The Department of American Culture is home to a nationally and internationally renowned core faculty with training in a wide variety of disciplines. We offer broad-based training and a range of courses to our students. Our faculty have authored numerous, highly acclaimed books and articles, served as presidents of national academic organizations, sat on the editorial boards of major journals, served as expert sources for the media and news outlets and as consultants and board members for institutions related to our field.
American Culture: Faculty
drsuad@umich.edu
3527B Haven Hall,
734-936-5858
Fields of study:
race, Blackness, Black Islam, Anthropology, Black women's history, popular culture
734-936-5858
Fields of study:
race, Blackness, Black Islam, Anthropology, Black women's history, popular culture
retika@umich.edu
3666 Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of study:
critical refugee studies, Asian American studies, multi-sited ethnography, humanitarianism, displacement, postindustrial United States, South Asian Borderlands
Fields of study:
critical refugee studies, Asian American studies, multi-sited ethnography, humanitarianism, displacement, postindustrial United States, South Asian Borderlands
sigrid@umich.edu
Haven Hall, 1045
Hatcher 209 North, 1190
734-615-6519
Fields of Study:
English and American literature, ethnic studies, social justice
Hatcher 209 North, 1190
734-615-6519
Fields of Study:
English and American literature, ethnic studies, social justice
awartani@umich.edu
3651 Haven Hall
Fields of Study: transnational and comparative history, social movements, race and ethnicity, Latinx studies, Arab American studies, U.S. in the World
Fields of Study: transnational and comparative history, social movements, race and ethnicity, Latinx studies, Arab American studies, U.S. in the World
sberrey@umich.edu
3741 Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of Study:
race and culture, African American history, U.S. South, 20th-century United States, cultural history
Fields of Study:
race and culture, African American history, U.S. South, 20th-century United States, cultural history
Mborja@umich.edu
3767 Haven Hall
Fields of Study:
migration, religion, Asian American studies, politics, oral history
Fields of Study:
migration, religion, Asian American studies, politics, oral history
dmjbrown@umich.edu
Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of Study: history, science and Indigenous history and philosophy
Fields of Study: history, science and Indigenous history and philosophy
wcalvo@umich.edu
3642 Haven Hall, 1045
734-647-3341
Fields of Study:
visual, material culture, and consumption studies;speculative fiction studies;Latina/o Chicana/o studies
734-647-3341
Fields of Study:
visual, material culture, and consumption studies;speculative fiction studies;Latina/o Chicana/o studies
John Cheney-Lippold
Associate Professor; AC Associate Chair and Director of the Undergraduate Studies Program
Associate Professor; AC Associate Chair and Director of the Undergraduate Studies Program
jchl@umich.edu
3527G Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of Study:
cultural studies, code and algorithm studies, future studies, surveillance, identity, privacy, critical theory, philosophy
Fields of Study:
cultural studies, code and algorithm studies, future studies, surveillance, identity, privacy, critical theory, philosophy
Juan Cole
Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History; Director of the Program in Arab and Muslim American Studies (AMAS) and Undergraduate Advisor for the minor
Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History; Director of the Program in Arab and Muslim American Studies (AMAS) and Undergraduate Advisor for the minor
jrcole@umich.edu
