BA American (United States) Studies is for all those with enthusiasm, passion and intellectual curiosity about all things American. At Essex, we offer you an opportunity to understand some of the diverse and paradoxical aspects of the US through interdisciplinary studies. You also spend the autumn term of your third year in the United States and return to Essex for the spring and summer terms, so you can explore and become immersed in American culture. The US - perhaps more than any other society - lends itself to interdisciplinary study; its literature and film are connected to its politics, its cultures are linked to its histories. Contemporary social issues, such as the struggles for racial justice, can only be understood by reference to the legacies of slavery and the civil rights movement. The crisis over environmental protection of the ‘wilderness’ of the Far West can only be understood by looking at the history of Westward movement, manifest destiny, and issues of Native American histories and rights. These are the kinds of issues you will be looking at in detail at Essex, and much more…

As a graduate in American Studies, you will learn to work both individually and in groups, have research experience and good skills in amassing, analysing and ordering information. You acquire essential critical abilities, as well as good facility in oral and written expression. You will, of course, have a wide-ranging knowledge of many aspects of American life and intimate acquaintance with the region in the United States where you have spent a period of study, and where you will also have learned to adapt to and benefit from a different educational system. All of this is an excellent preparation for careers in media, education, politics, the Civil Service, international organisations such as the UN and NATO or non-governmental organisations, and many other walks of life. For example, some of our most recent graduates have found employment as an events co-ordinator for Age UK, as an accountant in London, as a business provision manager for BT, as an account executive for Bluesky PR, and with a PR company in New York.