"There is a breadth of knowledge, and an understanding of divergent viewpoints, that the American Studies program provides. It provokes your thinking and challenges your biases. Best choice I ever made."

Shawn Layden, '83 President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America

"I am so grateful to the Department of American Studies for making me a powerful writer, active citizen, and all-around better person. You can't get this kind of education anywhere else."

Bailey Kendall Class of 2019, American Studies and Economics Major

Professor Ruiz, on his class entitled "Latino Muralism": “Murals are actively a tool against gentrification. We are looking for the ways artists respond to demographic changes in the neighborhood through muralism. The class goes far beyond just understanding art for art’s sake, but that it’s really about the politics and cultural politics of public art.”

Jason Ruiz Associate Professor of American Studies