Meet Our Majors

Adam Sunderman
Aida Richey
Owen Lee
Mikayla Woods
Olivia Loscavio
 

Adam Sunderman

Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Major: American Studies  Minor: Media Arts & Culture

What was your motivation to major in AMST?
I came to Oxy thinking I wanted to major in Media Arts & Culture, but taking Professor Lukes’s American Studies 101 class in the fall of my first year really piqued my interest in the department’s unique blend of American history, culture, and critical theory. That spring, I signed up for a higher level American Studies class and got to dive deeper with a much smaller, more close-knit group of peers in a really incredible seminar-style class focused on the prison system and abolitionist rhetorics. Those two classes together really cemented, for me, that American Studies was the perfect department for my specific interests.

Can you describe your working relationships with the AMST professors? Are there any standout classes you’ve taken?

I’ve taken two incredible classes with Professor Prebel already, as well as working under her as a writing adviser at the campus Writing Center. With such a small department, I’ve gotten to know both her and Professor Lukes, and I enjoy the different but equally rigorous and engaging approaches they take in the classroom.

The interdisciplinary approach of my AMST coursework has provided crucial scaffolding for me, fundamentally changing the way I think about identity, culture, and language in ways that will help me no matter what field I end up going into.

What are your ambitions post-Oxy and how has the liberal arts approach helped to put you on this path?

I hope to work in a creative field as a writer of some sort. While my goal is likely to go into a more specialized creative writing program later on, the interdisciplinary approach of my AMST coursework has provided crucial scaffolding for me, fundamentally changing the way I think about identity, culture, and language in ways that will help me no matter what field I end up going into.

What is the vibe of the AMST department?

On the one hand, the AMST department is, in my experience, one of the most intellectually rigorous and challenging majors available at Oxy. But on the other hand, I’ve also found it to be one of the warmest and most supportive communities on campus. Even when working through challenging readings and topics, I’ve never felt judged, discouraged, or anxious to participate.

 

Aida Richey

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Majors: American Studies, theater  Minor: Interdisciplinary Writing

What was your motivation to major in AMST?

I took my first AMST class in the fall of my first year and I felt so completely out of my capabilities in the first few weeks. However, the readings, essays, and discussions were just challenging enough that I would leave class physically feeling my brain getting bigger. I relished the challenge and took every opportunity to get better and eventually just fell in love with the endless critical thinking involved. I like the real-world applications of everything we discuss, and I know it makes me a better writer, thinker, and speaker. 

I like the real-world applications of everything we discuss, and I know it makes me a better writer, thinker, and speaker.

Can you describe your working relationships with AMST professors? Are there any standout classes you’ve taken?

I’ve taken classes with Professor Prebel and Professor Lukes, and they are both incredibly skilled at what they do. But more than being competent, they actually care about each student. They advocate heavily for students to come to office hours, even just to discuss a reading rather than for specific “help.” The AMST faculty is honestly one of the driving factors that led to my declaration of the major. 

Even if you’re not a major, an AMST class is a fantastic way to further your critical thinking abilities about our country and our existence in general. 

What is the vibe of the AMST department?

The American Studies department is intimidatingly smart but ridiculously friendly. Everyone cares about everyone else’s ideas, definitely trickling down from the professors themselves. Even if you’re not a major, an AMST class is a fantastic way to further your critical thinking abilities about our country and our existence in general.  

 

Owen Lee

Hometown: Edmonds, WA
Major: American Studies  Minor: Urban & Environmental Policy

What was your motivation to major in AMST?

My main motivation to major in AMST was to learn about the Land Back movement and Indigenous perspectives on land and decolonization. I came to Oxy to pursue environmental justice work, and AMST gave me the opportunity to supplement my knowledge of sustainability issues with historical context and social justice-oriented perspectives. In particular, the courses “Indigenous and Settler Ecologies of Power in North America” and “Transpacific Empire and Anti-Colonial Solidarities” allowed me to engage directly with the intersections of Indigenous politics and sustainability.

Can you describe your senior comps project?

My senior comps project is titled “Unsettling Sounds: Incommensurate Relations in Raven Chacon's Commissioned Works.” I analyzed compositions by Diné-Navajo composer Raven Chacon that were commissioned by settler organizations through queer and decolonial theory, especially Dylan Robinson’s book Hungry Listening: Resonant Theory for Indigenous Sound Studies. My project sought to underscore the contentious but potentially radical relationship between performance and decolonization, highlighting how Chacon’s compositions might invite settlers to listen differently to land and the Indigenous peoples who relate to that land as kin.

I came to Oxy to pursue environmental justice work, and AMST gave me the opportunity to supplement my knowledge of sustainability issues with historical context and social justice-oriented perspectives.

