Introductory description

This module explores the history of the United States (1929 to the present) through the rise of the culture industries; the production, censorship and consumption of literature, theatre, music, film, radio, art, television, sport, fashion, advertising, gaming and social media; and the ways in which individuals have sought to resist or reformulate dominant national discourses through cultural production and critique.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

1. Lost Generations
2. The Gangster as Tragic Hero
3. The Women Who Ran Hollywood
4. The Fear of the Dark
5. Seeing Red in the Blacklist
6. Wenches with Wrenches and Men in Grey Flannel Suits
7. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
8. Backlash
9. Franchise: Culture's End Game/Game Over

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the formation of American culture in the early twentieth century and its development through the twenty-first century.
• Communicate ideas and findings, adapting to a range of situations, audiences and degrees of complexity.
• Generate ideas through the analysis of a broad range of primary source material.
• Analyse and evaluate the contributions made by existing scholarship related to the history and theory of culture.
• Act with limited supervision and direction within defined guidelines, accepting responsibility for achieving deadlines.

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Specific reading list for the module

Subject specific skills

See learning outcomes.

Transferable skills

See learning outcomes.