The Trowbridge Initiative in American Cultures was established in 2004 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to organize and facilitate activities – including symposia, lectures and special events – of specific interest to Americanists from various disciplines on the university campus.  Working in collaboration with other units on campus, Trowbridge brings specialists in American literature, culture, and society to campus, and helps to sustain the scholarly and critical pursuits of faculty and students across a broad range of academic disciplines.