Randall Calvert, Professor in Political Science, has agreed to serve as the new Director of American Culture Studies and will take on the directorship effective July 1. He has already been working on his plans to continue and expand upon the strong foundation AmCS enjoys. He will bring exciting, new interdisciplinary ventures during a time when the study of American culture will touch upon the significant challenges facing the nation and the world today.

American Culture Studies is pleased to announce the recipients of the annual Lynne Cooper Harvey Writing Prize in American Culture Studies. Winners of the prize were publicly announced at the American Culture Studies barbeque on April 30, 2008. Mark Kizelshteyn, a graduating senior in Social Thought and Analysis, submitted his Honors Thesis, “Therapy and The Metaverse: Second Life and The Changing Conditions of Therapy for Convalescent and Chronically Ill Users.” You can view an excerpt of his thesis here. James Mosbacher, a sophomore in Architecture and a Major in American Culture Studies, submitted his final paper from Exploring America, 1957; a course taught by Professor Wayne Fields. The paper is titled: “Transportation in St. Louis: A Costly Experiment in City Planning.” You can view his paper here. Once again, congratulations to our winners!

For the sixth semester, American Culture Studies, through its service-learning course, "Rediscovering the Child: Problem-Solving Workshops in a Urban Elementary School" gives undergraduate students from different disciplines and schools the opportunity to create hands-on problem-solving workshops for fifth and sixth graders at the Adams Elementary School in the City of St. Louis. Led by architectural professor, Gay Lorberbaum, students train with her and develop a curriculum they offer the second half of the semester to the children.

Kiani Arkus, a biology senior (SP 06) who took the class, wrote: "I was lucky to have taken the American Culture Studies class on Hurricane Katrina when it was first offered last year. That was my first experience in interdisciplinary and service-based learning. That class primed me for what I was about to experience in Rediscovering the Child. To say the least, this class was eye-opening."

"Social justice is a term that I hear thrown around a lot—especially on the Washington University campus. I have heard about the economic oppression of certain areas of cities, based on the construction of that town on unfavorable land. I have heard about the lack of resources within these areas. I have heard about the consequences of growing up in such areas. However, it was not until this class that I had seen all that I had heard."
Hear more of what other students have said under "more"....
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A three part video describing the American Culture Studies program is now available on the Videos page. The first section, gives on overview of the program along with a short history. The second part, Faculty & Graduate Fellows, highlights faculty associated with the program and the contribution of the graduate fellows. Program & Projects, the third section, highlights a number of the on-going projects that undergrads have created and as well as their experiences in the program.

American Culture Studies, the History Department, and Washington University Libraries have just completed the initial phase of the Oral History Project. The program's focus centers on civil rights, citizenship, and activism, and neighborhood, religious, and ethnic communities.

The Oral History Project is co-directed by Wayne Fields, Director of American Culture Studies, and Leslie Brown, Assistant Professor of History. Currently available oral histories were conducted by undergraduates in the History Department from 2001-2003. In addition to finding transcripts and streaming audio online, the hard copies and analog materials can be accessed through Washington University Libraries. Be sure to check back regularly, as the Oral History Project is constantly processing new oral histories and making them available online.

For more information on the Oral History Project, please click on more information.

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The second and third volumes in the "Reflections on the American Century" series honor the writings of John N. Morris, poet, essayist, and scholar of 18th century English literature.

Morris taught in the English department at Washington University in St. Louis from 1967 until his retirement in 1996 and his papers are housed in the University's Special Collections library. Selected Poems, the first published overview of a distinguished career in poetry, has been drawn from the five volumes of verse published during Morris' lifetime (along with three poems discovered after his death) and is movingly introduced by the distinguished critic and teacher, Helen Vendler. "Then" is a memoir on which Morris was working at the time of his death. It, together with "Selected Poems," provides stunning insight into our struggle to find ourselves in whatever time and place we call our own. Publication of these two volumes reflects our deep gratitude to John Morris and our appreciation to the enduring testament he has given us as to what it meant to be human and humane in the American century.

We are grateful to John's wife, Anne, and the Morris family for their help and encouragement in preparing these volumes. Our thanks also go to Dillon Johnston, Director of the Washington University Writing Program, who helped with these publications and whose assistance to John and Anne in preparing "Selected Poems" deserves special thanks.

"Reflections on the American Century" is sponsored by the program in American Culture Studies, Arts and Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, the Illustrated Book Studio, part of Washington University's School of Art, and Special Collections of Washington University Library. Once again we are indebted to Ken Botnick, Director of the Illustrated Book Studio, for the beauty of the books in this series. Complimenting the written text, are the beautiful visual images created by photographer Bart Parker. Mr. Parker's work has been widely shown and published in books, catalogues, portfolios, and magazines. He is also recognized as an outstanding teacher and is presently Professor Emeritus, the University of Rhode Island, Kingston.

To learn how to purchase these volumes, please click on more information.
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