American Studies is the academic area of inquiry that seeks an integrated and interdisciplinary understanding of American culture. Rooted in the traditional disciplines of literature and history, the field has evolved from its establishment in the first half of the twentieth century to include artifacts, methodologies, and practitioners drawn from a wide variety of disciplines within the humanities, including Political Science, Sociology, Religion, Anthropology, Music, Art History, Film Studies, Architecture, Women's and Gender Studies, and other fields of inquiry.