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Publications: Directory of Graduate Programs in American Studies
Foreword
Chartered in 1951, the American Studies Association is a national organization for anyone interested in the study of American culture. The Association has nearly 6,000 members drawn from a variety of fields: history, literature, religion, art, philosophy, music, science, folklore, ethnic studies, anthropology, material culture, museum studies, sociology, government, communications, education, library science, gender studies, popular culture, and many others. Those interested in American Studies include teachers and other professionals whose interests extend beyond their specialty, faculty and students associated with American Studies programs in colleges and secondary schools, museum directors and librarians interested in all segments of American life, and public officials and administrators concerned with the broadest aspects of education. Practitioners of American Studies approach American culture from many directions but have in common the desire to view America from an interdisciplinary perspective rather than from any single field of study.
American Studies originally grew out of the efforts during the 1920s and 1930s of a number of scholars located primarily in history and English departments. These individuals were frustrated with the emphasis within their departments on European history and culture to the exclusion of “native” forms of expression. The search for a uniquely American character marked this pre-institutional stage of American Studies. By the early 1940s, Case Western Reserve University, Yale University, Harvard University, and the University of Iowa established programs and offered courses in American Studies. Yale awarded its first Ph.D. in American Civilization in 1933. In 1951, the American Studies Association was chartered, and the American Quarterly became the official journal of the Association. By 1956, there were 95 American Studies programs: 72 offered the Bachelors, 15 the Masters, and 13 offered the Doctorate.
The 1960s and 1970s ushered in a period of sweeping transformations in American Studies. By 1968, changes wrought by the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and the Women’s Movement had illuminated the great cultural diversity of the United States. In response to these forces, American Studies expanded its boundaries to include black studies, women’s studies, popular culture studies, folklore, film studies, material culture, and ethnic studies. American Studies helped break down disciplinary boundaries to allow for a more inclusive and pluralistic curriculum and for increased scholarship across the disciplines. The value perceived by its adherents can be seen in the rapid increase in the field during the 1970s. By 1975, the number of American Studies programs had grown to 305.
Currently, there are 261 programs and departments of American Studies across the country. American Studies programs thrive at small and large colleges and universities, in both urban and rural environments, and in all regions of the country. During the 1980s, interest in the culture of the United States expanded internationally as American Studies programs and associations were established throughout the world. In most countries, American Studies is highly regarded as one of the most prestigious programs in institutions of higher learning, and many countries send scholars to the United States to study the curriculum and scholarship of the discipline. The European American Studies Association, as well as nearly fifty national American Studies Associations, sponsor conventions and publications, and the American Studies Association features an extensive international emphasis in its conventions in the United States and encourages a strong representation from the international community.
Quick Links
American Quarterly [official journal site]
American Quarterly [editorial site]