Themes in American History

Module overview

This module draws upon the expertise of three US historians to explore different dimensions of the American past, from the founding of the republic forward. This year, we will be focusing on the theme: ‘The other among us: conspiracies, cults and counterradicalism in US history’. It will explore the concept of an American ‘paranoid style’ and its application to a range of different movements, crusades and moral panics from the post-bellum period through to the present day. Topics will include: the Ku Klux Klan, Voodoo, Anarchism and populist anti-capitalism, Red Summer/Red Scare: white violence and state repression 1919-20, McCarthyism, Black Panthers/COINTELPRO, Waco and its consequences, the FBI entrapment of American Muslims, and QAnon.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

utilise and develop your time-management skills
locate and use effective textual, visual and material culture sources in the library and on-line, synthesising this material in order to develop cogent arguments
research historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in written essays and reports

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Knowledge and understanding of diverse subject fields in and variety of approaches to American history
Knowledge and understanding of key shifts in interpretations of American history
Detailed comprehension of and critical intellectual engagement with one particular subject field or approach in coursework

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

engage with the secondary literature on conspiracies, cults and counterradicalism, and contribute to the debates relating to the historiography of such movements, crusades and moral panics
analyse critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources
structure your ideas and research findings into well-ordered essays

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

The current intention is to deliver teaching for this module online. If circumstances allow, some form of blended delivery methods, including seminars, workshops, or individual tutorials may be introduced if it is safe for all concerned to do so. However, delivery will remain entirely online if face to face teaching is not possible or advisable.

Study time
Type	Hours
Teaching	20
Independent Study	130
Total study time	150

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	100%