WLC Cultural Studies

About the WLC Cultural Studies Emphasis

In the World Languages & Cultures: Cultural Studies major, you can explore themes across cultures and time periods, compare national literatures and cultures, learn and apply international literary and cultural theories, and analyze diverse types of texts (literary, visual, musical, etc.). You will draw on a flexible list of electives with strongly comparative content, taught in English, both within the Department of World Languages and Cultures and outside it. You can choose from elective classes in world literature, anthropology, communication, film, gender and ethnic studies, history, and philosophy, among others.

You will learn essential citizenship and leadership skills of critical thinking, analytical writing, communication, and intercultural awareness, along with the ability to interpret literatures and cultures in comparison to each other (cross-cultural analysis). These skills are crucial not only to more advanced work in academic fields, but also to intelligent and humanely responsible action in a complex, increasingly globalizing world.

Want to study these global topics in multiple languages? Check out the Comparative Literature Emphasis

Major
Minor
Courses
Faculty
Learning Outcomes

WLC - Cultural Studies Major

A major in World Languages and Cultures with a Cultural Studies emphasis includes 21 credits in the Cultural Studies emphasis, combined with 9 core credits, 6 perspective elective credits, and a 3-credit practicum for a total of 39 credits. This comparative approach allows students to gain a depth of knowledge in their chosen emphasis, while also exploring a breadth of topics in global cultural studies.

WLC Major: Cultural Studies Emphasis Curriculum Degree Requirements

Total credits required for degree: 39 credits

WLC Core Courses
Complete all of the following (15 credits)

WLC 2010: Introduction to Literature and Culture (3 credits)

CLCS 3610: Thinking Comparatively (3 credits)

CLCS 4610: What Matters (3 credits)

Comparative Perspectives Electives
Complete 6 credits of the following

Comparative electives are designed to provide students with wide global perspectives and thus cannot come from the languages/regions used in their emphasis.

CL CV4550: Ancient Myth and Religion (taught in English)

CLCS 3720: Empathy, Medicine, and the Human Condition (taught in English)

CLCS 3900: African Cinema (taught in English)

CLCS 4900: Special Topics (taught in English)

HINDI 4630: Bollywood - Seeing India through Indo-Pakistani Film

HINDI 4610: Indo-Pakistan Literature and Media

JAPAN 4570: Multicultural Japan (taught in English)

JAPAN/KOREA 4580: Japanese Empire to Korean Wave: Popular Culture in Motion (taught in English)

PERS 4325: Hyphenated Lives: Muslim-Americans in the U.S. (taught in English)

PTGSE 4710: Luso-Brazilian Cinema (taught in English)

RUSS 3580: Russia and Asia (taught in English)

ANTH 3110: Women Cross Culturally

ANTH 3134: Language, Thought and Culture: Anthropology of the Human Mind

COMM 3770: Cross Cultural Documentary

COMM 5620: International Communication

ENGL 3600: Introduction to Critical Theory

ENGL 3780: Global/Transnational Literature

ENGL 5775: Holocaust Literature

ETHNC 5350: Diaspora, Transnationalism & US Community

FILM 3110: History of Film until 1952

FILM 3120: History of Film from 1952

FILM 3270: The Foreign Eye: Exilic, Diasporic, and Border Cinema

LING 3470: Language and Culture

LING 3600: Cross Cultural Communication

MUSC 3600: World Music 

PHIL 3640: World Religions

SOC 3741: Migrants & Communities 

THEA 4701: Gender on the Global Stage

WRTG 4010: Writing across Borders

WRTG 4050: Writing & Cultural Rhetorics

Cultural Studies Emphasis
Select from the following (complete 21 credits)

Note: a minimum of nine credits must come from WLC courses taught in English. Additional courses may be approved by WLC advisors.

WLC Courses

(min. 9 credits, classes taught in non-English languages can be approved by WLC advisors)

CLCS 3720: Empathy, Medicine, and the Human Condition

CLCS 3900: African Cinema

CLCS 4900: Special Topics

HINDI 4610: Indo-Pakistan Lit & Media

JAPAN 4420: Asian Medicine: Tradition, Contexts, and Modernity

JAPAN 4570: Multicultural Japan

JAPAN/KOREA 4580: Japanese Empire to Korean Wave: Popular Culture in Motion

PERS 4325: Hyphenated Lives: Muslim-Americans in the U.S.

PTGSE 4710: Luso-Brazilian Cinema

RUSS 3580: Russia and Asia

Additional Courses

ANTH 3110: Women Cross Culturally

ANTH 3134: Language, Thought and Culture: Anthropology of the Human Mind

COMM 3770: Cross Cultural Documentary

COMM 5620: International Communication

ENGL 3600: Introduction to Critical Theory

ENGL 3780: Global/Transnational Literature

ENGL 5090: Literature, Film, and Video Games

ENGL 5775: Holocaust Literature

ETHNC 5350: Diaspora, Transnationalism & US Community

FILM 3110: History of Film until 1952

FILM 3120: History of Film from 1952

LING 3470: Language and Culture

LING 3600: Cross Cultural Communication MUSC 3600: World Music

PHIL 3640: World Religions

SOC  3741: Migrants & Communities

WRTG 4010: Writing across Borders

WRTG 4050: Writing & Cultural Rhetorics

WLC Practicum Experience
Complete the following (3 credits)

WLC Signature Practicum Experience (3 credits)

WLC MAJOR - CULTURAL STUDIES EMPHASIS WORKSHEET WLC PRACTCUM OPTIONS

World Languages & Cultures Minor

The World Languages and Cultures minor allows students to take courses from a variety of departments related to world cultural studies.

