Do you aspire to a career in global politics, media, business, journalism, or education? Are you interested in all things American, from the U.S. political system to cultural imperialism, and from literature and film to contemporary digital cultures?
Would you like to spend a semester studying abroad at one of our partner universities in the U.S. or Canada?
Our American Studies MA will provide you with an English language learning environment that challenges you to develop your own interests and formulate your own arguments in small-group seminars. Along the way, you’ll be guided by our team of leading international researchers in the field of American Studies.
Since at least 1945, American
culture and American politics have sat at the heart of our
contemporary world, and American Studies is the interdisciplinary,
wide-ranging study of that culture and politics and the ways that
they interact not just in the United States but around the world.
But doing American Studies involves more than mastering knowledge
related to America and its place in the world.
After completing our MA in North
American Studies, you’ll certainly know a lot about America.
But you’ll also be able to think, talk, and write critically
about it, independently analyze any aspect of its culture that
fascinates you, and conduct your own research project that cuts
across traditional academic boundaries. We don’t use boring
textbooks, and we don’t just ask you to summarize what others
think about a topic. We challenge you to build your own persuasive
analysis of whatever it is about America that interests
you.
Our students’ research topics
are as diverse as America itself. From the
Stars Wars
franchise and its place in U.S. and global
culture to gerrymandering, voter suppression, political
polarization, or the history of Audubon's
Birds of America
–in American Studies, we let you
follow your own path. And through a specially designed writing
course and our network of local, national, and international
partners, our students also learn how to write and communicate
their ideas in English to a wide variety of public
audiences.
In your first semester, we make sure
you’re up to date on the latest developments in the exciting
and often argumentative field of American studies, while also
teaching courses based on our own research interests. Students can
also
do an internship during
their degree. From small Dutch tech start-ups to national
newspapers and consular offices in the U.S., those who have hosted
our American Studies students send back glowing reports of
culturally savvy, intellectually mature, and highly effective
interns.
