Skip to main content
Unit of study_

AMST3601: American Perspectives

2025 unit information

This capstone unit will present key texts in the shaping of an American intellectual tradition. It considers classic and contemporary debates in American society, and the way American Studies, as a field, deals with these long-standing arguments in innovative and challenging ways. Drawing perspectives from history, literature, politics and sociology, it prepares students to do sophisticated research work, to analyse complex cultural issues, and to employ the diverse methods of American Studies toward an in-depth understanding of the nation in a global context.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

DVC (Research)

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit United States Studies Centre
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
12 credit points at 2000 level in American Studies
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
None
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Apply knowledge from various disciplines - including History, Literature, Sociology, and Politics - to demonstrate an independent, ethical and in-depth analysis of American, society, culture or life.
  • LO2. Produce an original capstone research project, which utilises primary sources to make a sophisticated interpretive argument about an aspect of the United States.
  • LO3. Relate a detailed understanding of contemporary and historical topics in American Studies to political, social, moral, and workplace issues encountered in the wider world.
  • LO4. Illustrate the ability to present complex cultural problems and diverse cultural perspectives in seminar discussion, scholarly writing, and oral presentation.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Find your current year census dates

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.