American Studies
Administrative Information
Program Director: Prof. Andrew Delbanco , 418 Hamilton Hall; 854-6698; ad19@columbia.edu
Associate Director: Prof. Rachel Adams, 854-3831; rea15@columbia.edu
Assistant Director: Angela Darling, 415 Hamilton Hall; 854-6698; amd44@columbia.edu
Chair, Advisory Board: Robert Amdur, 418 Hamilton Hall; 854-4049; rla2@columbia.edu
Program Office: 415-418 Hamilton; 854-6698
Affiliated Faculty
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Rachel Adams English and Comparative Literature; American Studies Casey N. Blake History; American Studies Jeremy Dauber Germanic Languages Andrew Delbanco Humanities Robert A. Ferguson English and Comparative Literature; Law Eric Foner History Todd Gitlin Journalism; Sociology Farah Griffin English and Comparative Literature; African American Studies |
Alice Kessler-Harris American History Rebecca Kobrin History Roosevelt Montás American Studies Sarah Phillips History Ross Posnock English and Comparative Literature; American Studies Wayne Proudfoot Religion Rosalind Rosenberg History (Barnard) Maura Spiegel English and Comparative Literature; American Studies |
The American Studies program offers students the opportunity to explore the experience and values of the people of the United States as embodied in their history, literature, politics, art, and other enduring forms of cultural expression. The program seeks to prepare students to confront with historical awareness the pressing problems that face our society. In order to foster critical thinking, the American Studies curriculum requires deep and wide reading in works of cultural criticism, history, and social analysis. The program takes advantage of our location in New York by involving students with the life of the city, working with community service organizations such as the Double Discovery Center, which serves disadvantaged high school students, and by inviting leading figures on the New York political and cultural scene to participate in colloquia, public conferences, and in the classroom. It is a demanding interdisciplinary program designed to be open and flexible while taking seriously the challenge of striving for a liberal education that helps prepare students for responsible citizenship.
Students may choose American Studies as a major or a concentration. Coursework for both consists of a series of required courses and an individualized program of study developed by the student in close consultation with his or her adviser.
Departmental Honors
Students with a 3.6 minimum GPA in the major and an outstanding senior project will be considered for honors. Normally, no more than 10 percent of graduating majors in the program will receive departmental honors