American studies

American Political Culture

Module code: T7059E
Level 4
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture
Assessment modes: Coursework

American political culture is rooted in a shared set of ideals, including liberty, equality, social justice, democracy, and individualism. These are not always realised in practice.

You will explore how electoral politics and the democratic process have been promoted and challenged in American culture. Drawing on a wide range of American Studies methodologies and theories, and taking a cultural-historical approach, you will focus on the subjective side of American politics.

You will examine debates around memory, militarism, race, gender, religion, nativism, populism and identity, and how they have been expressed in beliefs, attitudes and cultural practice from the 1750s to the age of Trump.

Module learning outcomes

• Identify the key cultural forms through which US politics has been debated and represented
• Critically apply knowledge and understanding of the ‘political culture’ of the United States.
• Analyse and critically evaluate representations of American politics in a variety of cultural forms (film, autobiography, song, fiction, drama).
• Identify and research a key issue or question relating to the culture of US politics