The American Studies Program at the Universityof Bucharest already has a long tradition within the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures and was the first such academic venture in Romania.Supported by both the Cultural Center of the US Embassy and the Fulbright Commission in Romania,our program has benefited from the experience of some of the top specialists in the field of American Studies.
Below you can find more information about the Entrance Exam, a list ofFrequently Asked Questions and something about our Faculty and Staff, as well as our Research Programs.
For starters, just keep in mind that the ENTRANCE EXAM is NO DIFFERENT from the English Major exam, and that you can have American Studies as a MAJOR and either a foreign language or Romanian as a MINOR! For a sample of the English language entrance exam, please go to http://www.english-unib.ro/admin.htm
Are you not quite sure what AmericanStudies is all about? Have a look at the following FAQs!
1. Is American Studies a new discipline?
1. In Romania,it is relatively new. Shortly after 1989, this academic discipline (which is about 100 years old in the States) finally took root in Romania within the pioneering program at the University of Bucharest. We started with an MA Program, and then our undergraduate program took off, and we're still going strong.
2. Is American Studies all about mindlessly praising the United States?
2. No. We're interested in the US,we're passionate about the US,but nobody is mindlessly praising anything. We're here to learn, probe,question and argue about the US.And most of the times it's very intense.
3. What kind of subjects are we going to study?
3. Since this is an interdisciplinary program, it follows that you will be studying a lot of exciting interrelated disciplines, such as (to name but a few subjects) American film studies, American literature, American civilization,media studies, visual culture, popular culture, American history and politics,Native-American studies, African-American studies and a lot of other very exciting things!
4. How will I be improving my English language skills in an AmericanStudies program? 4. Easily. You will have four hours of English practice a week, just likeall the other English major students. During these classes you will be doing alot of translations, and a lot of practicing all the main language skills.Also, our program benefits from the same linguistics classes as Applied ModernLanguages students, taught by our colleagues from the English Department.
5. Is American Studies a separate department in the Faculty of ForeignLanguages?
5. No, American Studies is a Program which belongs to the English Department.Our professors teach both in the American Studies Program and in the English Department.
6. Why are there only 25 American Studies undergraduate students ayear?
6. Because in this way we can give you a lot of attention. And we DO. We pester you and breathe down your neck and pull lots of strings to get you up-to-date academic resources as well as the best internships on the market. Because we like to believe that you can actually use what we teach you to get a job in the field afterwards. And we get a lot of help from the American Cultural Center and the Fulbright Commission, who love being involved in our academic life and do everything they can to support us.
7. So what jobs CAN we get after we graduate from the American StudiesProgram? 7. It also depends what you decide to do your MA on but you can work in the written and visual media, in public relations or HR, you can become editors,translators, curators, or political analysts. And the beautiful thing about our program is that we offer enough expertise for you to do an MA in any of the subjects you study during your undergraduate education. So you can go ahead and do MAs in the arts, film, cultural management, sociology, anthropology, HR,advertising and a lot more!
8. What's with those internships you mentioned? 8. Basically, what we do for you while you're our student isn't just teaching and examining you. We make sure you have a great CV when you've graduated. We find you jobs. Well, internships are actually unpaid jobs (which bring you credits as a student), but the main idea is that we find you part-time employment in institutions and companies which are directly related to what you may want to become when you graduate. That is, you can work at the American Cultural Center,the Fulbright Commission, newspapers and magazines, radio stations, TV stations, cultural institutes, publishing houses, English language teaching centers, NGOs. We have done it in the past, and our students left these temporary work places with solid recommendations and important relationships which later got them great jobs. This is common practice everywhere abroad. If you don't believe us, Google it!
9. Do we actually get to go to the US while we're your students? 9. Yes. We currently have an exchange programs with Arizona State University, Phoenix. Also, since all of our professors have been on scholarships and exchange programs abroad, to great places such as Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Brandeis, Duke etc., we can give you recommendations and advice as to where to apply for scholarships during your undergrad years or after you've graduated. You can qualify for a Fulbright scholarship as well - and we can tell you more about how to build a solid application form! (see www.fulbright.ro)
10. Are we also going to have American professors?
10. Yes. Every year the Fulbright Commission sends us 2-3 professors who teach the latest subjects in the field. Most of them are wonderfully supportive of our undergraduate students who try to go and study abroad. They provide written recommendations and invaluable support.
MORE ABOUT THE AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM:
You can use the American Studies FORUM at http://forum.american-studies.ro to ask our students and staff questions about the entrance exam and the program. You just need to register and you’ll be able to join in the conversation!
The American Studies Program has set up the very first American Studies [under]graduate journal of American Studies in Romania.[Inter]sections is an online publication available on the home page of www.american-studies.ro. There, our students can publish articles about American film, literature, popular culture,history and politics, sociology and anthropology, visual culture and many more!
Every year, the American Studies Center at the University of Bucharest organizes a Student Conference together with the American Cultural Center.This event provides a wonderful opportunity for all of our graduate and undergraduate students to share their work and have lively public debates.