2527 Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of Study: modern Middle East, Muslim South Asia, intellectual and cultural history, religion, history
Fields of Study: modern Middle East, Muslim South Asia, intellectual and cultural history, religion, history
jwcook@umich.edu
1029 Tisch Hall, 1003
734-763-7860
Fields of Study:
19th-century cultural and intellectual, African American, popular/mass culture, visual culture, capitalism
734-763-7860
Fields of Study:
19th-century cultural and intellectual, African American, popular/mass culture, visual culture, capitalism
chcroft@umich.edu
3735 Haven Hall, 1045
734-764-4463
Fields of Study:
dance and performance studies, U.S. social movements, cultural policy, gender & sexuality, dramaturgy
734-764-4463
Fields of Study:
dance and performance studies, U.S. social movements, cultural policy, gender & sexuality, dramaturgy
mrdesai@umich.edu
3749 Haven Hall, 1045
734-615-2524
Fields of Study:
Literature, Asian American Studies, Popular Culture
734-615-2524
Fields of Study:
Literature, Asian American Studies, Popular Culture
humanitiesad@umich.edu
Office of the Dean:
LSA 2256, 500 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382
Executive Assistant: Stella Bublitz, bublitzs@umich.edu, 734-647-2115
Fields of Study:
Native American and Early American history
LSA 2256, 500 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382
Executive Assistant: Stella Bublitz, bublitzs@umich.edu, 734-647-2115
Fields of Study:
Native American and Early American history
annawfis@umich.edu
3640 Haven Hall
Fields of Study:
digital studies, media theory, performance studies, contemporary art, visual culture, feminist and queer studies, critical theory
Fields of Study:
digital studies, media theory, performance studies, contemporary art, visual culture, feminist and queer studies, critical theory
Matthew L.M. Fletcher
Professor of American Culture and the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law
On Leave WN24
Professor of American Culture and the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law
On Leave WN24
nimrod@umich.edu
314 Hutchins Hall
Fields of Study: Federal & tribal Indian law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, administrative & Constitutional law, legal ethics.
Fields of Study: Federal & tribal Indian law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, administrative & Constitutional law, legal ethics.
kgonyon@umich.edu
3732 Haven Hall, 1045
734-615-8896
Fields of Study:
Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) language instruction
734-615-8896
Fields of Study:
Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) language instruction
gunckel@umich.edu
3632 Haven Hall, 1045
734-615-2935
Fields of Study:
Chicano/Latino film and media, Latina American cinema, Mexican cinema
734-615-2935
Fields of Study:
Chicano/Latino film and media, Latina American cinema, Mexican cinema
sgunning@umich.edu
4733 Haven Hall, 1045
734-763-5525
Fields of Study:
American studies; 19th- and 20th-century American literature; African American literature; African diaspora studies; interdisciplinary approaches to literature, femininsm and gender studies, and travel writing
734-763-5525
Fields of Study:
American studies; 19th- and 20th-century American literature; African American literature; African diaspora studies; interdisciplinary approaches to literature, femininsm and gender studies, and travel writing
kah@umich.edu
3759 Haven Hall, 1045
734-615-8869
Fields of Study:
Memorials, memory, material culture, cultural infrastructure, structures of inequity, race, and racism, U.S. cultural history and museum studies.
734-615-8869
Fields of Study:
Memorials, memory, material culture, cultural infrastructure, structures of inequity, race, and racism, U.S. cultural history and museum studies.
