Founded in 1969, the American Studies Program at Georgetown University offers an interdisciplinary major that encourages students to ask critical questions about power, identity, and American culture.
Learn More About UsThe program provides a strong core of courses that help students develop new ways of thinking about the narratives and ideas that define this country. Students examine American ideals, such as equality and democracy, but they also consider how differences and conflicts challenge those ideals.
In American Studies, students consider how cultural artifacts and practices, ranging from art and pop culture to protests and political campaigns, reflect and influence social trends. In our courses, students might trace how eighteenth-century paintings comment on political divisions, how nineteenth-century dime novels challenge assumptions about gender and class, or how contemporary music responds to race relations, among other things. In addition to core courses in American Studies, students select courses from related fields – history, art, English, music, sociology, and more – to create individualized degree plans based on their own their interests. The major culminates with a year-long senior project. With guidance from faculty mentors, students develop the deep knowledge to construct insightful critical arguments that can take many forms, from a traditional academic thesis to a multimedia or artistic project.
Requirements of the Major
Because the program is small and our courses emphasize discussion and hands-on learning, students develop a strong sense of community. This is enhanced by extracurricular activities, including field trips, social events, and lectures. Recent field trips have included a visit to a special exhibit of Thomas Cole’s paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a multi-site tour of Baltimore, and a visit to Mount Vernon. Every fall, the annual Richardson Lecture brings nationally-known writers, scholars, and artists to campus, and these events always include opportunities for students to talk in small groups with the speakers.
Learn more about the Richardson Lecture in American StudiesHalf a century after its founding, American Studies at Georgetown University remains committed to challenging its students with a demanding curriculum that prepares our graduates for careers in a wide variety of fields, including law, journalism, teaching, government, museum curation, national security, new media and television, non-profit work, and business, as well as advanced study at the masters and doctoral level.
American Studies at Georgetown needs your support to thrive! In honor of the 50th Anniversary of American Studies at Georgetown, we worked to establish the Hugh Cloke Directorship. This has been an opportunity to ensure strong, long-term faculty leadership by enabling a full-time professor to lead the program for a five-year term. Thank you to all the alumni, students, parents, and friends who gave to American Studies to make this possible!
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