American Studies is one of the two tracks of our Bachelor's programme in English Language and Culture.
The track American Studies offers you the possibility of immersing yourself in the culture, literature, history, politics and media of the United States. How do we make sense of 'America' when it contains so many different peoples, histories and cultures? How can such a country elect first Obama and then Trump? And why and in what ways is America a global power? This programme allows you to gain an in-depth understanding of one of today's most influential countries in the world: the ideas and values driving it, the history and politics shaping it, and the local and global cultures to which this has given shape. While you are learning this, you will be working hard to learn to speak and write American English at a professional level of fluency.
Is American Studies the right programme for you?
You are going to study American Studies because you are interested in the literature, culture, history and politics of the United States. America has a huge political and economic influence on the rest of the world, and especially on the Netherlands and the rest of Western Europe. That is why Dutch media closely monitors every move President Trump makes. His actions do not only have implications for the United States, but also for the rest of the world. But not only American politics gets plenty of attention. The biggest hits and blockbusters come from the United States. Furthermore, American fast food chains are popping up like mushrooms all over the world. The political and cultural influence of the United States on our daily lives is enormous. What are the reasons for that? When you are interested in these kind of questions, American Studies might fit you perfectly!
Why American Studies at Radboud University?
- A challenging and exciting programme that brings together the study of language, culture, literature, society, history and politics
- Full immersion in English, with a strong focus on language acquisition courses throughout the programme
- A dynamic international teaching staff who are either native speakers or near-native speakers of English and who are leading scholars in the field of American Studies
- The opportunity to study abroad or do an internship
- A personal approach
- Enjoy an active cultural life while studying
- Study at the best traditional university in the Netherlands
What are the future prospects for graduates of American Studies?
The career possibilities for our students with a degree in American Studies are flexible and wide-ranging, since they are taught a valuable set of academic and analytic skills. Alumni of our programme are currently at work in a variety of fields:
- cultural field (television and radio, publishing, museums, magazines, festivals);
- international, national and local government (foreign ministries, international relations, NGOs, municipal government and chambers of commerce);
- independent intercultural communication consultancies and translating businesses.
For more information pleace click HERE.