From the Director

The Program in American Studies has had another successful and productive year. As Acting Director, I was honored to serve our many fine faculty and students in achieving their teaching, research and outreach goals. Our achievements for the 2007-2008 year included a highly attended comics and graphic novels event as part of the University's Year of Arts and Culture and impressive scholarly activity in our graduate students who were able to present their work at national and international conferences.

We have had a banner year in our evolution as an international center for the study of popular culture in its many facets. This dimension of the program has a long history, stemming from the work of Russel Nye, renowned author of The Unembarrassed Muse: The Popular Arts in America, who was a faculty member at Michigan State University from 1940 to 1979. Nye led the committee that founded the Program in American Studies in 1965, an initiative made possible by Michigan State University's commitment to experimentation and diversity. Nye was also instrumental in the formation both of the national American Studies Association and the Popular Culture Association.

Since then, the study of popular culture has been central to the work of many of our faculty and graduate students, enhanced by the presence of The Journal of Popular Culture, edited by core faculty member Gary Hoppenstand, an internationally recognized scholar in the field. Each year, the journal provides opportunities for several graduate students in American Studies to gain important editorial experience and networking opportunities. Gary, as well as AMS core faculty members John Bratzel and Douglas Noverr, have served as presidents of the Popular Culture Association, and many of our faculty and graduate students attend its annual regional and national meetings. Because there is interest in popular culture in many fields, including history, literary studies, music, art, religious studies, anthropology, and critical media studies, the Program in American Studies serves as a hub for interdisciplinary conversations and evolving work in the field. Our success is evident in the excellent students we attract, who go on to teach and publish in the field (see our new "Featured Alumni" section.) The work of our PhD students graduating in 2008 reflects our strengths.

I look forward to another year as Acting Director and keep me posted on your many accomplishments.

Acting Director, Ann Larabee