This sentence seems like a bizarre non sequitur. Absent some explanation of how American Studies connects to CS (perhaps this is obvious to American Studiers?),

This sentence seems like a bizarre non sequitur. Absent some explanation of how American Studies connects to CS (perhaps this is obvious to American Studiers?), it reads like the equivalent of "while backpacking through Laos, I realised the New York subway system was in urgent need of repair".