In the last two decades German-American Studies have emerged as an academic field of study, reflecting broader trends and interests in American society, such as the "roots" phenomenon and the ethnic revival of the 1960s and beyond. Increasing public awareness derived from national celebrations which illuminated the role of the German-American in American society past and present, such as the 1976 American Bicentennial and the 1983 German-American tricentennial. The 1980 U.S. Census indicated that the German element was the largest ethnic element in the U.S. In spite of recent public awareness, the field of German-American Studies is not a new field, but rather quite an old one, which can be traced back to its earliest beginnings in the eighteenth century when the first reflections of the German-American experience were recorded. Although a field with a long history and one with increasing local and regional interest, all too few courses can be found which deal with German-American history, literature, and culture.