LET-NAS413
Practices of Transatlantic Studies: Mapping the American Century
Course infoSchedule
Course moduleLET-NAS413
Credits (ECTS)5
Category-
Language of instructionEnglish
Offered byRadboud University; Faculty of Arts; English Language and Culture;
Lecturer(s)
Coordinator
dr. J.H.H. van den Berk
Other course modules lecturer
Lecturer
dr. J.H.H. van den Berk
Other course modules lecturer
Contactperson for the course
dr. J.H.H. van den Berk
Other course modules lecturer
Examiner
dr. J.H.H. van den Berk
Other course modules lecturer
Academic year2022
Period
PER 2  (07/11/2022 to 29/01/2023)
Starting block
PER 2
Course mode
full-time
Remarks-
Registration using OSIRISYes
Course open to students from other facultiesYes
Pre-registrationNo
Waiting listNo
Placement procedure-
Aims
By the end of this course, you will be able to…

1. find primary sources and use them to create new knowledge, by:
a. identifying different forms of primary sources, including texts, visuals, (collective) memories, objects, etc.
b. locating and accessing different repositories of primary sources, including online databases and regional archives;
c. contextualizing and interpreting primary sources within a theoretically informed paper.

2. asses your own role in an intercultural team by:
a. identifying and explaining key processes of intercultural teamwork;
b. reflecting on your own contributions to an international team;
c. co-creating an online exhibit collection together with an intercultural team.

3. present your research outcomes to different audiences, by:
a. addressing an academic reader in a theoretically informed paper;
b. addressing peers from different national contexts;
c. addressing a larger audience with an online exhibit.
Content
Mapping the American Century is both an academic course and an international collaborative research and publication project. It invites you to become a learning participant in an ongoing venture to understand and to share our understanding about how the global presence of the United States has had an impact on North American and European culture and society. You will collect and share insights on the processes of Transatlantic exchange with your fellow students; conduct your own primary source research on local manifestations of those processes; and make the new knowledge you generate available to a larger audience.

During this course, you will select one out of six possible research projects to work on. Based on that project outline, you will write a theoretically informed research paper based primarily on archive research. Additionally, and based on the same research project, you will join an international team of about four to eight students from Germany, Poland, Canada, and the United States and jointly create an online exhibit.

You will experience the full development of knowledge creation, from initial idea to final publication. In the process, you will enhance your organizational and leadership skills in a transcultural context and you will learn how academic questions arising from your own national contexts tie in to international research.
Level
Master
Presumed foreknowledge
This is an advanced research-based course in Transatlantic Studies. Participants are expected to have experience in Humanities research. A background in (a) topic(s) related to United States culture or politics is also recommended.
Test information
Your final grade for this class will be determined by:
  • A series of assignments that will introduce you to various primary sources, research methods and theories, and audiences;
  • An academic paper in which you will use a theoretically informed research question to interpret primary sources;
  • A proposal for an online publication of your research results in which you reflect the choices you made in making your research results accessible to a larger audience.
Required materials
Articles
Texts will be made available on Brightspace.

Instructional modes
Lecture

Seminar

Tests
Participation
Test weight20
Test typeParticipation
OpportunitiesBlock PER 2

Minimum grade
5,5

Research Paper
Test weight45
Test typeProject
OpportunitiesBlock PER 2, Block PER 3

Minimum grade
5,5

Web Publication
Test weight35
Test typeProject
OpportunitiesBlock PER 2, Block PER 3

Minimum grade
5,5