What does it mean to be American? How do Americans form and express identity? While American studies delves into the political founding and social complexities of this nation, it also explores the impact of diversity in art, entertainment, and literature.

Why American Studies at Sewanee?

American studies is an interdisciplinary major that fosters an understanding of past and present American culture. Typically, you’ll study from the fields of history, literature, anthropology, politics, religion, and art history. The junior seminar for majors will introduce you to important methodological and theoretical problems in the study of American culture.

You’ll be able to make cultural comparisons with older civilizations and identify both the similarities to and differences from American culture. Explore the varied traditions, perspectives, and institutions that combine to make America what it is today.

First Destinations: American Studies Majors

Sewanee graduates secure positions in a variety of fields. Some you would expect, others, are a bit of a surprise. Sewanee prepares you for your profession and your passion. Below is a sampling of recent graduates' first job.

  • Internal Production Assistant, Above Average Productions, New York City, NY.
  • Interpretive Ranger, Student Conservation Association, Charlestown, NH.
  • Lead Singer / Artist, Boy Named Banjo, Nashville, TN.
  • Americorps Member, City Year, Washington D.C.
  • Alumni Coordinator, Episcopal High School, Baton Rouge, LA.

Unearthing the Muckers

American Studies Professor Woody Register’s deep dive into a noted social reformer’s archive uncovers a fascinating and long-forgotten account of life in a children’s street gang in 19th-century New York City.

When Professor of History Woody Register, C’80, began investigating Progressive-era reformer Thomas Osborne about five years ago, he stumbled across another compelling character in a young friend of Osborne’s, William Dapping, whose first-person account of life on the New York City streets in the 1890s has now been published in The Muckers, a book edited by Register. The book offers readers, for perhaps the first time, the chance to hear directly and powerfully from a member of a fascinating group of overlooked children of the 19th century.

Read More

A Sampling of Courses

American Culture
Anthropology

An anthropological study of the United States using community studies and topical essays to explore regional differences and national continuities. Symbols of self, home, community, and nation are used to interpret technology, the economy, leisure, popular culture, and social class, and patterns that typify America in general, and, in particular, the region of Appalachia.

ANTH 301
American Environmental Literature
English

A study of writings from the colonial era to our own day reflecting diverse ways of imagining humanity's relation to the natural environment. Readings include both traditional literary texts by authors such as Thoreau, Cather, and Frost and seminal nonfiction by figures such as Aldo Leopold, John Muir, Rachel Carson, and Wendell Berry

ENGL 396
Conquest and Emancipation on the Sea Islands of South Carolina
American Studies

The course incorporates the study of history, archaeology, literature, religion, and film and popular culture in historic Beaufort, S.C., one of the crucial sites in America's Civil War. It considers the rich and long history of the people who explored, colonized, and thrived in this coastal region and focuses on the momentous period from 1850 to 1880. The course includes field expeditions to nearby historical sites and opportunities to interact with local experts on the region's history and culture.

AMST 371
View All

American Studies

PROGRAMS OF STUDY & RELATED PROGRAMS

Requirements for the Major in American Studies

Electives are selected from:

Meet some professors

Sean Patrick O'Rourke
sporourk@sewanee.edu

O’Rourke teaches and writes in the areas of rhetoric and legal rights, the rhetoric of protest and dissent, and freedom of speech. His work has appeared in both academic and non-academic publications and reflects his abiding commitment not only to his scholarship but also to undergraduate liberal education, undergraduate research in the humanities, and civic engagement. O’Rourke’s efforts have been recognized by over a dozen awards for teaching, research, and service.

Professor of Rhetoric and American Studies & Director of the Center for Speaking and Listening
Courtney Thompson
clthomps@sewanee.edu

Courtney L. Thompson is an Assistant Professor of American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at The University of the South. Her teaching and research areas focus on the African diaspora, with particular emphasis on Black women’s studies, the African American literary tradition, constructions of Black masculinity, and diverse representations of Africa. Dr. Thompson’s current research examines political discourse in Black women’s writings, specifically the relationship between Black women’s progressive politics in the United States and democratic reform.

Assistant Professor of American Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and African and African American Studies
Woody Register
wregiste@sewanee.edu

Woody Register teaches post-Civil War U.S. history and serves as director of the Sewanee Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation. Register graduated from Sewanee in 1980 and received his doctorate in history in 1991 from Brown University. He came to Sewanee in 1992 and teaches courses on nineteenth- and twentieth-century American society and culture, popular culture, and gender.

Professor of American History

Contact

Julie Berebitsky
Jessie Ball duPont Professor; History and Women's and Gender Studies

jberebit@sewanee.edu

Walsh-Ellett Hall 209, Ext. 1725

Gailor Hall 21

Connecting the Dots

Slavery Project
Slavery, race, and reconciliation

The Sewanee Project on Slavery is made up of a task force of various faculty and students on campus who are interested in issues regarding equity and race relations. The task force is focused on identifying Confederate monuments and memorials on campus and making recommendations as to how the University can best handle these tributes to the past.

Join Us
Writing Center
Sharpen your pencils, sharpen your skills

Need help with a paper? The Writing Center provides you with objective peer support and instruction for writing projects. The student tutors represent a wide range of majors, and they can help you at any stage in the writing process—topic development, rough drafts, final drafts, revisions, etc. They’re basically your cheerleader from brainstorming to final draft.

Write On
Center for Speaking & Listening
Next stop: eloquence and poise

The Center for Speaking and Listening will be your new favorite resource on campus. Check out this quiet space, use state-of-the-art equipment, and meet tutors ready to watch your speech and give constructive feedback. Design, develop, and practice delivering effective, ethical speeches with eloquence and confidence.

Take a look