Thought in the United States, 1865-1980 (6 units)

HIST2121 – Electric Citizens: The Rise of the Modern Media in the United States, 1865-2000 (6 units)

HIST2126 – American Sixties (6 units)

HIST2141 – The Cold War, 1945-1989 (6 units)

HIST2214 – The Great War, 1914-1919 (6 units)

POLS2013A – Government and Politics in the USA (6 units)

POLS2013B – Government and Politics in the USA (6 units)

POLS3021 – Washington Internship (6 units)

The information published on the Study at ANU 2012 website applies to the 2012 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2011 website.