CURRICULUM 2012-2015

North American Studies

North America has a large political and economic impact on the world. In recognition of this fact, the theme of the North American Studies program is that of politics and economics. Reflecting the location of the program, in Finland, the North American Studies program is a comparative, rather than an area-studies program. Thus, courses go beyond understanding events, policies and issues in North America to understanding these events, policies and issues in general, with the North American cases serving as a special example.

The program is multi-disciplinary with a focus on political science and economics. A particular emphasis of the program is on welfare state issues. Incorporating welfare state issues provides a rich comparative focus on an issue that is of great importance domestically and globally. In addition to political science and economics, other disciplines are also incorporated in the program. The combination of these different approaches will provide students with an in depth understanding of the politics and economics of North America. The program’s themes have wide overlap with various other programs at the University of Tampere.

The NAM-program offers two levels of studies; The Basic Studies (25 ECTS) and Subject studies (35 ECTS).  North American Studies can be included in various studies as a full minor (basic studies 25 ECTS + subject studies 35 ECTS) in a Master's degree. The completion of the basic studies (25 ECTS) can serve as a minor for the Bachelor of Arts Degree (Kandidaatin tutkinto) (Please check your School’s requirement for minor subjects!).

Primary objective of the program: A program for students and post-graduate students who wish to pursue their degrees in their major subject with a focus on North America.

Secondary objective: Students who wish to focus on North American Studies, in conjunction with their major, but do not intend to continue studies past a Master’s degree.

The NAM program is especially suited for students planning a career in research, international organizations and/or international business. Furthermore, it is particularly useful for students planning to write their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation on a North American topic.

Students may take North American Studies in any order.

 

NAM - Basic Studies 25 ECTS

Learning objectives: 

The student will learn the basics of North American politics, economy, history, society, and culture through interdisciplinary approaches.

Content:  

The basic studies are structured into four sections. NAM-I to NAM-III and NAM-IV are worth five 5 ECTS credits each. NAM-IV is worth 5 ECTS credits and will consist of one choice from NAM-IV a/b/c/d.  The sections will be completed by attending lecture courses and writing essays.

NAM-I Introduction to North American Studies, 5 ECTS

Contact person and examiner: TBA

Learning objectives:

The purpose of the introduction course is to familiarize students with North America, its key concepts and traditions and the foundations of its political system.

Content:

The history and evolution of North America and its political system.

Required studies:

NAM-I a) 3-5 ECTS Introduction to North American Studies lecture course

NAM-I b) 2 – ECTS Essay for Introduction to North American Studies

Students will participate on the introductory course on North American Studies. The lecture course will be counted as 3 - 5 ECTS-credits depending on the length of the course. If the lecture course is worth 3 ECTS credits, the students have to complete one additional essay, which is worth 2 ECTS credits. The subject of the essay will be agreed with the teacher of the introduction course.

 

NAM-II North American Histories, 5 ECTS

Contact person and examiner: TBA

Learning objectives: The students will familiarize themselves with North American Histories

Content:  North American History

Required studies:

Lecture courses when available and essays based on listed books or electronic material. Essays will be agreed upon with the responsible teacher.

Book list:

Choose two books from the following:

*Chafe, William H; The Rise and Fall of the American Century, Oxford University Press

*Foner, Nancy; From Ellis Island to JFK, New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration, Yale

University Press

*Gaddis, John Lewis; The Cold War: A New History, Penguin Press 2005

 

NAM-III Law and Politics, 5 ECTS

Contact person and examiner: Professor Katri Sieberg

Learning objectives: The students will familiarize themselves with the North American legal and political system.

Content:  The legal and political system of America.

Required studies:  Lecture courses

 

NAM-IV North American impacts; Culture and Economics, 5 ECTS

Choose a), b), c) or d)

Contact person:  see a) to d)

Students have to choose two from the listed sections.

a)      North American Literature, 5 ECTS

b)      Media and the American Public, 5 ECTS

c)       North American Economics, 5 ECTS

d)      20 guest lectures, 5 ECTS

 

Learning objectives: The students will familiarize themselves with North American culture and economy.

Content:  North American literature, culture, media and economics

Required studies:

Lecture courses when available and essays based on listed books or electronic material. Essays will be agreed upon with the responsible teacher.

NAM-IV a)      North American Literature, 5 ECTS

Contact person: TBA

Learning objectives: The students will familiarize themselves with selected pieces of North American literature.

Content: North American literature

Required studies:

Students will write essays based on the listed books below. The topics of the essays will be arranged by the teacher responsible.

