Despite the impact of the American idea upon the world, the "American"...has not (fortunately for the United States) been finally defined. This struggle between Americans as to what the American is to be is part of the democratic process through which the nation works to achieve itself. Out of this conflict, the ideal American character -- a type truly great enough to possess the greatness of the land, a delicately poised unity of divergences -- is slowly being born.
--Ralph Ellison

Since 1974, when the major was first introduced at Trinity, alumni with a degree in American Studies have pursued a wide range of postgraduate endeavors. Having mastered the discipline required to think, read, and write critically, these graduates
pursue a range of careers from law and publishing to business, teaching, and community organizing.

THE PROGRAM

Trinity's American Studies Program derives its excellence from its faculty of distinguished professors, many of whom enjoy national reputations and all of whom are active scholars. Involved and spirited, they bring to their teaching extensive current knowledge and the valuable historical perspective that comes with years of study in a field. At the same time, they are enthusiastic teachers who enjoy working with undergraduates, encouraging them and providing direction for their study and research.
The core faculty include Director Louis Masur, Kenan Professor of American Institutions and Values, who has published on topics as diverse as capital punishment, the events of a single year, and the first World Series.  Dana Professor of History Joan Hedrick won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for her book Harriet Beecher Stowe:  A Life.  Smith Professor of Literature Paul Lauter is a former president of the American Studies Association and the author of many works, including the most comprehensive multicultural anthology of American literature ever published.  Professor Eugene Leach is a founder of the American Studies Program at Trinity College and specializes in United States history in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  Professor Cheryl Greenberg has published works on African-American and modern American history, Associate Professor Margo Perkins has written about the African-American autobiographical, activist tradition, and Associate Professor Robert Corber has written about homosexuality and cold war America.  Assistant Professor Scott Tang works on race, ethnicity, and urban history in twentieth-century America.