jmhoward@umich.edu
3058 Tisch Hall, 1003
Fields of Study:
novel and narrative; women's literature and culture in the United States from the mid-19th-century to the present; periodical history; genre studies; American studies; gender studies; cultural & social theory; disciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and knowledge production
Fields of Study:
novel and narrative; women's literature and culture in the United States from the mid-19th-century to the present; periodical history; genre studies; American studies; gender studies; cultural & social theory; disciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and knowledge production
drbh@umich.edu
3664 Haven Hall
Fields of study:
19th and 20th century Native American representation, contemporary Indigenous performance, musical theatre and race, the performance of federal Indian law
734.936.4374
Fields of study:
19th and 20th century Native American representation, contemporary Indigenous performance, musical theatre and race, the performance of federal Indian law
734.936.4374
hwangr@umich.edu
3732 Haven Hall, 1045
(mobile) 925-586-4613
Fields of Study:
Asian/Pacific Islander American history, A/PIAs in the civil rights movement; A/PIA community activism
(mobile) 925-586-4613
Fields of Study:
Asian/Pacific Islander American history, A/PIAs in the civil rights movement; A/PIA community activism
charka@umich.edu
3634 Haven Hall, 1045
734-764-8363
Fields of Study:
Arab American studies, queer of color critique, interdisciplinary and historical methods, history of gender and sexuality, women of color and transnational feminisms
734-764-8363
Fields of Study:
Arab American studies, queer of color critique, interdisciplinary and historical methods, history of gender and sexuality, women of color and transnational feminisms
yarden@umich.edu
Haven Hall
Fields of Study: imperialism, white supremacy, and racial capitalism; science and technology studies; history and politics of biomedicine; eugenics and exploited labor in science; radical social movements
Fields of Study: imperialism, white supremacy, and racial capitalism; science and technology studies; history and politics of biomedicine; eugenics and exploited labor in science; radical social movements
lckawar@umich.edu
1516 East Quad, 1245
734-615-4614
Fields of Study:
law and society; critical border studies; migration and indigenous populations; displacement and forced migration; interpretive methods and methodologies; international labor law and human rights
734-615-4614
Fields of Study:
law and society; critical border studies; migration and indigenous populations; displacement and forced migration; interpretive methods and methodologies; international labor law and human rights
mckelley@umich.edu
2672 Haven Hall, 1045
734-834-0903
Fields of Study:
American & women’s iIntellectual history, 19th-century women writers, American culture, and women's, gender, and sexuality studies
734-834-0903
Fields of Study:
American & women’s iIntellectual history, 19th-century women writers, American culture, and women's, gender, and sexuality studies
nancyak@umich.edu
3527A Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of Study:
Muslims, politics, authority, racialization, advertising, ethnographic methods
Fields of Study:
Muslims, politics, authority, racialization, advertising, ethnographic methods
lawrlafo@umich.edu
3703 Haven Hall, 1045
Chair's Office (voicemail only) 734-615-6473
FOR DEPARTMENTAL BUSINESS
email messages:
amcult-chair@umich.edu
Google calendar guest invitations:
lsa-ac-chair-calendar@umich.edu
Executive Assistant
Mary Freiman mlfr@umich.edu
Fields of Study:
American and ethnic studies, Latina/o studies, Puerto Rican & Hispanic Caribbean studies, women’s, gender, & sexuality studies, lesbian, gay, & queer studies
Chair's Office (voicemail only) 734-615-6473
FOR DEPARTMENTAL BUSINESS
email messages:
amcult-chair@umich.edu
Google calendar guest invitations:
lsa-ac-chair-calendar@umich.edu
Executive Assistant
Mary Freiman mlfr@umich.edu
Fields of Study:
American and ethnic studies, Latina/o studies, Puerto Rican & Hispanic Caribbean studies, women’s, gender, & sexuality studies, lesbian, gay, & queer studies
smlarson@umich.edu
3733 Haven Hall, 1045
734-615-6474
Fields of Study:
18th- and 19th- century American cultural history; American religious cultures; disability studies; transgender history; women's, gender, & sexuality studies
734-615-6474
Fields of Study:
18th- and 19th- century American cultural history; American religious cultures; disability studies; transgender history; women's, gender, & sexuality studies
dmlouis@umich.edu
Lane Hall, 1290
734-936-0717
Fields of Study:
19th- and 20th century African American literature and culture, global black feminisms, history of medicine, slavery, mental illness, sustainability, and disability
734-936-0717
Fields of Study:
