Students and faculty of the American Studies Program
Interdisciplinary engagement with what America means

About Us

The Program in American Studies offers an interdisciplinary engagement with what America means in the United States and in a global context. Faculty encourage students to look at the meaning and reality of the evolving United States as a question still in need of answering and as an experiment still in process, not as a dream fully realized. We use multiple perspectives and methodologies and require that students synthesize knowledge in ways that develop the skills needed for rigorous, complex analysis.

Giving to the American Studies Program


Unrestricted gifts, no matter what the amount, help support every facet of the American Studies Program. Gifts may also be designated to support a specific area of the program’s activities. Endowments provide assurance that funding will be available in perpetuity to support the program.

You can make a gift online at Cornell’s Alumni, Parents & Friends page or send a check payable to “Cornell University” (Memo: American Studies Program) to:

Cornell University
Box 37334
Boone, IA 50037-0334

American Studies Graduates at Commencement
American Studies Graduates at Commencement

American Studies News

More American Studies news
Megan Zhang

Alumni Connections: Megan Zhang '16

Megan Zhang was an American Studies major who also took a premed curriculum:

"My American studies major gave me a unique background during med school interviews, and was definitely a conversation starter. It makes you a much more competent person in dealing with people who have different backgrounds than yourself. I appreciate the confidence it gives me to ask people about their side of the story, because there’s always another side of the story.”

After graduating, Megan spent a gap year working with families at a women’s and children’s shelter outside of Boston has opened her eyes to the diversity of experiences and situations that can lead someone to become homeless.

Read more of Megan's story

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