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Kent provides a blend of established staples in American Studies such as the Civil War, slavery and contemporary politics, along with innovative modules on Native American literature, US environmental issues, and Latin American history and culture (including a Spanish language option). A wide range of modules are on offer in both three- and four-year programmes.
Overview
This programme is a four-year degree (with one year abroad) and specialises in Latin American history. We offer alternative American Studies degrees, all with the option of spending time at a US university. Each programme allows you to shape your degree into something unique and challenging. For more details, see 'related to this course' below.
The University of Kent has been teaching and researching in the field of American Studies since 1973. The programme is taught by an impressive range of internationally recognised scholars who specialise in American film, literature, history and politics. Students are encouraged to visit the United States or Latin America through our exchange system.
Independent rankings
American Studies at Kent was ranked 4th in The Guardian University Guide 2015 and 7th in The Complete University Guide 2015. In the National Student Survey 2014, 86% of American Studies students were satisfied with the quality of their course.
Course structure
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Year abroad
Students on the four-year programmes spend a year between Stages 2 and 3 at one of our partner universities in South America taking specialist courses.
Teaching and assessment
Modules are usually taught by lectures and seminars or by seminars alone. You usually have around ten hours of contact with staff each week. Depending on the modules you select, assessment varies from 100% coursework (extended essay or dissertation) to a combination of examination and coursework.
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- provide teaching informed by research and scholarship
- encourage flexibility and multidisciplinarity in the study of the Americas
- build on close ties within Europe with the United States and Latin America through its year abroad of study
- provide learning opportunities that involve realistic workloads within a research-led framework and offer appropriate support for students from a diverse range of backgrounds
- introduce students to the history, culture and politics of the Americas, and encourage them to identify and develop their own interests and expertise in fields of the humanities
- develop independent critical thinking and judgement in its students
- enable students to develop their capacity to learn, be prepared for employment or further study
- introduce students to Area Studies, in an era of globalisation and multiculturalism
- provide the opportunity to experience higher education in another culture.
Note on nomenclature: following current American Studies custom, any references to ‘America’ refers to North and South America and not simply the United States of America. Similarly ‘the Americas’ refers to both continents.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- the culture of the US and Latin America from colonial times to the 20th century
- methodical practices associated with research and study of American Studies
- the study of American Studies in relation to other disciplines
- terminology used in work in American Studies
- the similarities and differences between areas, thus fostering cross-cultural and international perspectives
- the cultural diversity of the Americas
- the problems inherent in the cultural record itself, and the limits within which interpretation is possible
- the Spanish language in all its aspects, by extensive reading in Spanish and the use of Spanish as a spoken and written medium.
Intellectual skills
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
- the skills needed for academic study and inquiry
- how to evaluate research findings
- the ability to synthesise information from a number of sources to gain a coherent understanding of critical theory and general methodology
- the ability to discriminate and select relevant information from a wide source and large body of knowledge
- problem-solving skills
- how to communicate effectively in Spanish and another Iberian language for a range of purposes and audiences
- develop language skills in three related areas: reception (listening and reading), production (speaking and writing) and mediation between at least two languages (translation and interpreting)
- the ability to mediate and display qualities of empathy in an intercultural context.
Subject-specific skills
You gain specific skills in the following:
- the close critical analysis of documents of American culture
- an informed understanding of the variety of critical and theoretical approaches to the study of history
- the ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of texts, concepts and theories relating to historical studies
- appropriate scholarly practice in the presentation of formal written work
- the ability to understand a multi-disciplinary academic subject, with its array of literature, history and other discourses
- the ability to combine various academic discourses such as literature and history to forge an inter-disciplinary understanding
- how to construct an independent, research-led argument
- to read texts and other source materials critically and empathetically while addressing questions of genre, content, perspective and purpose.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills in the following:
- communication: how to organise information clearly, respond to written sources, present information orally,adapt style for different audiences and the use of images as a communication tool
- the ability to assimilate and organise substantial quantities of complex information
- IT skills such as how to produce written documents, undertake online research and process information using databases
- work co-operatively on group tasks and understand how groups function
- explore personal strengths and weaknesses, time management, review working environment, develop specialist learning skills and autonomy in learning
- problem solving, explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them
- communication skills in the Spanish language.
Careers
Many employers view a graduate with overseas study experience as more employable. Studying American Studies gives you transferable skills, such as the ability to work independently, to assimilate and analyse information and to present that information clearly and concisely in written form, and with passion and confidence orally.
Our graduates have gone on to careers in business, further professional training, management, broadcasting and media, teaching and a variety of other occupations in Britain, Europe and the USA.
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | ABB |
| Access to HE Diploma | The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 16 points at HL |
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.
Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
UK/EU/International students on an approved Year Abroad for the full 2016/17 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Those on an approved Year in Industry pay an annual fee of £865 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.