The minor in Comparative Cultural Studies – International focuses on how culture and politics affect societies across the world. The program’s strong interdisciplinary approach in the humanities and social sciences gives students the skills and competencies they need to address complex and critical global issues. The minor provides students with tools to better understand diverse cultural perspectives around the world. The comparative and transnational focus encourages students to learn about other cultures and social systems, to reflect back on their own societies, and to discover how they want to position themselves as globally engaged citizens.
The courses recommended for the minor examine such issues as racial and gender politics; media, power, and politics; nationalism, ethnicity, and ethnic conflict; literature, film, performance, and politics; globalization, international development, and community mobilization; human trafficking; global public health; and diaspora, migration, and displacement. The coursework gives students the opportunity to gain expertise in areas or peoples outside of the United States and allows them to develop comparative and international perspectives valued by public and private employers. It is critical for contemporary students to understand the impact of politics and policies on people’s lives and global social injustice, inequality, and conflict.
The minor will assist students who are seeking a wide variety of jobs, ranging from U.S. government positions to social and popular media, as well as private business ventures, cultural organizations, and non-profit organizations. It is also beneficial for students who are pursuing a wide range of graduate and professional degrees, including law, education, non-profit administration, public policy, public health, communication, cultural studies, environmental studies, media studies, anthropology, social work, and business.
Course List Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
GLST 211/ENGL 211 | Foundations in Cultural Studies | 3 |
| 6 |
| Intercultural Communication | |
| Communication and Popular Culture | |
| History of Literary Criticism | |
| Cultural Politics | |
| Philosophy of Art | |
| 9 |
| Africana Humanities | |
| Africana Popular Culture | |
| Popular Musics in the African Diaspora | |
| Critical Race Discourse | |
| Postcolonial Literatures | |
| Africana Feminisms | |
| Studies in Africana Literature and Culture | |
| Africana Cinema | |
| Slavery in World History | |
| Music in World Cultures | |
| Cultures of Central Asia | |
| Cultural Diversity and Ethics | |
| Anthropology of Religion | |
| Women and Culture | |
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| War and Violence in the Ancient World | |
| Greek and Roman Civilization | |
| Classical Mythology | |
| Great Books of the Classical Tradition | |
| Great Books of Christian Antiquity and the Latin Middle Ages | |
| |
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| Rhetorical Criticism | |
| Difficult Dialogues on Power, Privilege, and Difference | |
| Critical Race Discourse | |
| Communication in a Diverse World | |
| Media, Culture and Identity | |
| International Communication | |
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| Twenty-first Century Literature and Culture | |
| Human Thinking and Digital Culture | |
| Transnational Literature and Culture | |
| The Rhetoric of Gender and Health | |
| Advanced Film | |
| Modern Rhetorical Theory | |
| Literature and Film | |
| Postcolonial Literatures | |
| Folklore, Literature, and World Cultures | |
| Studies in Literature, Religion and Culture | |
| Studies in Africana Literature and Culture | |
| Contemporary Literary Theory | |
| Language and Gender | |
| Sex, Gender and Cinema | |
| Advanced Film | |
| Literature and Film | |
| Studies in Film Genre | |
| Africana Cinema | |
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| French Society and Culture in Evolution | |
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| Cultural Geography | |
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| Contemporary Spanish Culture | |
| Contemporary Mexican Culture | |
| Hispanic Literature and Film | |
| Borderlands: U.S. and Mexico | |
| Hispanic Religions | |
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| Global Cinema | |
| Contemporary Issues in the Middle East | |
| Theories of Globalization | |
| Political Islam and Jihad | |
| Culture, Neoliberalism and Globalism | |
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| World Literature | |
| World Literature | |
| Performance in World Cultures | |
| Dance in World Cultures | |
| Popular Musics in the African Diaspora | |
| Japanese Traditional Performing Arts | |
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| Latin American Philosophy | |
| Philosophy of Religion | |
| Africana Philosophy | |
| Radical Black Philosophies of Race and Racism | |
| Philosophy of Literature | |
| Philosophy, Film and Evil | |
| Studies in Gender and Philosophy | |
| Current Continental Philosophy | |
| Masterpieces of Russian Literature | |
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| Hispanic Culture and Civilization: 18th Century to Present | |
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| Spanish-American Literature from 1492 to 1821 | |
| Spanish-American Literature from 1821 to 1935 | |
| Hispanic Photography in a Global Context | |
| Hispanic Film | |
| Contemporary Hispanic Society and Culture | |
| Hispanic Culture through Art | |
| Mexican Cinema and Culture | |
| Latin American Poetry and Music | |
| Soccer in the Hispanic World | |
| Cervantes | |
| Contemporary Spanish and Spanish-American Literature | |
| Topics in Hispanic Literature | |
| Topics in Hispanic Culture | |
Total Semester Credit Hours | 18 |
Students must make a grade of C or better in all courses.