Faculty | Department of American Studies

Name Title Research Interests Email

Allen, Robert Distinguished Professor • digital humanities
• American cultural history
• family history rallen@email.unc.edu

Berlinger, Gabrielle Assistant Professor • material culture
• ritual
• Jewish folklore and ethnology
• ethnography
• public folklore
• museum anthropology gberling@unc.edu

Cobb, Daniel Full Professor • American Indian and Indigenous Studies
• American Indian history
• politics and activism
• ethnohistorical methods
• biography and memory
• global indigenous rights dcobb@unc.edu

Photo credit: Marsha Miller

Engelhardt, Elizabeth Distinguished Professor • Southern cultures
• food
• Appalachia
• feminism
• literature
• region and place e.engelhardt@unc.edu

Frey, Benjamin E. Assistant Professor • sociolinguistics
• language shift
• Cherokee language benfrey@live.unc.edu

Gelfand, Rachel Post doctoral Scholar • Queer Studies
• Oral History
• Memory Studies
• Visual Culture
• Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• Documentary Arts
• Feminist Theory
• Jewish Studies
• U.S. Popular Culture
gelfand@live.unc.edu

Herman, Bernard Distinguished Professor • material and visual culture
• folklore and folk life
• cultures of the American South
• vernacular art blherman@email.unc.edu

Hinson, Glenn Associate Professor • public folklore
• ethnography
• African American expressive culture
• American South ghinson@unc.edu

Holland, Sharon Distinguished Professor • critical race theory
• feminist theory
• queer theory
• sexuality studies
• animal studies pasharon@email.unc.edu

Kotch, Seth Assistant Professor • digital humanities
• modern south
• oral history
• criminal and social justice sethkotch@unc.edu

Marr, Timothy Associate Professor • Nineteenth-Century American literary and cultural history
• Transnational American Studies
• religion in American culture
• Islam in/and America
• Herman Melville marr@unc.edu

Richotte, Jr., Keith Assistant Professor • American Indian law and policy
• legal history
• constitutionalism richotte@email.unc.edu

Robinson, Michelle Associate Professor • 19th and 20th century U.S. religious history
• 19th and 20th century American literature
• U.S. cinema mmrobins@unc.edu

Rodriguez, Annette Assistant Professor • Anti-colonial Theory
• Feminisms
• Histories of land tenure
• 19th and 20th century U.S. popular culture
• Performance
• Ritual violence
• Visual Culture
• Borderlands
• (Im)migration
arodrig@email.unc.edu

Sawin, Patricia Associate Professor • narrative
• discourse
• festival
• culture of adoption sawin@unc.edu

Photo credit: Amy Stern
Tone-Pah-Hote, Jenny Associate Professor • American Indian and Indigenous Studies
• American Indian history
• expressive and material culture tonepahh@email.unc.edu

Willis, Rachel Full Professor • global American Studies
• transportation planning
• labor economics
• service-learning, experiential and higher education Rachel.Willis@unc.edu

	Name	Title	Research Interests	Email
	Allen, Robert	Distinguished Professor	• digital humanities • American cultural history • family history	rallen@email.unc.edu
	Berlinger, Gabrielle	Assistant Professor	• material culture • ritual • Jewish folklore and ethnology • ethnography • public folklore • museum anthropology	gberling@unc.edu
	Cobb, Daniel	Full Professor	• American Indian and Indigenous Studies • American Indian history • politics and activism • ethnohistorical methods • biography and memory • global indigenous rights	dcobb@unc.edu
Photo credit: Marsha Miller	Engelhardt, Elizabeth	Distinguished Professor	• Southern cultures • food • Appalachia • feminism • literature • region and place	e.engelhardt@unc.edu
	Frey, Benjamin E.	Assistant Professor	• sociolinguistics • language shift • Cherokee language	benfrey@live.unc.edu
	Gelfand, Rachel	Post doctoral Scholar	• Queer Studies • Oral History • Memory Studies • Visual Culture • Holocaust and Genocide Studies • Documentary Arts • Feminist Theory • Jewish Studies • U.S. Popular Culture	gelfand@live.unc.edu
	Herman, Bernard	Distinguished Professor	• material and visual culture • folklore and folk life • cultures of the American South • vernacular art	blherman@email.unc.edu
	Hinson, Glenn	Associate Professor	• public folklore • ethnography • African American expressive culture • American South	ghinson@unc.edu
	Holland, Sharon	Distinguished Professor	• critical race theory • feminist theory • queer theory • sexuality studies • animal studies	pasharon@email.unc.edu
	Kotch, Seth	Assistant Professor	• digital humanities • modern south • oral history • criminal and social justice	sethkotch@unc.edu
	Marr, Timothy	Associate Professor	• Nineteenth-Century American literary and cultural history • Transnational American Studies • religion in American culture • Islam in/and America • Herman Melville	marr@unc.edu
	Richotte, Jr., Keith	Assistant Professor	• American Indian law and policy • legal history • constitutionalism	richotte@email.unc.edu
	Robinson, Michelle	Associate Professor	• 19th and 20th century U.S. religious history • 19th and 20th century American literature • U.S. cinema	mmrobins@unc.edu
	Rodriguez, Annette	Assistant Professor	• Anti-colonial Theory • Feminisms • Histories of land tenure • 19th and 20th century U.S. popular culture • Performance • Ritual violence • Visual Culture • Borderlands • (Im)migration	arodrig@email.unc.edu
	Sawin, Patricia	Associate Professor	• narrative • discourse • festival • culture of adoption	sawin@unc.edu
Photo credit: Amy Stern	Tone-Pah-Hote, Jenny	Associate Professor	• American Indian and Indigenous Studies • American Indian history • expressive and material culture	tonepahh@email.unc.edu
	Willis, Rachel	Full Professor	• global American Studies • transportation planning • labor economics • service-learning, experiential and higher education	Rachel.Willis@unc.edu

Adjunct/Affiliated:

Daniel Anderson, English & Comparative Literature
William L. Andrews, English & Comparative Literature
Sarah Boyd, English & Comparative Literature
Fitzhugh Brundage, History
Maggie Cao, Art & Art History
Claude Clegg, African American & Diaspora Studies, and History
Tyree Daye, English & Comparative Literature
Maria DeGuzman, English & Comparative Literature
Kathleen DuVal, History
Tiber Falzett, English and Comparative Literature
Lawrence Grossberg, Communication Studies
Philip F. Gura, English & Comparative Literature
Amy Hertel, American Indian Center
Jennifer Ho, English
Wes Hogan, Center for Documentary Studies-Duke
Malinda Maynor Lowery, History
Jocelyn Neal, Music and Folklore
Michael Palm, Communication Studies
Della Pollock, Communication Studies
Eliza Richards, English & Comparative Literature
Katherine Roberts, Center for the Study of the American South
Robyn Schroeder, Humanities for the Public Good
Rachel F. Seidman, Center for the Study of the American South
William Sturkey, History
Jane Thrailkill, English & Comparative Literature
Tim Tyson, Center for Documentary Studies-Duke
Harry Watson, History
Anne Whisnant, History

Emeritus Professors

Marcie Ferris
William R. Ferris
Peter Filene
Jacquelyn Hall
John Kasson
Joy Kasson
Townsend Ludington
Daniel Patterson
Theda Perdue
Charles Zug