ENG4514 – American Places
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The area now known as the USA has had different meanings at different points in time to different people. The objective of this course is to explore historical and cultural trends in the United States through the examination of places. How has place —for instance a region, a city, the small town, the suburb, the college campus, or the wilderness—shaped American lives? The course focuses on political, religious, cultural, or social developments, and may cover different historical eras.
The course might engage with how and why rural Americans might have different ideas of the environment and the role of the federal government compared to those living in metropolitan areas. Region, too, affects American lives. "American places" might help you understand it means to live in the American South, surrounded by memories of slavery, versus living in Philadelphia or Boston, surrounded by memories of the American revolution.
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Semester topic spring 2026: The American Suburb
Few things have shaped recent American culture and politics as much as the sprawling suburbs across the US. Suburbs became a mass phenomenon in the mid-twentieth century, and they were a result of intentional Cold War policies. The suburban home came to symbolize the American Dream and a place for mainly white middle-class Americans to retreat from the social problems of the city. But scholars have, over the past decades, come to see the suburb as a site for political tensions and cultural clashes, and where central ideas of what it means to be American have been played out.
Some questions that will be discussed include: How did the move to the suburbs shape American religion? How did feminist and antifeminist movements respond to life in suburbia? How did new immigrants establish communities in the sprawling suburbs? How did popular culture shape and reflect the suburban experience?
Learning outcome
After completing this course, you:
- Can critically read and discuss primary and secondary sources. Primary sources may include newspapers, magazines, film, advertisements, photographs.
- Have knowledge of the interplay between place and its key developments in the US.
- Can use academic English to analyze, explain and discuss key political and cultural issues and developments.
- Know some central theoretical and/or historiographic themes in the study of American places.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester?register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.
This course is for students admitted to the master programmes?European Languages (master's two years),?Lektorprogrammet (master - 5 ?r), masterspesialisering i engelsk?and?Profesjonsrettet master med integrert praktisk-pedagogisk utdanning (masterspesialisering i engelsk).
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with ENG2504 – American Places.
Teaching
Seminars, 2 hours per week for 10 weeks.?20 hours in all.
You are?expected to read all assignments and come ready to discuss these in the seminars.
Participation in reflective exercises during the course.
The submission of the first draft of your term paper.?Read more here about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for postponements.?Information about?guidelines for obligatory activities
It is obligatory to show up for a minimum of 60% of the teaching. In this course you have to attend 6 of 10 seminars. The requirement is absolute.
The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.
In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for?special needs accommodations.?
All obligatory activities must be approved in the same semester for you to sit the exam. Approved course requirements are only valid the semester you attend the course.
Examination
The obligatory requirements must be fulfilled in order to qualify for the exam.
The form of assessment is a term paper of 12-15 standard pages (a standard page consists of 2,300 characters). References and bibliography comes in addition.
You will be offered individual term paper supervision.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F?is a fail. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
A term paper or equivalent that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.
If you?withdraw from the exam?after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.