Our Mission
Americana is the undergraduate research journal from the University of Notre Dame’s Department of American Studies. Founded by American Studies major Julianne Downing (Class of 2022), Americana is a student-centered publication. In all aspects of its creation, Americana seeks to achieve these goals:
- Acknowledge the high-quality and diverse undergraduate research of American Studies (AMST) and the Gallivan Program for Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy (JED) undergraduates
- Encourage students to conduct research that explores both popular and academic curiosities relating to American Studies
- Foster an interdisciplinary conversation between students, past and present
- Provide opportunities for undergraduate publication
Americana creates an opportunity for AMST and JED undergraduate students to have their work published in an academic journal. By publishing across multiple platforms, Americana widely circulates undergraduate scholarship in the hopes of engaging students outside of the AMST and JED departments.
Americana includes several genres, including: (1) short informal articles exploring American Studies topics of general interest, (2) longer scholarly articles that reflect academic research conducted in or out of class setting, (3) senior theses, and (4) multimedia projects. We also include retrospective pieces in each volume of Americana, exposing current students to work from alumni, drawing connections between the generations of AMST and JED students. Americana is proud to serve as a unique opportunity for undergraduates to ask questions, pursue academic interests, and strengthen their department’s sense of community.
Americana is supported by the Department of American Studies and The John W. Gallivan Program for Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy. Americana is edited by junior Julianne Downing and sophomore Mannion McGinley, and advised by Prof. Peter Cajka, Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Department of American Studies.