Did you study abroad? How did it enhance your education?

I studied abroad in Apia, Samoa with the School for International Training’s “Social and Environmental Change in Oceania” program. During my semester abroad, I had the opportunity to engage directly with communities experiencing the full force of climate change and learn from relational Pasifika worldviews and resilience. I also completed an independent research project interviewing informal street-side produce vendors and connecting their work to Samoan food sovereignty in collaboration with the Scientific Research Organization of Samoa.

 

Mikayla Woods

Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Major: American Studies, Black Studies; minor: English

Can you describe your working relationships with American Studies professors?

I have had such a positive experience with the American Studies professors. My advisor, Professor Prebel, has assisted me with professional development, writing skills, and extracurricular opportunities. I am constantly in the American Studies office hours, and I love catching up with the professors. One of the standout classes I have taken has been "Feminist Rhetorics." I loved this class because it taught me how to read sources against the grain and critically look at the way women’s voices are being represented.

Have you taken part in any student research opportunities at Oxy or elsewhere?

At Oxy, I conducted undergraduate research last spring, and I was recently granted the Ray A. Billington Fellowship for this summer. Last spring I worked with Professor Ford, conducting research on the book, Sentient Flesh: Thinking in Disorder, Poiesis in Black by R.A. Judy. This summer I will be working under the mentorship of Professor Prebel conducting research on Sojourner Truth’s 1828 court case where she sues for the freedom of her son, Peter. I am conducting this research with the goal of getting an article published on Black Motherhood within the Antebellum Legal System: The Legal History of Sojourner Truth.

I find American Studies compelling because of its diverse and interdisciplinary nature. This diversity keeps me extremely engaged, and it allows me to explore all of my passions.

What do you find most compelling about studying American Studies?

I find American Studies compelling because of its diverse and interdisciplinary nature. Through American Studies, I am able to take classes that intersect with Black Studies, English, Sociology, and many more fields. This diversity keeps me extremely engaged, and it allows me to explore all of my passions.

What are your ambitions post-Oxy and how has the liberal arts approach helped to shape these ambitions?

After graduating from Occidental I plan on attending a Ph.D. program in Black Studies or History. After this program, I want to become a Black Studies professor with a specialization on enslaved women.

Do you have any advice for a student considering a major in American Studies?

My advice would be to take as wide a range of classes as possible. Something great about the American Studies program is that we have such a diverse range of courses, so I would recommend taking the class that might be out of your comfort zone. In my experience, those have been some of the most impactful.

 

Olivia Loscavio

Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Major: American Studies; minors: Comparative Studies in Literature & Culture, Interdisciplinary Writing

What was your motivation to major in American Studies? Was there a specific inspirational moment or experience?

My motivation to join the American Studies department came from my research interests. I knew that I wanted to study the far-Right and right-wing conspiracy theories, and this was the major that most readily allowed access to those areas of study. I took a class my first year called “Origins of the New Right”, in which I had the opportunity to study right-wing propaganda and paranoia. Additionally, I liked the professors and other students in the major, so it felt like a great fit!

Have you taken part in any student research opportunities at Oxy or elsewhere?

I have taken part in three separate research projects at Oxy, two of which were under the direction of the American Studies department. Last spring, I worked with Professor Lukes on a project attempting to explain the unexpected coalition of the religious Right, libertarianism, and alternative spiritual communities that make up the New Right. My second project in the department was also under the advisement of Professor Lukes, but I got to create my research focus. I studied the ways in which members of online QAnon communities interacted with each other in order to produce new interpretations of the conspiracy.

One of the things I wish more students knew about this major is how many fascinating classes American Studies offers!

Are there any standout classes you’ve taken?

Yes, one of the things I wish more students knew about this major is how many fascinating classes American Studies offers! My favorites have been “Origins of the New Right,” “Feminist Rhetorics of Social Change,” and “Psychic Life of Violence.” In “Origins of the New Right,” we looked at the historical, social, and political formations that have constructed what we think of as “The Right” in American politics. In “Feminist Rhetorics of Social Change,” we learned about the history of feminist rhetorics and how different traditions of feminist rhetorics came out of different cultural struggles. My current favorite class is “Psychic Life of Violence;” in that class we examine modern instances of racial and political violence in America through the lens of psychoanalysis.

What are your ambitions post-Oxy?

My ambition post-Oxy is to get my Ph.D. in either American Studies or literature. If I continue my education in the field of American Studies, I want to continue my work in conspiracy theories. After my Ph.D., my dream is to become a professor!

What is the “vibe” of the American Studies department?

American Studies has the best vibes :) It’s a really close-knit group of students and professors. I love my major and wouldn’t change it for anything!

 

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