Community
American Studies is an interdisciplinary and academically diverse program - we work with a wide variety of students, faculty, and staff with different backgrounds, interests, and specialties. American Studies supports the William & Mary and broader Williamsburg community through a multitude of initiatives, partnerships, and opportunities.
On the undergraduate students’ end, a majority of American Studies classes have major COLL attributes, allowing interested students to explore the depths of the discipline while also fulfilling important requirements towards graduation. For our graduate students, we offer an array of paid assistantships that allow them to gain teaching experience and explore different positions in their field and many of our graduate students are members of the William & Mary Workers' Union.
In 2020, the program undertook a series of DEI reflective exercises, culminating in an initial series of panels and workshops in 2022 involving students and faculty. We continue to explore opportunities and possibilities to better foster a diverse and equitable program.
American Studies partners with numerous campus and community organizations that are working to improve the conditions and quality of life for people across James City County and at William & Mary. These organizations include but are not limited to The Village Initiative for Equity in Education, the Sharpe Community Scholars Program, WMSURE, the Equality Lab, the Bray School Lab, and the Williamsburg Documentary Project.
