The term American studies encompasses a vast range of disciplines, all of which, in one way or another, are trying to describe the cultures of the United States. In recent years American studies has also incorporated comparative studies of Canada and Latin America; and indeed a transnational, global perspective on American culture has become one of the leading currents in the field as we begin the twenty-first century. Where, after all, do the borders of America stop, when its influence was, throughout the twentieth century, so pervasive on world cultures?