American Studies at the University of Amsterdam includes the following:
What we teach, and how we teach it:
American Studies is internationalist. At its broadest, our field comprises American history, politics, and culture. Students gain a deeper knowledge of the United States, as well as the political, cultural, economic and military presence of the United States abroad. We explore American politics, but also the international repercussions of American politics. We study American foreign policy, but also the power of culture. The American impact has been contradictory and multifaceted: while the United States remains the most pervasive military presence in the world, cultural exchanges have surprising histories.
American Studies is interdisciplinary. We attract students from many academic backgrounds: history, literature, media studies, cultural studies, sociology, art history and more. Our range of materials is wide: film, literature, and music, spanning high culture and mass culture, from intellectual history to popular media. An interdisciplinary approach illuminates culture in the shadow of traditional power relations.
The United States, “America,” and globalization. Around the world, the United States has often served as a paradigm, a prototype, or a countermodel. International debates over multiculturalism and ethnic diversity look to America as a model or as an exception. Globalization intersects with “Americanization,” but in unpredictable ways. This is one reason why debates about American uniqueness continue to have such urgency in the United States and abroad.
History of the program. American Studies has a long tradition in the Netherlands—indeed academic American Studies existed in Europe well before it existed in the United States. The great Dutch historian Johan Huizinga sidelined as an Americanist in the mold of Alexis de Tocqueville. The University of Amsterdam’s American Studies program has roots in the humanities, but also in the social and political sciences. With the establishment of the Amerika Instituut in 1947, dedicated Americanists such as A.N.J. den Hollander and Rob Kroes taught American Studies from international perspectives. The current program continues in that tradition.