Lary May is professor of American studies and history at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, where he has taught since 1978. Professor May is a former associate fellow in American civilization at Harvard University and a former instructor in the Department of History at Princeton University. Research interests include the political and cultural history of the American film industry in the 20th century and beyond. He is the author of numerous books and articles focusing on the intersection between politics, nationalism, and culture from the Great Depression through the Cold War. His most recent publications include “Cultural and Political History of the American Film Industry” in the Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural History (2012) and The Big Tomorrow: Hollywood and the Politics of the American Way (2000). He received a B.A. from George Washington University and a Ph.D. in United States history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He served on the faculty of three Sessions, most recently American Studies Center Session 30, The Politics of American Popular Culture: Here, There, and Everywhere, in 2002. He is accompanied by his wife Elaine May.