News
Source: https://americanstudies.cornell.edu/news Parent: https://americanstudies.cornell.edu/about-us
CAU Summer Courses: From wine pairings to town-gown history
Registration is now open for the two sessions of weeklong offerings, with the option to stay in a newly renovated Balch Hall
In Praise of Sage Chapel, East Hill’s beloved house of worship
Built in an era when the University was under fire for being nonsectarian, it offers respite from a bustling campus.
Nick Salvatore, ‘one of our foremost historians,’ dies at 82
Salvatore taught at the ILR School and in the American Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences for 36 years, retiring in 2017 as the Maurice and Hinda Neufeld Founders Emeritus Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Your December 2025 reads
This month’s featured titles include fiction from A&S alum Thomas Pynchon ’59, an award-winning poetry collection and a study of a small town.
Nexus Scholar alumni profile: Nnenna Ochuru ’25
"I want to further study the politicalization of education."
Combining humanities and tech for research gains
An interdisciplinary project is sparking collaborations among those interested in digital approaches to the study of history, languages and culture.
Historian to explore state of American sports in 2025 Seymour Lecture
Author and historian Kevin Baker will examine the paradox at the heart of modern American sports: while there are more games and sports than ever before, access has become increasingly limited and costly.
TCAM brunch highlight’s women’s history at Cornell
Cornell historian Corey Earle shared stories of remarkable women throughout Cornell’s history during an Oct. 25 brunch as part of the Trustee Council Alumni Meeting.
Civil War still haunts American attitudes toward democracy
A new book by Shirley Samuels examines the story behind today’s divided America in literature and art created during and soon after the Civil War.
Cornell ‘Swifties’ bond over musical superstar
The Cornell Swift Club will ring in a new Taylor Swift era with a late-night album release party for “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Inaugural “Freedom Party” in downtown Ithaca centers on community connection
A Sept. 27 event taking inspiration from the foundations of the Harlem Renaissance will highlight collaboration, resource sharing and storytelling.
In Kops Lecture, law scholar will explore ‘the Constitution in crisis’
Aziz Rana, a professor of law at Boston College, will discuss the relationship between the constitutional system and current democratic backsliding.
2025 Nexus Scholars talk about academic growth, transformation
Ten students who participated in this summer's Nexus Scholars Program share their stories..
Ticket stubs & COVID tests: 2020s Big Red life, in scrapbooks
As a final project, a popular course on Cornell history lets students create miniature time capsules for future generations.
From posters to precedent, humanities scholars showcase their research
Projects spanned topics from Confederate cemeteries to Korean textiles.
'My classes allowed me to look at the world around me in ways that I had never done before'
Rebecca Parish is an American studies major.
'It's essential to view history considering multiple perspectives'
Isabella Riano is an American studies & government major.
Barrier-breaking astronomer graces a U.S. quarter
Immortalized in a series honoring notable women, Vera Cooper Rubin, MS ’51, is the first Cornellian ever featured on a coin.
CAU lets you go back to school (without those pesky prelims)
For more than half a century, Cornell’s Adult University has offered summer courses on the Hill — from cooking to cycling and beyond.
Explore home space in a teenage sitcom during upcoming lecture
"Sanctuary from the Storm: Making (My) Room with The Torkelsons," will explore Sheppard’s fondness for the 1990s television show and what the show’s representation of home spaces can tell us about the way television influences living practices.
Latina/o Studies offers new way to connect with alumni
“Fridays with Alumni” kicks off Jan. 31 featuring Kim Cardenas '17 & Joseph De Los Santos '19,
Ithaca startup’s product builds bone health using NY milk protein
Two friends who bonded over shared concerns over their bone health have formulated a bioavailable calcium chew using milk protein from Finger Lakes dairy farms.
Learn local lore, Cornell historian Earle says in ‘Last Lecture’
Lecturer Corey Ryan Earle ’07, Cornell’s unofficial historian, gave the latest installment in the Last Lecture series, which invites a respected staff member or professor to give a lecture as if it were their final one.
In ‘Fun Home’ and other books, queer narratives rework time
In “Never On Time, But Always in Time,” Kate McCullough of the College of Arts and Sciences examines four books to explore how queer narratives focus on the body and its senses to find alternative ways of experiencing and presenting time.
‘Icon of national femininity’: Beyoncé to appear at VP Harris Houston rally
As Election Day closes in, a Cornell expert in Black feminism sees 'deep meaning and significance' in superstar Beyoncé's support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
University celebrates top faculty for outstanding teaching, mentoring
Eleven teaching faculty from across the university have been awarded Cornell’s highest honors for graduate and undergraduate teaching, Interim President Michael I. Kotlikoff announced Oct. 22.
