The American Studies program, begun in 1982, offers a bachelor of arts in American Studies. The program has gained major national and international recognition for features unique among American studies programs, such as the interdisciplinary breadth of a faculty drawn from major departments including the humanities, arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and technology. Historically, American studies has sought to define itself as a discipline with clear methodological boundaries. Consequently, students interested in American studies face an intellectually demanding task. The idea of America is best seen through the many lenses of different disciplines, or interdisciplinarity.
American studies combines intellectual history and historical analysis with cultural practice.
Nationally and at Tufts, American studies has had a central focus on the role of race, ethnicity, class, and gender in shaping people's experiences in the Americas. American studies has been increasingly concerned with the ways people of other countries see America. The mission of the Tufts program is to create interdisciplinary models of analysis of life in the Americas. As a part of its educational philosophy, the American Studies program encourages majors who are interested in social change and community service to undertake internships available through American Studies and many other departments and programs, such as Peace and Justice, Environmental Studies, Community Health, Women's Studies, and Communication and Media Studies. American Studies majors are eligible to apply for Ted Shapiro Memorial Awards, which support summer projects designed to achieve personal and academic goals.