North American Studies: Culture and Literature systematically links two closely connected areas: cultural and literary studies. Both include specific teaching units with a systematic and historical accentuation in basic, intermediate and advanced modules. The degree program also includes two smaller overview modules on North American cultural and literary history, a basic module on academic language proficiency and an interdisciplinary project module consisting of a series of lectures or a conference that is funded by the North America section of the FAU Center for Area Studies and is partly organized by students from the degree program. In the last semester of the degree program, students write their Master’s thesis over a six month period, focusing on a specific question relating to cultural or literary studies.

In the first semester, students learn the theoretical and methodological foundations of cultural and literary studies in the basic modules, laying the foundation for the further course of the degree program. These modules consist of a lecture on North American cultural and literary studies and a class in cultural and literary theory. In addition, students also take a basic module in language skills, allowing them to improve their skills in academic English.

During the second semester, students explore the key research priorities of the degree program on the basis of specific objects and topics of relevance to cultural and literary history in their intermediate modules. These modules consist of a seminar and a class thematically related to the seminar with instructions for the self-study of texts in cultural and literary criticism. These classes build a bridge to the survey module I that consists of lectures on cultural or literary history.

In the third semester, advanced modules cover specific topics in depth, allowing students to develop their individual research perspectives, also in view of their final thesis. These modules consist of an advanced seminar in cultural and literary history and a free working group in which students can plan the topic of their Master’s thesis. In addition, students attend a lecture series or a conference module on an interdisciplinary topic relating to North American Studies.

In the fourth semester, students write their Master’s thesis and participate in a Master’s thesis working group.

Skills

The degree program in North America Studies helps you develop the following skills:

• The ability to apply theories and methods of American studies and cultural and literary theory to specific research topics
• Skills concerning the contextualization, comparison and analysis of cultural practices and forms of expression on the basis of an extensive knowledge of the cultural and literary history of North America.
• Essential skills in knowledge organization and transfer
• Academic discourse in English
• Ability to reflect critically on the basis of important paradigms of cultural and literary theory.

Professional field

Graduates of this degree program have cultural-specific knowledge and skills in cultural analysis and may pursue careers in the following areas:

• Political education
• International organizations
• Cultural management
• Publishing and libraries
• Journalism
• In areas where economics, politics and culture meet
• Doctoral studies and an academic career (continued research in American Studies)