19th- and 20th century African American literature and culture, global black feminisms, history of medicine, slavery, mental illness, sustainability, and disability
Ashley Lucas
Professor; Director of the Program in Latina/o Studies and Undergraduate Advisor for the Major and Minor
Professor; Director of the Program in Latina/o Studies and Undergraduate Advisor for the Major and Minor
lucasash@umich.edu
Residential College: 1516 East Quad, 1245
734-763-1860
Fields of Study:
U.S. Latina/o theatre, prison-related theatre, theatre for social change, and related topics in acting, playwriting, and comparative ethnic studies
734-763-1860
Fields of Study:
U.S. Latina/o theatre, prison-related theatre, theatre for social change, and related topics in acting, playwriting, and comparative ethnic studies
cherryme@umich.edu
Haven Hall 3641
Lorch 453C
Fields of Study:
Ojibwe (Algonquian), morphology, semantics, noun categorization, gender, classifiers,language documentation, language typology, word order
Lorch 453C
Fields of Study:
Ojibwe (Algonquian), morphology, semantics, noun categorization, gender, classifiers,language documentation, language typology, word order
najita@umich.edu
3176 Angell Hall, 1003
734-764-6345
Fields of Study:
Pacific literatures in English, Asian American literatures, U.S. minority literatures
734-764-6345
Fields of Study:
Pacific literatures in English, Asian American literatures, U.S. minority literatures
lnakamur@umich.edu
3527F Haven Hall
Fields of Study:
Asian American studies, digital media theory, digital game studies, feminist theory, film and television studies, race and gender in new media
Fields of Study:
Asian American studies, digital media theory, digital game studies, feminist theory, film and television studies, race and gender in new media
doojae@umich.edu
Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of Studies:
Race, Diaspora, Identity Politics, Asian American Studies, Physical Cultural Studies, Sport
Fields of Studies:
Race, Diaspora, Identity Politics, Asian American Studies, Physical Cultural Studies, Sport
spedraza@umich.edu
4219 LSA Bldg, 500 S. State St., Department of Sociology, (734) 647-3659
Fields of Study: international sociology; inequalities and stratification; politics and social change; historical and qualitative approaches; immigration, race and ethnicity; sociology of revolutions; sociology of refugees. Countries that are the focus of her research: the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Spain.
Fields of Study: international sociology; inequalities and stratification; politics and social change; historical and qualitative approaches; immigration, race and ethnicity; sociology of revolutions; sociology of refugees. Countries that are the focus of her research: the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Spain.
apitawan@umich.edu
3732 Haven Hall, 1045
734-615-8896
Fields of Study:
Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) language instruction
734-615-8896
Fields of Study:
Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) language instruction
yrivero@umich.edu
6330 North Quad, 1285
734-615-4614
Fields of study:
television studies, race and media,global media, Latino/a, Spanish Caribbean, Latin American, and African diaspora studies
734-615-4614
Fields of study:
television studies, race and media,global media, Latino/a, Spanish Caribbean, Latin American, and African diaspora studies
ianshin@umich.edu
1767 Haven Hall, 1045
Fields of Study:
intellectual & cultural history; race & ethnicity; United States; history
Fields of Study:
intellectual & cultural history; race & ethnicity; United States; history
Amy Stillman
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; Director of the Program in Native American Studies (NAS) and Undergraduate Advisor for the minor
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; Director of the Program in Native American Studies (NAS) and Undergraduate Advisor for the minor
akstill@umich.edu
3765 Haven Hall, 1045
734-763-5559
Fields of Study:
ethnomusicology, Pacific Islands performance traditions, dance ethnology
7346780308
734-763-5559
Fields of Study:
ethnomusicology, Pacific Islands performance traditions, dance ethnology
7346780308
Jessica Kenyatta Walker
Assistant Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies; Assistant Professor of American Culture
On Leave FA23 & WN24
Assistant Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies; Assistant Professor of American Culture
On Leave FA23 & WN24
walkerjk@umich.edu
4658 Haven Hall, 1045
734-763-5518
Fields of Study:
Black feminist theory, critical food studies, space and place
734-763-5518
Fields of Study:
Black feminist theory, critical food studies, space and place
mzaborow@umich.edu
3743 Haven Hall
734-615-8866
Fields of Study:
African American and American literary and cultural studies
734-615-8866
Fields of Study:
African American and American literary and cultural studies
