American Freedoms

Module code: HS7304

"O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

The final line of their national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", shows the importance of freedom to American nationhood and exceptionalism. Yet what is freedom? More pertinently, is America actually free at all?

In this module, you'll investigate the concept of American freedom. You'll explore and critically reflect on the disjuncture between that rhetoric and reality. To do this, you'll use a wide array of relevant primary source materials and demonstrate an awareness of different historical approaches and debates, including social, diplomatic, ethnic, gender and political.