1 | Bachelor's Thesis American Studies | LAX999B10 |
• To build upon and develop in-depth understanding and knowledge of the Americas, past and present, acquired during BA seminars. • To explore a specific topic within American Studies in relation to its cultural, sociological, historical, political, legal, and literary contexts, as appropriate. • To foster the scholarly skills (selection, processing, and evaluation of information) and academic knowledge necessary for semi-independent research. • To explore and apply current cultural/political/media and other theories as relevant to American Studies. • To develop advanced-level insights into interdisciplinary perspectives on the production of knowledge. • To equip the student with relevant transferable communication and writing skills, including the use of electronic technologies. |
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2 | Global USA: Business, Work and Wealth | LAX042B10 |
“The chief business of the American people is business” (President Calvin Coolidge) In the years since the Second World War, the character of what Robert Kagan has called “the world America made” has changed considerably. Focusing on a crucial aspect of the evolution of that “world,” this course traces the global history of U.S. capitalism from the establishment of the Bretton Woods system in 1944, through the turbulence of the 1970s and the end of the Cold War, to the present day, when, in the eyes of many commentators, the U.S.-dominated global (or, at least, Western) order faces a series of unprecedented threats . Students will explore how U.S. economic power interacted with the nation’s military and political power to shape an international order in which U.S.-based companies and U.S.-derived business practices have become increasingly influential in the lives of people all over the globe. Concentrating on the rise of U.S. economic power and influence in three key regions of the world (Western Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East), the course also considers the domestic effects of the expansion of that power and influence and introduces students to different ways of conceptualizing it. Has this been a process of democratization, globalization, imperialist domination, or something else entirely? And what have been the effects on populations both within the U.S. and abroad? While many may feel ambivalent about living in an allegedly Americanized world, how might we feel about alternative ways of working and securing wealth? |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. T. Jelfs | Docent(en) | dr. T. Jelfs P. Postma, MA. | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | actieve participatie, essay, wekelijkse opdrachten | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. | Opmerkingen | 80% Compulsory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments in and outside class. |
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3 | Media Specialization | LAX043B10 |
Our contemporary media environment is vertiginously complex, multi-centered, and evolving. This course arms students with the historical perspective and critical tools they will need understand U.S. popular culture in the present moment and to participate in that culture through informed everyday consumption, rigorous scholarly discourse, and thoughtful cultural production.
The first half of the course explores how media have shaped American life through two key problems: The Event and The Hoax. We will examine a series media events—from the death of Abraham Lincoln to the surprise album “drop” of Beyonce’s Lemonade—that have provoked scholarly debate about the role of celebrity, spectacle, and collective emotion in American life. Along the way, we will attend to how the mediation and reception of these events are shaped by ideologies of empire, race, gender, and class. We will then turn to a series of media hoaxes from the 18th century to the present: the U.S. reception of the novel Charlotte Temple, Mark Twain's "The Petrified Man," Orson Welles' radio broadcast The War of the Worlds, and the J.T. LeRoy scandal from the early 2000s. These scandals and deceptions show us how authors and audiences have responded to the rise of new media technologies (whether it be the sentimental novel, the newspaper, the radio, or the internet). Hoaxes also prompt us to reflect on our continued investment in the category of authenticity, especially in an age that theorists have termed "postmodern."
