Programme information

The master’s students study U.S. history, literature and culture, as part of an integrated approach to North American Studies. This enables you to discover connections between historical events and cultural and literary developments.

In this programme you will study U.S. history, literature and culture, as part of an integrated approach to North American Studies and with a special (though not exclusive) focus on themes such as immigration, race, ethnicity, and civil rights. This approach enables you to discover connections between historical events and cultural and literary developments, but the range of elective courses also makes it possible to specialise in either U.S. history or literature. 
 

The programme consists of four courses of 10 EC each and an MA thesis (20 EC), 60 EC total:

• a required, interdisciplinary core course about Major Issues in American History and Culture (10 EC)

• three elective courses (see Prospectus for more information), which give a deepened understanding on some of the themes that are discussed in the Major Issues core course (total elective courses: 30 EC).

The programme will be completed with a 20 EC master’s thesis (including thesis seminar). 

Students are advised to take three courses in the first semester (one required course and two electives) and one elective course in the second semester, when they also write their MA thesis. Throughout the year they also follow a thesis seminar (required). 

Note: Students can opt to take one elective MA course (level 500, 10 EC) outside the North American Studies programme (extracurricular), or do an international internship (10 ects). If you choose to take an extracurricular North-America related course, you need to motivate your choice and ask permission of the Board of Examiners. See more information about internships.