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The Department of American Culture was founded as Program in American Culture in 1952 through the efforts of Professor Joe Lee Davis to study American life. The program initially served as a hub for interdisciplinary courses. In the 1970s the program and coursework expanded to include the study of women and minority groups with an emphasis on Latino Studies as well as art and media studies. The Program became a Department in 2012. Records include administrative files, directors' correspondence, committee minutes, curriculum material, topical files, and material on faculty members and their activities.

The Department of American Culture (University of Michigan) records (5 linear feet, 12.36 GB and 1 archived website) contain administrative files, curriculum information, and faculty files. It also features materials documenting the interdisciplinary connections between the department and other schools, programs, and departments at the University of Michigan. The collection includes records from two of the Department of American Culture's ethnic studies programs, the Latino/a Studies Program and the Arab and Muslim American Studies Program.