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HIS-20107 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2022/23 Last Updated: 19 January 2023

HIS-20107 - 'Shining City on a Hill'? The United States in the Twentieth Century
Coordinator: David Ballantyne Tel: +44 1782 7 34409
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733147

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Yes

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23

How did the United States develop into the deeply divided superpower of the 2020s? By exploring a range of primary and secondary sources, you will develop the tools for more detailed historical investigation. From the close of World War I through the Cold War and the culture wars, you'll examine a range of events and developments relating to politics, economics, foreign relations, race, gender and sexuality that have shaped the modern United States.

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: 1,2
discuss and interpret texts and present findings in appropriate oral and/or written form: 1,2
evaluate evidence critically, argue logically, and challenge taken-for-granted assumptions: 1,2
apply 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

Study hours

12 one-hour lectures: 12 hours
12 one-hour seminars: 12 hours
12 one-hour workshops: 12 hours
Required readings and seminar preparation: 40 hours
Group presentation preparation: 12 hours
Long essay preparation: 62 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Presentation weighted 35%
Group Presentation
Small 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.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 19 January 2023