131-458 American Nation

Formerly available as 131-103. Students who have completed 131-103 are not eligible to enrol in this subject. This is an advanced seminar.

Usually admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth-year honours in history, or admission to fourth-year combined honours in American studies.

This subject critically considers aspects of American nation and identity from the birth of the 'American Nation' until the present day. Topics will focus on moments when the American people have crystallised or contested their idea of 'nation', such as the Revolution, the Spanish-American War, the New Deal period and the 1960s. Students should complete the subject having encountered some classic sites of American national representation, for example, the national imagery produced by the New Deal agencies in the 1930s, Hollywood nationalism of different eras, contemporary political rhetoric, and with an ability to read these sites within and against the debates in American studies. Students will also explore various ways in which Americans have represented themselves and their nation through film, literature or popular culture.