Excellent Teaching and Student Experience
The American Studies programme at Canterbury Christ Church is widely recognised as one of the most successful in the United Kingdom whether in terms of the high standard of the teaching on offer, the quality of the student learning experience, or the breadth of the curriculum that ranges from the colonial period and the American Revolution to the Presidency of Barack Obama and America's so-called "culture wars" over issues such as immigration, gun control and capital punishment. The programme obviously focuses on the USA and its international significance but students also have the option of taking courses involving Canada and Latin America.
In the last round of HEFCE teaching quality assessments - the university sector's equivalent of OFSTED - American Studies was judged as "excellent". The assessors gave particular praise to the wide range of options available in the programme and the excellent staff-student relations.
Research and postgraduate supervision in the Department of History and American Studies has an internationally recognised reputation. This is reflected in the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise when 75% of our submission was deemed to be internationally excellent or internationally recognised.
The American Studies team at Canterbury Christ Church University prides itself on offering a popular and dynamic programme, that is constantly evolving to keep up to date with events in the USA - such as the election of President Obama and the impact of the recession on American society and culture.
Assessment is by coursework assignments only (there are no exams in American Studies) as we believe that formal end-of-year examinations are not the best way to assess student development and achievement. There are also regular visits outside of the classroom, for example to the American Embassy in London, the Tate Gallery and to Maidstone Museum's Native American collection.
The emphasis within American Studies is to enable students to develop a wide range of graduate skills such as the ability to deal with a variety of approaches to the study of America, working independently and a willingness to think critically about another society. These kinds of skills are much sought after by employers and by universities offering further training for careers in business, the media, journalism, social work, teaching, etc.
All students have the opportunity to visit the USA either for a short trip at Easter (eg to New York or San Francisco) or for an extended period of study (one term or one year) in their third year. (See link to Time in the USA.)