The second half of the course explores the relationship between media and contemporary politics around three themes: diversity, dystopia, and counterpublics. How does contemporary media both reflect and obscure the racial, gender, religious, and economic diversity of American life in the 21st century? Is media today a tool of authoritarian rule or a platform for resurgent democracy? To what extent does the digital media environment demand new philosophies and terms of analysis? To explore these essential questions, we will read classic theories of media and politics—Adorno, McLuhan, Baudrillard, and others—alongside primary texts from and journalistic commentaries on the current media ecosystem. Our primary texts will be drawn from diverse forms of popular media, including film franchises, on-demand television series, Twitter hashtags, "fake news" stories, and podcasts. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | K.S. Roberts, PhD. | Docent(en) | K.S. Roberts, PhD. | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | actieve participatie, essay, wekelijkse opdrachten | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. | Opmerkingen | 80% Compulsory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments in and outside class. |
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4 | Mobility, Migration, Transculturation | LAX022B10 |
Whether it is students spending an exchange semester away from their home university; migrant workers crossing land or water in pursuit of the American or European Dream; or political refugees trying to escape life-threatening circumstances in their home countries: mobility and migration have always constituted a fundamental experience of many people. Yet its causes and consequences have only recently started to receive an increasing amount of critical attention at a time shaped by global trade agreements as well as global terrorism and national security interests. While unskilled migrants have long since been perceived as an economic threat by many wealthy receiving nations, current changes in the geopolitical order have led to significant immigration policy changes in the Americas and Europe that increasingly blur the lines between economic migrants, political or environmental refugees, and potential terrorists. This course offers an interdisciplinary approach to current forms, practical problems of, as well as theoretical debates on migration by exploring the social, cultural, psychological, geopolitical, legal, and economic implications of specific international migration movements in the Americas and Europe. The course will concentrate on the following topics: globalization, international trade agreements,the geopolitics of borders; plurinational lives and transcultural identity formations; current social, economic, political, and environmental push and pull factors; the migration of elites; developing nations and the Western welfare state; undocumented migrant workers, border violence, and human rights debates along the U.S.-Mexican border; migration and gender(sex-trafficking);changes in international refugee laws and immigration policy measures in the U.S. and Europe after 9/11; debates on citizenship, social cohesion, integration, and assimilation; the pros and cons of open borders;the role of the media in the production of discourses on migration. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. M.E. Messmer | Docent(en) | dr. M.E. Messmer | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, presentatie, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | After successfully completing the propaedeutic phase and the modules: Retoric and composition II, and The Americas III (for the cohorts 2010, 2011 and 2012 must have successfully completed Rhetoric and Composition II and Theories of Culture II; the cohorts 2009-2010 and earlier must have successfully completed Rhetoric and Composition II together with Early American History, Early American Culture or The Americas: Exploration-Early Republic). | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can not be taken as an elective. |
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5 | North & South Americans I | LAX043P05 |
This course offers an in-depth interdisciplinary introduction to the peoples, cultures, and societies of Central and South America, with a special emphasis on nations, regions, developments, events, and movements that have a particular relevance for the United States. We will study this rich and diverse region from a variety of different disciplines and perspectives, frequently adopting a comparative (inter-American) perspective. Part I focuses on Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements, including Simon Bolívar and the Spanish American wars of independence, the world revolutionary Che Guevara and his protests against imperialism and capitalist exploitation, indigenous movements in Nicaragua and Mexico, Gustavo Gutierrez’s Liberation Theology and the Sanctuary movement, the Castros and Cuban-U.S. relations throughout the 20th and 21st century, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, Lula da Silva and the “pink tide” in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Brazil, as well as the current crisis in Venezuela. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. M.E. Messmer | Docent(en) | dr. M.E. Messmerprof. dr. W.G. Pansters | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, presentatie, wekelijkse opdrachten | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence. |
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6 | North & South Americans II | LAX044P05 |
This course offers an in-depth interdisciplinary introduction to the peoples, cultures, and societies in Latin America, and in relationship to North America, with a special emphasis on nations, regions, developments, events, and movements that have a particular relevance for the United States. We will study this rich and diverse region from a variety of different disciplines and perspectives, frequently adopting a comparative (inter-American) perspective. NSA II focuses on culture and society. By concentrating on topics such as sports, literature, politics, the environment, tourism, and colonialism, we will explore the ways that Latin American cultures and societies reflect the historical patterns and categories we identified in NSA I. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. M.E. Messmer | Docent(en) | dr. M.E. Messmerprof. dr. W.G. Pansters C.G. Sutherland | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, presentatie, wekelijkse opdrachten | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence. |
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7 | Political Culture | LAX041B10 |
Political culture is what embeds and informs our political behavior. It can be defined as a set of attitudes, values, beliefs and practices shared by a people and shaping their political perceptions and actions. As such, involves moral judgments, political myths, and ideas about what makes for a good citizen, a good society, and a good government. Political cultures vary from state to state (and sometimes even within one state), but they tend to be fairly stable over time. This course examines American political culture. Drawing on a wide range of historical and theoretical readings, it familiarizes students with some of its guiding ideas, including liberty, equality, democracy, individualism, unity, and diversity. Moreover, we will study how political debates in the U.S. tend to be over how these ideas can be realized, not over whether they are worth striving for in the first place. We will explore how American political culture—through debates, public protest, and the circulation of values and myths—intersects with American media and popular culture. And we will try to assess what the election of Donald Trump means for American political culture. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | prof. dr. L.C. Bieger | Docent(en) | prof. dr. L.C. Bieger | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, wekelijkse opdrachten, actieve participatie | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. | Opmerkingen | 80% Compulsory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments in and outside class. |
