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AMERICAN STUDIES AT KEELE

• Single Honours• Dual Honours• Single Honours English & American Literatures

2012 entry 2014/15 entry

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Overview

American Studies: our history and philosophy EALs degree programmes and degree structure Year 1 and Year 2 Opportunities to study abroad Year 3 Staff Learning, teaching and assessment Sources of support Distinctive features Other facilities Careers Further information

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American Studies – our history & philosophy

Keele pioneered American Studies Multi- and inter-disciplinary study Literature & Culture specialists Key global role of U.S. Internationalism Generic and transferable skills

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Our degree programmes

Single Honours English & American Literatures Single Honours American Studies Dual Honours American Studies with another

principal subject (History, English …) Major in American Studies (minor in the other

principal subject) Minor in American Studies (major in the other

principal subject eg. LLB Law with American Studies)

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EALs Degree structure

• Three years – 120 credits a year• Two semesters per year – 60 credits a semester• Four 15 credit modules a semester• Elective modules approved as part of the programme• Elective modules in foreign languages, topics of

general interest, studying abroad, volunteering, employability skills

• Single Honours – 255 credits (17 modules)

Year 1 English & American Literatures

Core modules

Semester 1: Reading Literature

Starting Out: An Introduction to American Literature

Semester 2: Becoming a Critic

Transatlantic Gothic: C19 English & American Literatures

Elective modulesA Beginner’s Guide to Contemporary America / Poetry through

Practice / Reading Film / Telling Tales

New York, New York: An Introduction to American Culture / The American Past: Explorations in US History / Fiction through Practice / Approaches to Film / Playing Parts

Year 2, Semester 1 EALs

Choose at least two from:Burning Crosses: Religion and American Culture / History of the US in the Twentieth Century / The Romance of Fiction: History and Society in C19 American Literature / Romanticisms / Twentieth Century Novels into Films / The Age of Shakespeare and Donne / Aspects of the Novel 1740-1930 / Lyrics and the Popular Song

Year 2, Semester 2 EALs

Choose at least two from:The Detective and the American City / Alfred Hitchcock’s America / From Modernity to Counter-Culture: American Literature and Social Criticism in the C20 / Creative Writing: Poetry and Prose / French Cinema / The Drawn Sword: Literature and the English Civil War / Victorian Performances / Postwar British Fiction and Poetry, Satire

Opportunities to study abroad

• Go to the USA, Canada, or Europe• Fine to stay at Keele• One semester (dual honours) or two semester option for single

honours (pay one semester fees only)• Selection by competition and interview• Compulsory Year 1 module in Intercultural Communication• Tuition, accommodation and books at Keele rates• Special insurance rates• High season travel expenses• Return with transcript and portfolio• Grades count towards Keele degree• More specialized regional modules

Opportunities to study abroad

Campus and urban university settings:

Appalachian State, Ball State, Bowling Green State, Colorado State, Loyola, Minnesota State, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Maryland, North Carolina (Greensboro or Wilmington), North Texas, San Diego State, Southern Mississippi, Southern Maine, San Antonio, Knoxville, Salt Lake City, Willamette

Alberta, British Columbia, Brock, Montreal, Dalhousie, Guelph, Memorial, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, York

Year 3

• 60 credits a semester

• Must do one year-long 30 credit Independent Study Project (e.g. a dissertation) plus 3 modules each semester)

• Can do two ISPs (plus 2 modules each semester) – or even 3 (plus 1 + 1)!

• ISPs available in American Literature, English Literature, Creative Writing and all other principals

Year 3 EALs

Choose from:Silence, Strength, and Sentiment: Gender and Sexuality in C19 American Literature / Film Noir: the Dark Side of America / Postcolonial and World Literature in English / Sex, Scandal and Society: Eighteenth-Century Writing The Writer as Psychologist: The Great Russian Realists / Shakespeare on Film: Adaptation and Appropriation / Dickens, Collins and Detection

Words and Pictures: The Contemporary American Graphic Novel / High Culture: Drink, Drugs and the American Dream / Postmodernism: Fiction / Film and Theory / The Two Cultures of the Arts and Sciences / Romantic Voices / The Canadian Metropolis / Milton / Shakespearean Stages

Year 3 Independent Study Projects

• 30-credit English or American literature dissertation – or Creative Writing (c. 10,000 words)

• Work spread over 2 semesters• Structured programme of lectures,

group meetings, individual supervision

• Choose your topic and work autonomously with expert guidance

• Culminating piece of work; preparation for postgraduate studies

Staff

Professor David Amigoni – Victorian literature and scienceProfessor Ian Bell – American modernismDr Nick Bentley – Contemporary literature, cultural theoryProfessor Susan Bruce – Renaissance literature, ShakespeareDr Anthony Carrigan – Eco-criticism, postcolonial literatureProfessor Oliver Harris – Twentieth-century American literature and filmDr Beth Johnson – Film StudiesDr Tim Lustig – Nineteenth and twentieth-century American literatureProfessor Scott McCracken – Modernism, Popular fictionDr Ceri Morgan – Contemporary Canadian literatureDr James Peacock – Contemporary American literatureDr Roger Pooley – Seventeenth-century literature, religion, modern poetryDr Nicholas Seager – Eighteenth-century literatureJames Sheard – Poetry Dr Jonathon Shears – Romanticism and Victorian literatureJoe Stretch – Fiction, Lyrics

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Learning and teaching

Lectures Seminars Workshops Individual consultation Individual supervision Extracurricular events

and activities

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Assessment

Essays Examinations Tutorial performance Formative exercises Portfolios Oral presentations Dissertations

Sources of support

• Programme Director• Personal Tutor• Module Tutors• KLE via Hallsnet or Wifi (eVision, Blackboard, online texts and

documents, quizzes, Chat facilities, assignments, announcements and much more)

• Staff-Student Liaison Committee• Life and Learning team in Student Support and Development

Services• Resident tutors in each hall• Student Union Independent Advice Unit

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Distinctive Features

Flexible and varied programmes Interesting and challenging modules Range widely, then specialize Study abroad opportunities Research-active staff Development of subject-specific, generic and

transferable skills A supportive team of tutors who will get to

know you as an individual

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Other facilities

Library IT provision Undergraduate Resource Centre Drama society Keele Writing Visiting speakers and writers Film and theatre trips Extensive and attractive campus environment Modern and well-equipped teaching rooms

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Careers

Tracking graduate destinations High proportion of graduates in employment Teaching, management, postgraduate

studies, media and journalism, law and government, financial and business…

Close relationship with Careers Service, including dedicated seminars for English students

Further information

http://www.keele.ac.uk/americanstudies

for news and events, full programme specifications, module outlines and more…

Programme Director: Dr James Peacockj.h.peacock@keele.ac.uk