- "American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture."
It is the study of American culture, history, and societies.
History and Historiography: Examining historical narratives about the United States, including the exploration and settlement of the continent, the rise of the United States as a global superpower, and the impact of race, gender, and class on American history.
American Literature: Study of literature produced in the United States, including novels, short stories, poetry, and drama. Analyzing the works of famous American authors, such as Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Toni Morrison.
American Political Systems: Analyzing the systems, institutions and processes of American government, including the constitution, the presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court, political parties, campaigns, and elections.
American Popular and Visual Culture: Examining popular culture in the United States, including music, film, television, advertising, fashion, and sports.
American Identity: Exploring how American culture and society define themselves through language, cultural symbols, geography, and history. An examination of the issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality in the construction of American identity.
American Religion and Philosophy: Studying the religious and philosophical traditions that have shaped American society and culture, including Puritanism, Transcendentalism, Pragmatism, and contemporary religious and philosophical movements.
Social Movements in America: Analyzing movements that have sought to bring about social, cultural, and political change in the United States, including Abolitionism, Women's Suffrage, Civil Rights, and LGBTQ rights.
American Environmental Studies: Studying the relationship between humans and nature in the United States, including issues such as industrialization, conservation, environmentalism, and climate change.
- "It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography, and critical theory."
- "Scholarship in American studies focuses on the United States."
- "In the past decades, however, it has also broadened to include Atlantic history and interactions with countries across the globe."
- "Subjects studied within the field are varied, but often examine the literary themes, histories of American communities, ideologies, or cultural productions."
- "Examples might include topics in American social movements, literature, media, tourism, folklore, and intellectual history."
- "Fields studying specific American ethnic or racial groups are considered to be both independent of and included within the broader American studies discipline."
- "This includes European American studies, African American studies, Latino studies, Asian American studies, American Indian studies, and others."