Introduction: Teaching American Studies past, present and future

This is a special issue of the Journal of American Studies in Turkey devoted to issues of teaching American Studies. I believe that it is important to focus on this subject for two reasons - first, that to date there has been very little material appearing on the subject in this country; and second, because I do believe that in the current socio-political climate all teachers, whether in the United States or elsewhere, should not only be concerned about what they are teaching under the umbrella of `American Studies`, but more significantly about why they are teaching it. Are their main objectives to increase students` knowledge of America, its history and its current place in the world, or are they trying to go beyond studying the target culture and focus instead on inter- or cross-cultural issues? These are the two main points that will be addressed in this issue.