N.B. Students who have completed a course on American Literature (American literature I or II) in English Philology may gain 5 ECTS by alternative arrangements. Please contact the program coordinator. American literature I or II will also substitute for NAS-4 a) if the student opts to use it for North American Studies.     

 

Choose list 1) or 2)

List 1)

Susanna Moodie: Roughing It in the Bush

Mark Twain: Huckleberry Finn

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

Richard Wright: Native Son

Louise Erdrich: Love Medicine

 

List 2)

Margaret Laurence: The Stone Angel

M. Ondaatje: In the Skin of a Lion

Mark Twain: Huckleberry Finn

J. Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath

Toni Morrison: Playing in the Dark

NAM IV b) Media and the American Public

Contact person: TBA

Learning objectives: The students will familiarize themselves with North American media.

Content: North American media

Required studies:

Lecture courses when available and essays or book exams based on listed books or electronic material.  Essays will be agreed upon with the responsible teacher.

Book list: 

*DeFleur & Ball-Rokeach: Theories of Mass Communication (1989),

and one of the following:

*Schudson, Michael: The Sociology of News (2003), New York: W.W.Norton & Company Inc.

*Wasko, Janet; Understanding Disney (2001)

 

NAM-IV c) North American Economics

Contact person: Katri Sieberg

Learning objectives: The students will familiarize themselves with North American economics

Content: North American economics

Required studies: Lecture courses or essays based on books and/or electronic material.

 

Books list:

Krugman, Paul R. 1995. Peddling Prosperity: Economic Sense and Nonsense in an Age of Diminishing Expectations. W.W. Norton & Company

Venatesh, Sudhir. 2002 American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto.

 

NAM-IV d) Guest lectures, 5 ECTS

Contact person: Program coordinator

Learning objectives:

Student will be exposed to broad variety of representations of American issues.

Content: Guest lectures by visiting lecturers, online lectures and podcasts.  The program will announce suitable guest lectures when available. A list of suitable online lectures and podcasts are available on the program’s homepage.

Required studies: The students are expected to attend 20 guest lectures and/or listen to online-material (podcasts / online lectures). Based on the lectures and online-material students will write a learning diary, that contains 20 entries. Each lecture, podcast or online lecture will serve as one entry to the diary. One diary entry is one page.

The learning diary should be reflective. The students should not merely summarize the content of the presentation, but reflect on the content, how it relates to other information the student has, what questions it raises etc. Guest lectures and presentations will be marked on a guest-lecture form, which is available online: Guest Lecture Form 

 

NAM-V American Government and Society, 5 ECTS

Contact person: Katri Sieberg

Learning objectives: The students will gain an in-depth perspective on key aspects of American Government and society.

Content:  Key aspects of American Government and society.

Required studies:

Essays based on listed books or electronic material.  Essay material, content and length will be agreed upon with the responsible teacher.

Book list:

*Olson, Mancur. The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Harvard University

Press 1965.

*Chafe, W.H. 2005. Private Lives/Public Consequences: Personality and Politics in Modern America.

*Kiewiet, D. Roderick and Mathew D. McCubbins.1991. The Logic of Delegation. University of Chicago

Press. 

*Mayhew, David. 2004. Congress: The Electoral Connection, Second Edition, Yale University

Press

*Venkatesh, Sudhir. 2002. Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets. Penguin Press HC.

 

NAM - Subject studies 35 ECTS

Learning objectives:

In Subject Studies the students will focus on specific themes related to politics in North American studies, preferably with a comparative perspective. The students will learn methodology and write interdisciplinary research papers.

 

NAM-VI, Special courses in North American Studies, 20 ECTS

Contact person: Katri Sieberg

Learning objectives: The students will gain an in-depth perspective on a broad selection of aspects on America.

Content:  NAS-6 can be completed by taking various courses and seminars in North American Studies.

Required studies: Seminars and lecture courses.

 

NAM-VII, Methodology, 5 – 10 ECTS

Contact person: Katri Sieberg,

Learning objectives: The students will learn methodological approaches to research in comparative North American Studies.

Content: Research methodology

Learning requirements:

Students will attend one to two lecture courses and/or seminars on methodology.

 

NAM-VIII, Proseminar, 10 ECTS

Learning objectives: The students will learn how to combine material from a NAM-VI seminar and methodology from a NAM-VII course to write an extensive research paper. 

Content: North American Studies research.

Learning requirements: Prior to the Proseminar, students must complete a NAM-VI seminar and a NAM-VII course. Students will write an extensive research paper based on the methodology and material learned in these courses. The work will be written under the supervision of Professor Katri Sieberg.