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Postgraduate Program in American Studies – (Grad.Cert.)
Ghent University
Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
- Homepage for the Postgraduate Program in American Studies
- Department website
- University website
- Univeristy of Ghent International Relations Office
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- Student Experiences from Belgium - STeXX.eu
| Application Deadline: | International students requiring a visa: April 1; Non-visa applicants: classes start September 24, so apply accordingly. | ||
| Annual Tuition Fee: | ≈ € 1,200 - ≈ € 2,400 (non-EEA) | ||
| Location: | Ghent / Belgium / View location on map ▾ Hide location on map ▴ | ||
| Duration: | 12 months | Start Date: | September |
| Educational Form: |
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| Education Variants: |
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| Credits (ECTS): | 60 | ||
| Languages: | English | ||
Location of Ghent University
The United States is a country of staggering scale, complexity and diversity. It is the world’s largest economy; one of the world’s most robust and enduring democracies; a superhub of literary, cultural, and artistic creation; an amalgam of racial, ethnic, religious, regional, and gendered identities; and a product of and key actor in important geopolitical events of the past and present.
Intellectually grasping such a far-reaching area of study requires multiple academic perspectives. By approaching the study of the United States from a variety of disciplines, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of this fascinating and often paradoxical country, learn to critically engage and contextualize events and information involving the United States, and maximize their employment prospects for US-related careers in the cultural sector (e.g. journalism, higher education, international affairs), and business at large.
Ghent University’s Postgraduate Program in American Studies succeeds the former interuniversity M.A. in American Studies as the premier program in American Studies in Belgium. The full-time, two-semester, interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to intellectually engage the richness of American society in all its complexity. Students will complete seven courses treating American politics, economics, history, literature, and culture, and will prepare a final thesis on a topic of their choice, with the guidance of a member of the Program staff. The Program is open to Belgian and international students with a master-level degree and a strong command of English. All courses are offered in English by a distinguished professorial staff of Belgian and American specialists. Students will enjoy access to the extensive archives of the Belgian Royal Library’s Center for American Studies, in addition to the considerable resources of Ghent University. Student life in the beautiful, bustling and historic city of Ghent completes the student experience.
Contents
Objectives
Upon completion of the Program, students will:
• Have an in-depth understanding of the theoretical, methodological and historical questions that animate the American Studies discipline.
• Understand the position of American Studies within the larger group of ‘area studies’ disciplines.
• Be aware of the limits and possibilities of the interdisciplinary approach as it is practiced in American Studies.
• Be capable of gathering and critically interpreting American Studies scholarship.
• Be able to evaluate the historical, cultural, social, political and economic significance of current events involving the United States.
• Be able to analyze media coverage of the United States.
• Be able to persuasively communicate their point of view in a logical and coherent way, both in writing and orally.
• Be self-aware of the ideological position he/she occupies as a researcher and a citizen.
• Be capable of contributing to the advancement of American Studies scholarship in Flanders, Belgium, and abroad.
Course Offerings for the 2011-2012 Academic Year
The program consists of a classroom component and a research component (60 ECTS in total). The former consists of four obligatory core courses and three specialization courses (42 ECTS). The latter is conducted independently, with the guidance of a member of the Program staff, and culminates in a final paper (18 ECTS).
General courses (24 ECTS): obligatory
Introduction to American Studies
American History
American Political Institutions
The Contemporary American Economy
Specialization courses (18 ECTS): choose 3
Writing for Mass Communication in the US
American Literary Journalism
Gender in American Literature and Theory
The American Way of Religion
Trans-Atlantic Encounters and Influences: A Cultural and Diplomatic History
Evil and the American Imagination
Final paper (18 ECTS)
You are normally required to take an English Proficiency Test if you come from a non-English speaking country.
Most European Universities recognise the IELTS test.
More informationRequirements
Degree prerequisite
The Program is open to all Belgian and international students who have successfully completed a master-level degree or its equivalent, regardless of the subject studied. Students who hold a bachelor degree in either Languages and Literatures including English, or translation and interpreting including English may apply without having obtained a master degree. In certain cases, applicants who have obtained a (four-year) bachelor degree but not a master degree may also be eligible to apply. The Program Director determines whether four-year bachelor degrees are granted master-level equivalency on a case-by-case basis. Be aware that not all four-year degrees are deemed master-level equivalent.
Language prerequisite
All applicants must demonstrate a strong command of English by successfully completing a mandatory entrance exam. The entrance exam evaluates candidates’ English skills. It is administered by Ghent University’s “Centrum voor Talenonderwijs” (University Language Center). Students must achieve a score of C1 or better.
The following applicants are exempted from the language prerequisite:
(1) students with an Internet-based TOEFL-TEST (IBT), less than two years old, with a minimum score of 100;
(2) students with an original “test report form” (TRF) from IELTS, less than two years old, with an overall minimum score of 7.0, and at least 7.0 on the spoken component;
(3) Belgian students who hold a degree in Languages and Literatures including English;
(4) Belgian students who hold a degree in translation or interpreting including English;
(5) native speakers of English.
Further exemptions or rejections made on the basis of language aptitude are at the discretion of the Program Director.
Additional Requirements
| Minimal degree required: | Master's degree |
| Minimal amount of work experience | Not specified |
Language Proficiency
| IELTS Band: | 7.0 |
| TOEFL Internet-based: | 100 |
Accreditation
This program leads to a postgraduate certificate in American Studies.
Funding details
Applying to the Program is free of charge.
The following tuition costs and fees apply for part-time students:
(1) EEA students and LDC students pay a registration fee of 63 EURO + a tuition fee of 20 EURO per credit.
(2) Students requiring a student visa are not eligible for part-time status. Non-EEA/LDC students who do not require a student visa may opt for a part-time trajectory. Such students pay a registration fee of 63 EURO + a tuition fee of 40 EURO per credit.)
Note: The program is designed as a full-time, one-year course of study. Students interested in following the program on a part-time basis must first receive permission from the program director. In exceptional cases, students can ask to be exempted from some of the coursework on the basis of prior relevant coursework in American Studies at the right level of study. Such exemptions are at the discretion of the program’s examination committee and will be awarded rarely.
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