American Culture Studies

ACS offers Coverdell Fellows a critical framework in which to consider the intersections of culture and power, and allow our program to further transnationalize its perspective in line with the latest trends in the fields of American Studies and Cultural Studies.

Historically drawing from cultural studies and American Studies, ACS has in recent years expanded its curriculum to match both fields increased emphasis on transnational cultural phenomena.  Our U.S. students have increasingly studied transnational topics, and we have attracted a number of international students, including Fulbright Scholars.  In addition, concurrently with their degrees, ACS graduate students have the opportunity to earn graduate certificates in Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies, and Public History, all also administered by CCS. The American Culture Studies Program is comparative and interdisciplinary in nature. It emphasizes the development of critical analytical and scholarly skills, and offers practical training to prepare students for academic and professional careers.  ACS offers students a curriculum that helps them analyze structures of inequality in and across cultures, including those of ethnicity, class, and gender.  Furthermore, ACS will offer internships to Coverdell students to allow them to work with underprivileged populations in rural northwest Ohio as well as urban settings such as Toledo, OH (only 25 minutes away) and Detroit, MI (only 75 minutes away).