This core module will introduce students to the main themes of American history through a reading of key texts, including classics and cutting-edge work in the field. It will provide the foundation for students seeking to engage in advanced research in American history and will focus on the significant debates and academic turns that have shaped historical writing on the United States. Topics and themes covered may include the 'new' histories of capitalism, slavery and enslavement, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Jim Crow, cultural history, political and economic history, labour and the New Deal, U.S. empire and settler colonialism, gender and sexuality, immigration and ethnicity, the Cold War, intellectual history, and the War on Terror.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Analyse and evaluate key themes and major trends in American historiography.
Situatetheir research agenda within the literature and historiographical debate
Analyse, synthesise and critically engage with American history and present evidence of engagement with relevant topics and debates in both oral and written form.
