American Studies B.A.
Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
36 months

DURATION

HK$2,449.91

TUITION(INTL)

English

LANGUAGE

Full/Part-time

ATTENDANCE

On-campus

DELIVERY MODE

Unknown

DEADLINE

Overview

The objective of the Bachelor’s degree programme in American Studies is to provide students with basic knowledge of North America from the early colonial period through the 21st century, including its politics, literature, culture, geography, history, and society, as well as its ethnic diversity and religious influences. To meet the challenges of this complex research subject, the American Studies program at Heidelberg University is explicitly multi- and interdisciplinary.

Students in the American Studies programs gain not only a comprehensive understanding of North America, but also methodological proficiency in six individual disciplines, intense English-language practice closely linked to the subject matter being studied, and fundamental multidisciplinary competencies that form the basis for lifelong learning. In an increasingly globalized world, in-depth knowledge of local, regional, transnational, and transcultural relations is becoming ever more vital. In this context, area studies that focus on individual regions of the world can be very useful, because their very interdisciplinary character requires that a variety of research methods and instruments be utilised, contributing to the acquisition of concrete knowledge about these regions and their cultures. 

SPECIAL FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS

The American Studies academic program at Heidelberg University is unique in its thematic variety. In particular, the geographical and religious-historical portions of the instruction and the additional opportunity to earn an law certificate in the Bachelor’s program make this program unique, not only throughout Germany and Europe, but worldwide. 

In a matter of only a few years, the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) was able to establish itself as one of the most important European centers for research-oriented and practice-relevant American Studies. The HCA participates in interdisciplinary research projects with international partners, promotes the establishment of transatlantic networks, and engages in lively dialogue with the general public. Students of the American Studies program reap the benefits of these synergies.

  • Heidelberg Center for American Studies

RESEARCH

The HCA performs research within six faculties and more than half a dozen disciplines, thereby providing a uniquely diverse pool of America-related expertise. The interaction between these disciplines enables the pursuit of American Studies from an interdisciplinary perspective.  

Primary research interests include 

  • Afro-American History 
  • Religious History (specifically, Puritanism and early Evangelicalism) from a Transatlantic Perspective 
  • History of Bible Interpretations in the USA 
  • Transcendentalism 
  • The Literary Market 
  • Urban Inequality and Current Processes in North American Urban Development 
  • Studies of US Economic History and Trade Policy 
  • Development and Transformation of Authority and Trust In American Culture, Society, History, and Politics 
  • The US Presidency and Individual Presidents 
  • The Role of Think Tanks and Public Intellectuals in the US 
  • Politics and Culture of the Transatlantic Relationship from the Cold War to the Present  

OCCUPATIONAL AREAS

The expert interdisciplinary and intercultural qualifications gained by graduates of the American studies program allow them to pursue careers in science, the public sector, business, the media, or civic organizations. These include international organizations, publishing houses, cultural institutions, university and non-university scientific institutions, political and business consultancies, project management, and adult education. The HCA also regularly invites its alumni back to speak to current students and introduce potential career opportunities to them. 

Structure

Graduates of the Bachelor’s degree program in American Studies will have obtained both basic subject knowledge as well as more in-depth knowledge gained on the basis on selected examples. They will have gained the skills necessary to grasp and precisely describe the topics covered within the disciplines that make up American Studies, as well as to explain the relevant terminology and primary research issues of the individual disciplines, and to develop America-related research topics.  

Further, graduates will have the ability to precisely and clearly present US-related phenomena both orally and in written form. They will have analyzed these phenomena on the basis of empirical analysis and published research. In the process, graduates will have developed a high level of comfort performing multi- and interdisciplinary work. They will have the ability to articulate relevant US-related research questions, apply sound research methodology to the questions, and engage with them in an interdisciplinary dialogue. Graduates will have gained an awareness of not only the various USA-related perspectives of the individual disciplines studied, but also of the importance of interdisciplinary research on the United States.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The degree program is divided into two sections: the core subject and an examination module. The core subject itself is divided into a subject-specific section and a practical section: 

  • In the former, students complete an introductory module and select four modules from the five disciplines offered: geography, history, literature, political science, and religious history. Following completion of these four modules, students select two of the four as specialization courses. Ideally, this selection takes place following the fourth semester.  The subject-specific sections also contain an interdisciplinary module, in which two disciplines are combined for the exploration of a specific research question. 
  • The practical section consists of a “Language in Use” module, one key competence module and one practical module. This includes the preparation for, participation in, and reporting on an internship which is to be completed in a potential future professional field for American Studies graduates. 
  • Following completion of the curriculum, students take the Bachelor’s examination module, consisting of a Bachelor’s thesis and a final oral examination in the two disciplines that were selected as specialization modules.  
  •  From the third semester on, students have the option of taking law courses pursuant to obtaining an additional certificate in "Anglo-American Law (Public Law)." 

Costs

Tuition
HK$2,449.91
(international)
HK$2,449.91
(home)

Funding

Admissions

Qualifications

International applicants from non-EU/EEA countries with a non-German university entrance qualification must submit an application for admission for all subjects studied at Bachelor level, or with a concluding “state examination”, to Heidelberg University. The places for study are allocated by the University.

Language requirements
DSH
2