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8 | Rhetoric and Composition 1 | LAX011P10 |
This course focuses on composing pieces of argumentative writing. Through various writing and speaking tasks (writing a number of short essays, completing a more elaborate research assignment, and preparing and performing oral presentations), students develop oral and written language skills and acquire both subject-specific and transferable academic skills (setting up a research project, correct use of academic sources, clear argumentation). |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. T. Jelfs | Docent(en) | M. Arnoldus, MA.dr. J. Olthof | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | continue toetsing, portfolio, presentatie | ECTS | 10 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can not be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. |
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9 | Rhetoric and Composition 2 | LAX017B10 |
This second-year course completes the departmental program in Rhetoric and Composition. Building on the foundations of academic writing laid in Rhetoric and Composition I, Rhetoric and Composition II offers rigorous consolidation and additional practice in various forms of academic English while also intensifying the focus on the subject-specific demands faced by students writing and speaking argumentatively in an American Studies setting. Students will deepen their understanding of formal argumentation and produce a series of argumentative essays (ranging in length from 1000 to 2500 words) to demonstrate their grasp of scholarly language, argument, and structure; their ability to deal with historical and theoretical contexts; and the quality of their research skills. Through the analysis of a selection of academic articles and argumentative essays, students will study and learn to reproduce diverse modes of scholarly rhetoric in both written and oral form. In the second half of the course, they give individual oral presentations based on the arguments articulated in their final research essays. Throughout the course, students are asked to reflect critically on their own writing and the writing of others, with the aim of furnishing them with the skills that will be required for third-year research seminars and the composition of their B.A. theses in the final year of the American Studies program. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. T. Jelfs | Docent(en) | D. Duricdr. T. Jelfs | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege, zelfstudie | Toetsvorm | continue toetsing, portfolio, presentatie | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. After successfully completing the module: Rhetoric and Composition I | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can not be taken as an elective. |
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10 | Special Topics 1: Canada and the US | LAX031P10 |
One of the most important elements of Canadian federal policy was the introduction of official multiculturalism in the 1970s. In 1988, the federal government passed the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. Central to this policy was the official recognition of the diverse cultures in a plural society. In understanding official multiculturalism in a broader context, it is necessary to first examine its basic values. This examination will be followed by a critical discussion of the situation of cultural and linguistic minorities within Canada, which will for example touch upon questions of national identity, biculturalism and liberal multiculturalism. The course also includes a comparative perspective, using the Canadian political perspective (based on the ideals of multiculturalism and bilingualism) to critique the US ideals of the melting pot, assimilation, and monolingualism. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. J.M.L. den Toonder | Docent(en) | dr. J.M.L. den Toonder | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 10 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective. Major students take precedence. |
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11 | Special Topics 1: The Art of Protest | LAX046P10 |
The U.S. is a nation founded in protest, and throughout its history creative expression has been a motor of social change. First-wave feminists mimicked the rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence to voice their discontent about living in a patriarchal society that denied them even the most basic rights. Abolitionists collected and printed the stories of runaway slaves to support their cause of ending slavery, thus creating one of the first genres of African American literature. At around the same time, romantic writers probed non-violent modes of resistance against what they perceived as an increasingly corrupt and corrosive society. In the early twentieth century, avant-garde artists wrote flaming manifestoes about how to close the gap between art and life and create a better world. The protest movements of the sixties used songs, poems and happenings to rally support, with the visual arts extensively used to create a public record. In the second half of the twentieth century, hippie, punk, and queer subcultures have turned style, performance and body art into powerful vehicles of protest (and moving targets of mainstream assimilation), while at the commercial, mainstream end, rock and pop stars have routinely aligned themselves with campaigns against social injustice and misguided politics. The art of protest is staple of U.S. culture that cuts across distinctions of high and low, art and commerce; and that has seized virtually every medium (including the human body). This course introduces students to a range of social and artistic movements in the U.S. and to their distinctive protest repertoires. Furthermore, in examining the art of protest and its prominent place in U.S. culture, students will learn how different rhetoric and aesthetic strategies work in and across different media, materials, cultural realms, and historical periods. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | prof. dr. L.C. Bieger | Docent(en) | prof. dr. L.C. Bieger | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 10 | Opmerkingen | 80% Compulsory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments in and outside class. |
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12 | Special Topics 1: The Political Story | LAX047P10 |
When is a story more than just a story? Can stories ever attain the status of critique? Contemporary U.S. society has seen a boom in examples of (popular) narrative culture that appear to take deeply critical positions vis-à-vis dominant political and economic structures. Think, for example, of the way TV shows like Mr. Robot and Black Mirror overtly criticize the technocratic financial sectors of society, echoing Marxist theories of commodification, or how computer games like Inside and Mirrors Edge echo the Orwellian understanding of advanced capitalist societies as draconian surveillance states.
