American Studies à la Française: An Introduction to Doctoral Dissertations in American Studies 1971-2005 for American Students

As globalization continues to influence the world of information and undergraduate learning, subjects pertaining to the United States as a country and complex culture emerge as interests globally, so much so that American Studies programs in other countries offer tantalizing opportunities to gain other perspectives and knowledge about the United States as a distinctively American experience. As American students study in American Studies programs, they may require or find useful, other approaches to American subjects in their research. A particularly interesting possibility for students and scholars is to avail themselves of French research, specifically doctoral dissertations in American studies. Since American Studies in France occupies a small but concentrated university presence, it may not be obvious to many American scholars and students in American Studies, that French scholarly interest in American subjects at the graduate level is well-delineated. French dissertations in American Studies offer the U.S. researcher and student another corpus of valuable research and perspective for American Studies literature. To help librarians and users gain a cursory appreciation, an examination of dissertations for 1971-2005 were bibliometrically examined for their general characteristics and for their various disciplinary and subject orientations