Faculty Research

The publications of American Studies faculty reflect their disciplinary and sub-disciplinary specializations. This page gives you a sense of the range of their research and scholarship. American Studies majors, by writing a honors thesis, enter the world of formal academic research.

Paul Fisher

Paul Fisher's doctoral thesis treated American literary expatriates of the art world of the Belle Époque and was the basis for his book, Artful Itineraries: European Art and American Careers in High Culture, 1865–1920 . His research in American Studies has combined literature, art history, cultural history, and gender and sexuality studies. He often examines American internationalism and transnationalism, so his work is comparative as well as interdisciplinary. His most recent book, House of Wits: An Intimate Portrait of the James Family , looks at Henry, William, and Alice James in the light of social and cultural developments of their time as well as according to family dynamics underemphasized in previous accounts: mental illness, alcoholism, and sexuality. He is currently working on a study of John Singer Sargent and his patrons, focusing on the role of sexuality in the fin-de-siècle art world.

Michael Jeffries

The bulk of Michael Jeffries'  published research is concerned with hip-hop culture. Articles and essays include pieces about hip-hop feminism and representations of love in hip-hop performances. His first book, Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop is available from the University of Chicago Press.