American Studies

Departmental Information

Program Director
Prof. Andrew Delbanco
418 Hamilton
854-6698
ad19@columbia.edu

Associate Director
Prof. Rachel Adams
854-3831
rea15@columbia.edu

Assistant Director
Angela Darling
415 Hamilton
854-6698
amd44@columbia.edu

Program Office
418 Hamilton
854-6698

Departmental Web Site
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/amstudies/

Interdepartmental Committee for American Studies

The American studies major 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 seeks to take advantage of our location in New York by involving students with the life of our incomparable city, 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.