The ACAS is an organization for those interested in the interdisciplinary study of the total culture. It should attract those interested in the field of study which goes under names such as American Studies, American Cultural Studies, etc. Structurally, it mirrors the place of the American Culture Association within the Popular Culture Association and is represented on the Executive Committee of the PCAS. The ACAS does not stress popular or Southern culture, though it is hospitable to both. Instead, the ACAS examines all aspects of American culture, from traditional to avant-garde, from highbrow to lowbrow, from elite to popular.

Its journal, Studies in American Culture, invites scholarly submissions focused on the rich diversity of topics in the field of American cultural analysis.