Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
Aims
This module seeks to engage students in a critical discussion of crucial issues in twentieth-century US history. We will examine selected developments in American politics and society using primary and secondary source materials. This will give students a sense of how people thought about themselves and their society in various decades, and provide a backdrop for understanding current affairs in the US.
Intended Learning Outcomes
describe and analyze the main developments in US history from the turn-of-the century to the twenty-first century and engage with differing interpretations of important events in this time period: 1,2discuss and interpret texts and present findings in appropriate oral and/or written form: 1,2evaluate evidence critically, argue logically, and challenge taken-for-granted assumptions: 1,2apply their critical understanding of historical processes through the analysis of a range of primary and secondary texts relating to the development of the United States in the twentieth century: 1,2
12 one-hour lectures: 12 hours 12 one-hour seminars: 12 hours12 one-hour workshops: 12 hoursRequired readings and seminar preparation: 40 hoursGroup presentation preparation: 12 hoursLong essay preparation: 62 hours
Description of Module Assessment
1: Presentation weighted 35%Group PresentationSmall group presentation of up to 15 minutes to engage critically with assigned secondary and primary materials, and draw connections to wider course themes and raise questions for class discussion. The group is awarded a single mark.
2: Essay weighted 65%Long essay (c. 2,000 words)Submitted essay of 2,000 words (+/-10%, excluding notes and bibliography). Students will either choose from a choice of questions, or create a question in consultation with the seminar tutor.
This assessment will develop the ability to engage with relevant scholarship and to construct a persuasive argument concerning a topic or theme addressed in the module. It tests all of the module ILOs.