Faculty of Arts

 American Studies

Table of Contents

Subject Lists
    Fourth Year Honours subjects

Convener: Dr David Goodman (History)

American Studies is a Faculty of Arts interdepartmental program housed in the department of History. It allows you to specifically examine American society through the analysis of popular culture, literature, cinema, history and politics.

 1. Prerequisites

The American Studies program commences in Second Year. The general prerequisite for entry is the completion of 50 points of First Year from any areas of study within the Faculty of Arts.

Please note that you should choose your First Year subjects carefully to ensure that you have the appropriate prerequisites for the areas of study that offer the subjects within the program.

 2. Requirements for a Major

A Major in American Studies usually consists of nine 12.5 point subjects, totalling 112.5 points. It comprises:

• two First Year subjects in any area of study (25 points) and;

• seven Second/Third Year subjects (totalling 87.5 points) which must include:

  • 131-145 Contemporary American Society & Culture, the program's compulsory subject offered in the History department and;

  • six subjects from the list of American Studies subjects below.

 2.1. American Studies subjects

The following Second/Third Year subjects are part of the American Studies program. Students must consult the relevant area of study entries in this handbook to make sure that they meet the prerequisites, if any, for these subjects.

Second/Third Year subjects
Compulsory subject		Semester
	131-145 Contemporary American Society & Culture	1
English
	106-022 City Cultures: New York/LA Stories	Not Offered
	106-031 Modernist Fiction	1
	106-049 American Liberals and Moderns	Not Offered
	106-061 American Voices	1
	106-068 Imagining Hollywood	Not Offered
Art History
	107-059 Art and Mass Culture in the 1960s	Not Offered
Cinema Studies
	107-076 Contemporary Hollywood Cinema	Not Offered
History
	131-079 Slavery & Freedom in the USA: 1790-1900	1
	131-018 Searching for the American Dream	2
	131-080 American Modern: USA 1890-1990	2
Political Science
	166-016 American Politics and Society	1
	166-040 Constitutional Design and Change	1
	166-023 Issues in American Foreign Policy	Not Offered
The Australian Centre
	100-003 Australia and America	1

The following Honours subjects can be taken as part of combined Honours in American Studies.

Fourth Year subjects
History		Semester
	131-143 Current Themes in American History	1
English
	106-080 Post-War American Fiction	2
	and the following study abroad subjects:
	131-018 Searching for the American Dream	2
	107-066 Postmodern Culture: Art in New York	2
	The following subjects contain significant American content. They may be taken as part of the combined Honours program in American Studies on the condition that a) students identify themselves to the teacher of the unit as American Studies Honours students b) students undertake to write their major piece of assessment for the subject on American topics.
Art History
	107-072 Sound & Vision: Art & Popular Music	2
Cinema Studies
	107-090 Film Criticism and the Canon	1
	107-092 Postmodernism and the Cinema	Not Offered
English
	106-033 Postcolonial Writing	1
History
	131-078 On the Edge of History	1
Political Science
	166-058 Law, Ethics and Public Policy	2
	166-059 The Emerging World (Dis)Order	1

 3. Combined Honours entry

Currently, there is no pure Honours program in American Studies. This means that sudents must combine Fourth Year Honours in American Studies with another area of study.

The prerequisites for entry to combined Honours in American Studies are:

• completion of all the requirements for the BA and;

• completion of a Major in American Studies and;

• an average grade of H2B or higher over the Second/Third Year subjects within the Major and;

• admission to Honours in another area of study within the Faculty of Arts.

Entry to Fourth Year Honours must be approved by the convenor of American Studies and the Faculty of Arts Honours course adviser.

 4. Combined Honours requirements

Students undertaking combined Honours in American Studies and another area of study must complete:

• 131-101 American Studies Honours Thesis or 131-102 American Studies Honours Thesis (MYE) for students commencing in Semester Two and;

• 131-103 American Nation, the program's compulsory Honours subject (12.5 points) and;

• one Honours subject in American Studies from the list above (12.5 points) and;

• three Honours subjects in the combined area of study (totalling 37.5 points).

or

• an Honours thesis in the combined area of study (37.5 points) and;

• two Honours subjects in the combined area of study (totalling 25 points) and;

• 131-103 American Nation, the program's compulsory Honours subject (12.5 points) and;

• two Honours subjects from the list above (totalling 25 points).

 5. For more information

Dr David Goodman
Department of History
Third Floor, John Medley Building
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010
Tel: +61 3 9344 5963
Email: d.goodman@history.unimelb.edu.au
Web: http://www.history.unimelb.edu.au

Fourth Year Honours subjects

131-101 American Studies Honours Thesis
131-102 American Studies Honours Thesis (MYE)
131-103 American Nation

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