Sascha Heij (the Netherlands)

Educational background

I have a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Amsterdam. During my Bachelor’s programme I did the track American Studies with several other students.

What do you like about this Master’s programme?

I like the fact that the curriculum is different. At American Studies we use more than just formal academic literature; we also examine newspapers, American literature, websites, films, etc, all of which are continually linked to one another. As a student of American Studies you are constantly exploring contemporary issues and events, both in America and in other parts of the world. I am of course also doing this programme at a very exciting time: the reelection of Barack Obama. When I started with the track in American Studies, Obama had just begun his first term in office. Unfortunately a flight ticket to the US is expensive, which means that I cannot travel to America as often as I’d like. At the moment I am totally focused on completing my degree. All I need to do is finish my thesis, which deals with the American Revolution. Although my thesis deals with an historical topic, the programme also gives students a lot of freedom to choose a thesis topic in line with their own interests, such as America and communication, America and the media, and so forth.

Why should prospective students choose American Studies? 

American Studies is a programme that can be explored from many perspectives. It also deals with a fascinating and powerful country, which exerts a strong influence on the entire world. You also don’t necessarily have to love the US to do this Master’s programme. American culture differs markedly to Dutch and European culture. It is interesting to see how Europeans perceive the US. Some of the participating students are also American and have been raised in a very nationalist, patriotic manner. For them American history starts with the war of independence and George Washington.  The fact that the programme is comprised of both American and European students makes for interesting debates and discussions. In certain subjects, like American colonial history, the American students know much more than their European counterparts by virtue of their background and intimate knowledge of the US. However, this close relationship also has a downside, as it tends to give them a much more rigid and narrow view of their home country. The same applies to us Europeans, who sometimes tend to examine America from a very Eurocentric perspective.

To summarise: the programme is very interesting and covers a much larger scope than mere history. It also deals with topics such as communication, politics, literature, etc., and explores America from a variety of perspectives. Prospective students, however, need to be fluent in English, which is the language in which the programme is taught. Courses, academic papers, lecturers: everything is done in English.

Plans after graduating?

I would like to become a teacher, which is why I intend to enrol for a MA teacher-training programme at the UvA. I think my expert knowledge of America would be interesting for secondary school pupils.