Explore how cultural forms and history shape and reflect American life.
The Department of American Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding U.S. culture and society, emphasizing critical engagement with race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, and political power. Courses examine topics including technology and culture, environmental justice, visual and literary expression, faith communities, and the ongoing legacies of capitalism and colonialism.
At its core, the department is committed to investigating the cultural, political, and historical forces that shape American life while equipping students to interpret, critique, and engage the world around them.
Why Iowa?
Embark on a journey to understand the complexities of American life
Through our undergraduate and graduate programs, our faculty bring expertise in areas such as comparative American studies, American music and humor, food and animal studies, border studies, and digital and publicly engaged humanities to train students to think across disciplines and to analyze cultural texts and historical narratives through the lens of social movements, political institutions, and power.
For students looking to understand the histories, politics, cultures, and experiences of Latina/o/x and indigenous populations in the United States, the department also offers programs in Latina/o/x studies and Native American and indigenous studies. Both undergraduate and graduate programs across our disciplines encourage deep inquiry into the different and contested meanings of America, preparing students for careers in education, the arts, public service, and beyond.
The Iowa experience
Our faculty bring deep expertise across diverse fields and commitment to teaching and scholarship that is interdisciplinary, community-engaged, and grounded in a critical understanding of American life and its global entanglements.
History
Since the 1970s, our department has fostered strong collaborations with programs in African American Studies; Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies; and Native American and Indigenous Studies, creating a rich, interdisciplinary environment for scholarship and teaching.
Resources
Journals and other reference work
- American Quarterly–The Journal of the American Studies Association
- American Studies–A tri-annual interdisciplinary journal sponsored by the Mid-America American Studies Association and the University of Kansas
- Encyclopedia of American Studies
- The Library of Congress: American Memory
- American Studies Links Recommended by Richard P. Horwitz