BA English Literature and American Studies

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This third-year module explores the historical significance of non-state actors in the rise of United States as a world power. This course conceptualises ‘America in the world’ in relation to the transnational movement of American groups and individuals beyond the geographical boundaries of the United States alongside the ways in which America and Americans conceived of themselves in relation to the world at large. The module begins in the Progressive Era, when an emboldened and enriched post-reconstruction nation set its sights on global ascendency and concludes at the end of the long 1960s—when faith in the United States’ claims of moral righteousness as well as faith in the American Dream had significantly eroded both at home and abroad. This course asks what role did ordinary people play in contributing to the United States’ rise as a global hegemon? What were the consequences of American citizens being abroad on their notions of American identity, American citizenship, and international solidarity? What were the consequences of Americans abroad on their host countries as well as on the United States? Is it possible to simultaneously advance and challenge state power? The course is designed for students to scrutinise the broader social and cultural structures—such as race, class, religion, gender, and sexuality—that non-state actors either upheld or dismantled as they engaged in the making, maintenance, and contesting of the United States as a world power. As a Level 3 module, it would enable students to sharpen their analytical skills by working with a wide variety of primary source types, from documentary to oral histories, memoirs, photography and visual art, documentaries, and interviews.

• To study US history through the lens of transnationalism
• To develop an interdisciplinary and transnational understanding of how non-state actors contribute to nation building and statecraft
• To rethink empire and imperialism in relation to creating and maintaining hegemony
• To engage with scholarship, primary sources, literature, and autobiography about the experiences of non-state actors in order to make comprehensive arguments
• To enhance analytic and interpretive skills; broaden IT skills; and train in research methods (such as oral history, life writing, material culture, archival records, etc) according to the primary sources they will be engaging with throughout the module.

- Logical thought and critical reasoning. 
- Strong oral and written communication.
- Resourcefulness in the gathering, analysis, and evaluation of key sources.
- Time management and self-motivation from the completion of independent work to deadlines.
- Understanding a range of viewpoints and critical approaches to the origins of some of the most significant issues in politics and society.  
- Ability to engage in constructive debates with peers through class discussion and oral presentations.
- Ability to work well with others, to acknowledge competing views, and to work collaboratively on tasks.
- will embolden analytic and critical thinking skills,
- the ability to organise and present clear and well-researched historical arguments
- will strengthen students’ ability to work individually, as well as how to work together as a group
They will think creatively about problem solving through discovering how to find historical sources, determining what kind of sources to use for their research, and also how to frame and  present their research. 
 

The class will be taught as a 1 hour lecture and a 2 hour seminar. The lecture will be used to establish the core themes and questions of the week, and also to recap the basic historical materials. The seminar will then consist of student-led discussion around the week’s reading, with the second hour will consisting of reading and writing exercises, as well as exploring online digital archives, including organizing students for the collective class digital project. 
 

By the end of this unit, students should be able to:
• Possess an understanding of the America’s rise to become a world power, and the role of non-state actors in securing its position of global leadership
• To understand how race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and sexuality informed ideals of American belonging and identity
• The ability to interpret a vast array of sources - whether primary, secondary, material, or audio/visual

By the end of this unit, students should be able to:
• To strengthen critical thinking and critical analytic skills  
• To be able to make concrete historical arguments that are supported by diverse sources and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks.
• To demonstrate a concrete understanding of the nuanced ways in which non-state actors supported and challenged the making and maintenance of America as a world power

• To gain experience with online multimedia digital archives
• To strengthen experience with interdisciplinary research and approaches 
• To work collaboratively on group projects and complete individual research assignments 
• To build and strengthen presentation skills
• To build IT skills 
 

Improved skills of expression, especially written expression.

To think creatively about how to diversify the field through representation.

David A. Hollinger, Protestants Abroad: How Missionaries Tried to Change the World but Changed America (Princeton University Pres, 2017)
Whitney Walton, Internationalism, National Identities, and Study Abroad: France and the United States, 1890-1970 (Stanford, CA, 2010)
Penny von Eschen, Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War (Harvard University Press, 2004)
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Radicals on the Road: Internationalism, Orientalism, and Feminism during the Vietnam Era (Ithaca, NY, 2013)