The study of American literature concentrates on a dynamically evolving literary canon. Each new wave of immigrants has added new traditions to the incredibly diverse mosaic of lifestyles, cultures and religions. And each new generation of writers has redefined American identity and American literature by incorporating new ideas and new kinds of aesthetics into their writing. This is what makes American literature so exceptional: the diversity of forms, on the one hand, and the specificity and complexity of the subject matter, on the other. The research conducted at the Section of American Literature focuses on modernism and postmodernism, literary theory, twentieth-century and contemporary poetry, ethnic writing, realistic fiction, and women's writing. These scholarly interests are reflected in the content of the courses offered by the Section.

American Studies Encounters blog