This introductory level course considers the relationship(s) between critiques of race, class, and identity struggle in contemporary U.S. narrative culture. It also fosters knowledge about the ways in which stories function (and have functioned) politically in the U.S. We will look at the history of the politically engaged story, its reception in its historical context, and contemporary perspectives on them, as well as at contemporary iterations of, and interactions with, critical narrative culture. We will learn to discern and analyze the critical components of stories from different forms of media: games, novels, films and television series, as well as learning to criticize the critical components themselves. As the course continues we will constantly be asking ourselves, can a story ever really be more than just a story? |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | M.L. Thompson | Docent(en) | M. Arnoldus, MA. | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 10 | Opmerkingen | 80% Compulsory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments in and outside class. |
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13 | Special Topics 2: Life and Death in Am. | LAX040B10 |
This seminar examines American laws, perspectives, histories, and cultures of life and death issues, such as abortion, gun violence, border deaths, natural disasters, the death penalty, genocide, eugenics and sterilization. We will examine a broad range of topics through film, music, poetry and prose, and multidisciplinary studies, emphasizing not just the either-or-ness of how such topics are often presented, but seeking unusual, conflicted, and changing perspectives on these topics. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. A.M. Martinez | Docent(en) | dr. A.M. Martinez | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. | Opmerkingen | 80% Compulsory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments in and outside class. |
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14 | Special Topics 2: The Constitution | LAX036B10 |
To understand American politics and culture, the United States Constitution is indispensable. This 225-year old document does far more than organize and regulate the different branches of government. The Constitution is revered by many Americans as a sacred text that contains the core values of the Republic and defines what it means to be “American.” Many controversial debates (ranging from Guantanamo to gun control, and from presidential war powers to health care) demonstrate the continuing significance of the Constitution. Key to all of these debates is the question whether certain issues are “constitutional”—and therefore “American.” In this course, we will explore the values and principles in the Constitution that have shaped and continue to shape the United States. We will analyze the content, history, and present meaning of the Constitution, after which students will focus on one of the many controversies that continue to divide and define the United States. This will result in a research paper that students will defend before a jury of peers. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. J. Olthof | Docent(en) | dr. J. Olthof | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. | Opmerkingen | 80% mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during the semester and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can not be taken as an elective. |
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15 | The Americas Ia: The American Century | LAX025P05 |
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to cultural, historical, political, social, and economic developments in the Americas from the 1890s until the 1970s. While our main focus will be on the United States, we will frequently adopt a comparative, hemispheric perspective due to the U.S.’s substantial involvement in Latin America and the Caribbean during the first half of the twentieth century. We will focus in particular on the following themes: the Spanish-American War and the rise of the U.S. as a global power; expansionism and empire; pan-Americanism and transatlanticism; U.S. diplomatic and military responses to developments in Latin America and the Caribbean; immigration and demographic shifts; WWII; the Cold War; Castro and the Cuban Revolution; the Vietnam War; the Civil Rights Movement. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | M.L. Thompson | Docent(en) | M. Arnoldus, MA.dr. T. Jelfsdr. M. Zwiers | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijk tentamen, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence. |
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16 | The Americas Ib: The American Century | LAX026P05 |
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to cultural, historical, political, social, and economic developments in the Americas from the 1970s to the present. While our main focus will be on the United States, we will frequently adopt a comparative, hemispheric perspective due to the increasing economic, political, and military integration of the U.S., Mexico and Canada since the 1990s. We will focus in particular on the following themes: 9/11 and the war on terror; the war on drugs; party polarization and the rise of the New Right; family politics in the Americas; environmental concerns; Inter-American economic relations; the US’s current cross-national and international relations and trade networks; strategies of world leadership and power. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | M.L. Thompson | Docent(en) | M. Arnoldus, MA.dr. T. Jelfsdr. M. Zwiers | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijk tentamen, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence. |
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17 | The Americas IIa: New Frontiers | LAX032P05 |
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to cultural, historical, political, social, and economic developments in the Americas in the 19th century, with a specific focus on the position of the U.S within a hemispheric framework. Among the many topics we will address are the consolidation of the nation, the impact of Caribbean slave revolts on national identity construction, expansionism to the West and South, the American Borderlands, slavery, immigration, mobility, religious movements, industrialization, architecture, urbanization and changing gender roles. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | M.L. Thompson | Docent(en) | dr. J. Olthof M.L. Thompsondr. M. Zwiers | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijk tentamen | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence. |
