American History

This programme allows you to explore American History in the hemispheric sense, taking ‘America’ to mean the whole hemisphere of the Americas. You will have the opportunity to take a comparative or transnational approach to the history of the Americas, as well as to study some countries and regions in more depth.

The University has an exceptional range of historians of the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean, which allows us to provide courses and research supervision in a wide array of topics and time periods, ranging from the American Revolution to comparative slavery; from the Latin American dictatorships to the Cold War foreign policy of the United States.

You will take a variety of seminar-style courses in small groups while developing your own research project in consultation with a member of an internationally-respected team of historians. The programme provides advanced knowledge and understanding of selected topics in American history, and will enhance your skills in independent research, critical analysis, and both oral and written presentation.

You are also encouraged to participate in a vibrant research culture that includes regular lectures, seminars, and other events on American topics involving leading historians from the United Kingdom and internationally. Our staff strengths are complemented by the impressive combined resources of the University’s Main Library and the nearby National Library of Scotland, which boasts one of the UK's largest collections of Americana, encompassing excellent collections for Caribbean and Latin American history as well as US history.