American Studies

Harvard’s American Studies program is devoted to the multidisciplinary study of the United States and the Americas, with special attention to change over time, the interplay of political and economic structures with cultural creativity, the formation and transformation of subcultures and identities, the dynamics, of race, class, gender, sexuality, and empire, and the global contexts for the American experience. Successful doctoral students wish to think broadly, work independently, engage diverse audiences, and pursue innovative approaches to questions both new and old. The department actively supports scholars from historically marginalized communities and scholarship that is accountable to those communities.