Admission requirements
This section of the course is only available for students in the minor American Studies
Please note: this course takes place in The Hague. Traveling between University buildings from Leiden to The Hague may take about 45 minutes.
Description
This course presents an overview of the main historical developments in North America from 1945 to the present. We will examine the relationship between American development and themes such as race, class, and gender, and issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, and economic equality. We will also consider the role of the United States in the world.
Course objectives
The student has:
Acquired knowledge and understanding of history, its processes, structure, actors, factors, and events, and has familiarised him- / herself with the academic understanding of history and the history specific to the chosen area, with an emphasis on the last two centuries. Furthermore, the student has acquired a basic understanding of the theories used in the field of History and those with specific relevance to the Area History. Finally the student has acquired basic research skills, which he/she has put into practice in writing a short research essay.
Acquired knowledge and understanding of the concepts and conceptual structures relevant for the study of history from an area perspective, i.e. local, national, regional but also transnational and from a comparative, international, and global perspective.
A basic understanding of the methodologies used in the field of History. Both the methods and theories will be explained and activated through exercises based on the handbook common to all Area History courses and used for the overall History track in the programme.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Lectures are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Weekly lectures will cover issues both inside and outside the readings.
Tutorials
Students who are taking this course as part of the minor in American Studies (track 1: American History) are required to attend the course lectures, but don’t register for or follow the tutorials, which are meant only for students in International Studies. Instead, the minor students will be assigned extra literature and will be required to write a short paper (2500 words) in addition to the midterm exam and final exam.
Assessment method
Assessment
Midterm Exam: Written examination with open questions.
Final Exam: Written examination with open questions.
Essay (2500 words)
Weighing
Midterm Exam (30%)
Final Exam (40%).
Essay (30%)
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
If the end grade is insufficient (lower than a 6.0), there is a possibility of retaking the full 70% of the exam material, replacing both the earlier Midterm- and Final Exam grades. No resit for the essay is possible.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore and Thomas J. Sugrue, These United States: A Nation in the Making (W. W. Norton and Company, 2016)
ISBN: 978-0-393-28307-5Additional readings will be posted on the course Brightspace site.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal
Remarks
Not applicable.