J. Ellen Gainor wins book award from Theatre Library Association
The George Freedley Memorial Award Special Jury Prize goes to Gainor for “The Routledge Anthology of Women’s Theatre Theory & Dramatic Criticism," which she co-edited.
A&S announces membership in MLA Strategic Partnership Network
“We felt this is an important resource that should be available to our humanists at all levels, whether they have the resources to pay for membership or not,” said Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences.
From portfolios to pizza, fall A&S career events explore diverse fields
"Cornell alumni are generous with their time and efforts to assist students, to answer questions from students, or connect them to people and places."
Mohawk community newspaper founder to give Kops Lecture
Kenneth Atsenhaienton Deer, founder and former editor of The Eastern Door newspaper, will be the featured speaker at the 2024 Daniel W. Kops Freedom of the Press Lecture, Sept. 10.
New A&S dean relishes ‘life in a university’
Peter John Loewen says he's excited to support faculty in their research, meet students and showcase the value of a liberal arts education.
SEG grants fund summer internships, research projects
The grants help pay for housing, food, transportation and other expenses for students with minimally-paid or unpaid summer internships or positions.
Alum’s Nonprofit Promotes Indigenous Sisterhood
Michelle Schenandoah ’99 founded Rematriation to empower Indigenous people and raise global awareness about Indigenous knowledge as viable ways to address global challenges.
Nexus Scholars study climate change inequality and infant language learning
The program provides undergraduates with summer opportunities to conduct research with and be mentored by faculty from across the college.
The cascading effect of a 19th-century professorship
Many generations of Sage professors have established a lasting legacy in Cornell’s history and have deeply influenced the study of philosophy and psychology worldwide.
New Book Chronicles Cornell’s International Impact
In "Beyond Borders," more than four dozen authors – many from A&S – contribute to an overview of the university’s "global dimensions."
Peter Loewen named dean of Arts and Sciences
Coming from the University of Toronto, where he was the director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Loewen began his five-year appointment as the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Aug. 1.
Humanities scholars research free speech, AI, sports culture and the Supreme Court
“This year’s Humanities Scholar Program conference was spectacular. The range of topics covered, the diversity of approaches, and the level of mastery demonstrated by the students were inspiring,” said interim director Lawrence Glickman.
'My ability to explore was instrumental in forming my academic consciousness'
Olivia Ochoa is a Spanish & American studies major.
'I discovered my major by taking classes that I found fascinating'
Maggie Sandler is an American studies major.
'Universities play a substantial role in fostering the civic responsibility of students'
Elizabeth Rene is a Government & American Studies major.
An endless conversation: The art and practice of Mendi + Keith Obadike
The creative team have worked for decades across music, text and visual art to explore complex histories and social tensions.
‘Not her first rodeo’: Beyoncé scholar weighs in on ‘Cowboy Carter’
Professor of Africana studies Riché Richardson says reclaiming country music for the Black community and rebranding the genre as an inclusive space are triumphs of Beyoncé’s new album, “Cowboy Carter.”
Summer Experience Grant applications now open
The grants provide funding for students in unpaid or low-paying summer experiences to offset the cost of taking on those positions.
AMST Student Feature: Izzy MacFarlane
Izzy MacFarlane declared American Studies as her major since it was tailored to many of her interests at the time such as working in the fields of law, government, public policy, and/or non profits.
Alum’s Emmy caps his ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ experience
Miloš Balać ’11 was the primary point person on the ground, connecting with the town and the team.
American Studies Appoints New Program Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Earlier this year, the American Studies Program welcomed Mary Pat Brady and Chloe Ahmann as the new Program Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies, respectively. The two new faculty members will continue their professorships in their appointed departments while assuming responsibilities in their new roles.
AMST Student Feature: Ella Benjamin
“I’ve learned so many different things in American Studies, which has allowed me to be diverse and quick on my feet and have a wide variety of knowledge, which I think I would’ve only gotten through my coursework in American Studies…I encourage everyone to at least try them out for a little bit.”
Campus time capsules are blasts from the past
From contemporary ephemera to a missive from Ezra himself, the historic containers are relics of an earlier Cornell.
Opinion: What Oprah gets right about diet culture
Some Americans felt betrayed when Oprah Winfrey recently revealed that she had taken weight-loss medication, writes Adrienne Bitar, lecturer in the American Studies Program, in a CNN op-ed.