American Studies is a field that uses multiple disciplines and theories to critique a wide variety of subjects. Indiana University Indianapolis’s program has a deep history on campus and today offers a dynamic minor and a unique and robust doctorate. We are also committed at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to put the field’s tradition of critique into action. Through this combination of critique and action, the American public higher education can contribute to, and perhaps even advance, the public good and the popular demands for justice, equality, and freedom.