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18 | The Americas IIb: New Frontiers | LAX033P05 |
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to cultural, historical, political, social, and economic developments in the Americas in the 19th century, with a specific focus on the position of the U.S within a hemispheric framework. Among the many topics we will address are the consolidation of the nation, the impact of Caribbean slave revolts on national identity construction, expansionism to the West and South, the American Borderlands, slavery, immigration, mobility, religious movements, industrialization, architecture, urbanization and changing gender roles. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | M.L. Thompson | Docent(en) | dr. J. Olthof M.L. Thompsondr. M. Zwiers | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijk tentamen | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence. |
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19 | The Americas III | LAX029B10 |
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to cultural, historical, political, social, and economic developments in the Americas from the era of exploration and early settlement to ca. 1800. The course will start with a hemispheric reconstruction of the migrations of the peoples of ancient America; the early European expeditions of discovery and conquest; and the first European settlements in North America. Using the methodology of world systems analysis, the course will next explore patterns of transatlantic trade and colonization in the Americas in the 17th century; the spread and clash of European empires; emigration and the peopling of the Americas; and the transatlantic slave trade. The course will culminate with an analysis of the French and Indian War and the Revolution debate of the 1760s and 1770s as setting the scene for the War of Independence, the Constitutional debate and the consolidation of the nation in the 1790s. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | M.L. Thompson | Docent(en) | dr. J. Olthof M.L. Thompson | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | continue toetsing, essay, schriftelijk tentamen | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. After successfully completing the module: The Americas I (A and B) OR The Americas II (A and B) | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can not be taken as an elective. |
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20 | Theories of Culture Ia | LAX039P05 |
Drawing on a wide range of theoretical and cultural texts as well as visual materials, this course will offer an interdisciplinary introduction to central concepts, major theorists, and current controversies about the notions of identity in the context of contemporary U.S.-American society. In particular, we will study contemporary notions of American identity as multi-dimensional political, social, cultural, and ideological constructs based on three interrelated theory-modules: (1) theories of gender, (2) theories of race/ethnicity, and (3) theories of social class. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. A.M. Martinez | Docent(en) | D. Duricdr. A.M. Martinez | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence. |
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21 | Theories of Culture Ib | LAX041P05 |
Drawing on a wide range of theoretical and cultural texts as well as visual materials, this course will offer an interdisciplinary introduction to central concepts, major theorists, and current controversies about the notions of identity in the context of contemporary U.S.-American society. In particular, we will study contemporary notions of American identity as multi-dimensional political, social, cultural, and ideological constructs based on three interrelated theory-modules: (1) theories of gender, (2) theories of race/ethnicity, and (3) theories of social class. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. A.M. Martinez | Docent(en) | D. Duricdr. A.M. Martinez | Onderwijsvorm | hoorcollege, werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, schriftelijke opdracht(en) | ECTS | 5 | Opmerkingen | 80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit by those students who have completed Theories of Culture Ia. Major students take precedence. |
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22 | Theories of Culture III: Consumer Nation | LAX031B10 |
Onderzoeksproject op het gebied van de dynamiek en representatie van culturele processen in de V.S. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. M.E. Messmer | Docent(en) | K.S. Roberts, PhD. | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | continue toetsing, essay | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. After successfully completing the modules: Rhetoric and Composition II Theories of Culture II | Opmerkingen | Kan niet in de VS worden gevolgd. 80% Aanwezigheidsplicht bij werkcolleges. Studenten worden geacht actief te participeren in alle werkcolleges en alle opdrachten tijdig en correct uit te voeren.Dit vak staat niet open als bijvak |
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23 | Theories of Culture 2: Theories and Meth | LAX044B10 |
The course covers theoretical and methodological approaches with which students should already have some familiarity from their first year of study (such as close reading and critical theories of race, class and gender) as well as introducing new approaches. Team-taught and structured around a changing theme, the course will serve to trace the history of American Studies in relation to a selection of its contributing disciplines, teaching students what methodological tools disciplines like history, literary studies, cultural studies, and others have to offer the interdisciplinary Americanist. |
Faculteit | Letteren | Voertaal | Engels | Coordinator | dr. M.E. Messmer | Docent(en) | dr. T. Jelfsdr. A.M. Martinezdr. M.E. Messmer M.L. Thompson | Onderwijsvorm | werkcollege | Toetsvorm | essay, wekelijkse opdrachten | ECTS | 10 | Entreevoorwaarden | Admission to the second year, in other words at least 45 ECTS from the propaedeutic phase of the major. | Opmerkingen | 80% Compulsory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments in and outside class. |
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