Faculty
Julia Suarez Krabbe and others

Course Coordinator
Merete Borch

This is the final course of the BA programme in American Studies and as such builds on all the previous courses. Hence some knowledge of the history, political and economic institutions and systems as well as popular culture of the Americas is recommended.

The aim of this course is to give the students an applied introduction to theory and methods in cultural studies and to a number of the most important national, ethnic and socio-cultural issues on the American continents.

The course includes an introduction to theoretical and methodological tools for the observation and analysis of cultural issues. Among the concepts considered are: culture and cultures, cultural and other forms of identity, identity and otherness, the border as an empirical and theoretical concept, difference, nation and region. The theoretical dimension will be related directly to the specific cultural issues that are considered during the course, such as national and ethnic identity, race, religion, migration, multiculturalism, gender identities, etc. The course will focus on the western hemisphere as a whole and on individual nations and regions, with a special focus on specific issues in English- and Spanish-speaking America.

Oral exam based on a short written synopsis.

The working methods will include class teaching and presentations.

All the teaching is in English.

A reading list will be available at semester start

Further reading, appropriate weblinks and discussion questions for each class are posted on SiteScape, the CBS intranet system