American Studies
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
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American Studies

Category: Announcement

American Studies Program Offices are Moving on March 31, 2026

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We are excited to share news regarding the location of the American Studies Program faculty and staff offices. Our campus offices will be closed during spring break, March 23-27 and on Monday, March 30. During this period, Laura Spautz, the American Studies major advisors, will be working remotely. Please email her at lspautz@berkeley.edu to make an advising appointment. As of Tuesday, March 31, 2026, the American Studies Program Offices will be located in the new Undergraduate Academic Building (UAB). Location Transition Details: Current Location: Evans Hall, Second Floor NEW Location: Undergraduate […]

American Studies Alumnus John Rider ’20: Berkeley Law Talk and Networking Opportunity Thursday, 3/19, 1-2 pm

Poster for John Rider's talk showing title and image of a globe

John Rider, American Studies Class of 2020, will return to UC Berkeley to present a paper at Berkeley Law on indigenous rights, land dispossession, and nature preservation. The talk will take place from 1–2 on Thursday, March 19, in 132 Law Building. All are welcome; updated event information is available via this link. Following the talk, John will be available to meet with current American Studies majors to discuss law school, research, writing, graduate study abroad, and other postgraduate possibilities.

For American Studies Majors: New Thesis Research Grants Available

American Studies Thesis Research Grants ($100–$500) are intended to fund students’ independent thesis research. Students must include a specific research question that they hope to answer in their proposals, indicating how the question relates to their Concentration in the major. FALL APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 15, 5:00 pm PT The fall application period opens in mid-September. Funding decisions will be communicated by December 8. SPRING APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 15, 5:00 pm PT The fall application period opens in mid-February. Funding decisions will be communicated by May 1. Thesis Research Grants are […]

Fall ’25 Bancroft Library Book Talk Features American Studies Faculty

Photo of Bancroft Library

Bancroft Library Roundtable Presentations will be held on the third Thursday of the month on Zoom, from 12:00-1:00, and are free and open to all. Note that the October talk will be held on the 4th Thursday of the month due to a scheduling conflict – it will be on October 23rd. Dr. Sarah Gold McBride, a lecturer in the Interdisciplinary American Studies program here at Berkeley, will get us started on September 18th with: Whiskerology: Finding the 19th-Century Culture of Hair in the Bancroft Collection Sarah Gold McBride’s recent […]

American Studies Spring Symposium – “Twice-Told Tales”: May 9, 2025

You are cordially invited to this Spring’s American Studies symposium, “Twice-Told Tales 2025” on Friday, May 9, 2025, at the Women’s Faculty Club on the UC Berkeley campus. Since 1995, the Interdisciplinary Program in American Studies has hosted this small gathering. During this informal, half-day symposium, we will hear from four of our colleagues on campus, and celebrate together the end of another academic year. Attendance is free, no RSVP is required. This event is open to faculty, staff, and alumni, and we also welcome graduate students and especially American […]

Talk by Oz Frankel on his book Coca-Cola, Black Panthers, and Phantom Jets: Israel in the American Orbit, 1967–1973 – March 10

With the support of American Studies, History, the Center for Jewish Studies, and the Magnes, the Helen Diller Institute is sponsoring a book talk by Oz Frankel on his book Coca-Cola, Black Panthers, and Phantom Jets: Israel in the American Orbit, 1967–1973. The lecture is scheduled for Monday, March 10, at 4pm in the Law School (4-5:30pm), followed by a reception across the street in the patio of Freehouse (5:45-7pm).

2025 UGIS Commencement Ceremony: Monday, May 19, 9:00-11:00 AM, Zellerbach Auditorium

The ceremony will be live streamed with captioning, and recorded. This ceremony is for students in the American Studies, Media Studies, and ISF majors who are graduating in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Summer 2025 and Fall 2025. For more information, please visit https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/ugis-commencement/home Guest tickets will be available in March and the link for purchasing tickets will be posted at https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/ugis-commencement/home. We will notify students and post an announcement here when tickets are available We look forward to seeing you there!