American Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study within the Department of Transnational Studies that offers a wide range of courses that focus on the research, analytical, and communications skills necessary for success. A degree in American Studies can help prepare you for rewarding career paths in academia, social activism, non-profit work, media, law, government, museum management, librarianship, and teaching.
American Studies offers the opportunity to develop a transnational understanding of the cultures of the Americas. Reclaiming the voices, histories, and cultures of marginalized peoples has been a central mission of American Studies since the 1960s. Our research strengths include American Indian / indigenous studies, especially Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history, art, and culture; the Black Atlantic and the African diaspora in the Americas; Asia and the Asian diaspora in the Americas; Chicana/o, Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American studies; ecological history and restoration; Canadian studies, including First Nations cultures; oral history, documentary studies, and new technologies for accessing and documenting history; feminist and queer studies; critical race theory; working-class history, immigrant cultures, urban studies; public policy; and popular culture.
A major or minor in A.S. helps prepare students for careers or graduate studies in academia, social activism, non-profits and NGOs, media, law, government, museum management, librarianship, and teaching.