American Studies

Our Mission

The American Studies program at Kennesaw State University dedicates itself to crossing boundaries: disciplinary, social, cultural, institutional. The program is multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, focusing on the study of American cultures as they exist locally, regionally, nationally, and trans-nationally. With grounding in the content knowledge base and methodologies from a range of fields, students are actively encouraged to pursue an understanding and critical analysis of the history, literature, arts, politics, language, philosophy, and social practices of the multitude of American communities. Through the use of project-based learning linked to their own professional development needs, interests, and abilities, the program engages students in an exchange of learning and service in local communities and abroad.

American Studies students and faculty at KSU seek opportunities for collaborative work with partners in the university community and beyond by co-sponsoring events and projects based in a shared vision of social justice, global awareness, and the power of critical analysis linked to local action.

What is American Studies?

  • The investigation and interpretation of American cultures, cultural practices, and cultural products.
  • The examination of myth-making, cultural diffusion, spatial and linguistic practices, and identity formation in American life.
  • The exploration of how ideas about “America” shape social practices, both within the U.S. and around the world.

What Do American Studies Graduates Do?
A background in American Studies can be useful to you in just about any vocation, but here are a few to which many in American Studies are inclined:

  • Human relations
  • Conflict management
  • Museum collections and interpretation
  • Journalist/writer
  • Cultural anthropologist
  • Not-for-profit
  • Publicist
  • Public Policy
  • Counselor
  • Teaching
  • Educational leadership
  • City planning
  • Business management