WLC Minor Requirements

Total credits required for minor: 21 credits

WLC Core Courses
Complete all of the following (9 credits)

WLC 2010: Introduction to Literature and Culture (3 credits)

CLCS 3610: Thinking about the World Comparatively (3 credits)

CLCS 4610: What Matters (3 credits)

WLC Minor Electives
Complete 12 credits of the following

Minimum 3 credits from World Languages and Cultures department. Additional courses may be approved by WLC Advisors.

Upper-division Non-English Courses
(3 credits unless otherwise specified)

ARAB | 3010: Third Year Arabic I; 3020: Third Year Arabic II; 3600: Int. Arabic Conversation (1 cr.); 4040: Advanced Arabic I; 4050: Advanced Arabic II

CHIN | 3010: Third Year Mandarin Chinese I; 3020: Third Year Mandarin Chinese II; 3060: Advanced Grammar/Composition; 3116*: Exploring China: Past, Present; 3117*: Chinese Legacies: Tradition & Modernity; 3118*: Chinese Popular Culture; 3510: Business Chinese; 3903: Chinese CLAC (1 cr.); 4550: Patterns of Traditional Chinese Culture; 4710: Classical Chinese; 5410: Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

FRNCH | 3040: Intensive French Grammar; 3050: French Language & Culture; 3060: Advanced French Grammar; 3116*: Journeys through Francophone Worlds; 3117*: Francophonie: Past, Present, and Future; 3118*: Paris, Ville des Lumières; 3330: Study Abroad; 3600: French Conversation (1 cr.); 3910: Special Topics; 4510: Business French; 4514: French to English Translation; 4515: French Translation: Theory and Practice; 4550: French Culture & Civilization; 4560: Topics in French Cultural Studies; 4570: Francophone Cultures; 4600: Intro to French Literary Analysis; 4610: Survey of Medieval & Renaissance Literature; 4620: Early Modern French Studies; 4630: 19th c. French Studies; 4640: 20th/21st c. French Studies; 4650: Francophone Studies; 4900: Special Topics

GERM | 3040: Grammar & Culture; 3050: Topics in German Culture; 3060: Grammar & Reading; 3550: Intro German Studies; 3560: Intro to German Speaking Cultures; 3600: German Conversation (1 cr); 3900: Special Topics; 4060: Adv. German Grammar; 4900: Special Topics

GREEK | 3610: Third Year Prose; 3620: Third Year Poetry; 4610: Fourth Year Prose; 4620: Fourth Year Poetry

ITAL | 3040: Extensive Reading/Composition; 3060: Advanced Grammar; 3330: Extensive Reading/Discussion; 3600: Int. Italian Conversation (1 cr); 4550: Topics in Italian Culture; 4900: Special Topics

JAPAN | 3040: Third Year Japanese I; 3050: Third Year Japanese II; 3060: Third Year Japanese (for experienced Speakers); 3330: Japanese Conversation; 3410: Teaching Japanese as Second Language; 3510: Commercial Japanese I; 3520: Commercial Japanese II; 3600: Japanese Conversation (1 cred); 3903: CLAC (1 cred); 4610: Survey of Japanese Literature: Modern; 4630: Japanese Women’s Lit.; 4660: Contemporary Japanese Literature; 4710: Classical Japanese; 5290: Structure of Japanese: Syntax; 5291: Japanese Linguistics: Language & Society

KOREA | 3060: Third Year Korean I; 3070: Third Year Korean II; 3200: Intermediate High Applied Korean; 3600: Korean Conversation (1 cr); 3700: Communication through Korean Media; 4060: Advanced Reading & Conversation; 4810: Korean Learning Assistantship (by application)

LATIN | 3610: Third Year Prose; 3620: Third Year Poetry; 4610: Fourth Year Prose; 4620: Fourth Year Poetry

NAHTL | 3010: Third Year Nahuatl I; 3020: Third Year Nahuatl II

PERS | 3010: Third Year Persian I; 3020: Third Year Persian II; 4010: Adv. Persian Language I; 4020: Advanced Persian Language II

PTGSE | 3050: Topics in Literature and Culture; 3060: Third Year Portuguese; 3116*: Navigating Identities of the Portuguese Speaking World; 3118*: Pop Culture; 3580: Contemporary Issues; 4510: Business Portuguese; 4560: Brazilian Civilization and Culture; 4630: Intro to Brazilian Literature; 4900: Special Topics

RUSS | 3040: Fifth Semester Russian; 3050: Sixth Semester Russian; 3060: Third Year Russian I (for experienced speakers); 3070: Third Year Russian II (for experienced speakers); 3600: Interm. Russian Conversation (1 cr); 3903: Russian CLAC (1 cr.); 4580: Reading Russian Press; 4610: Fourth Year Russian I: Cinema; 4620: Fourth Year Russian II: Literature

SPAN | Any course 3020 and above

VIET | 3010: Third Year Vietnamese I; 3020: Third Year Vietnamese II

*Indicates a course taught in high school Language Bridge programs

Other Electives taught in WLC Department
(3 credits unless otherwise specified)

CLCS 3720: Empathy, Medicine, and the Human Condition
CLCS 3900: African Cinema
CLCS 4900: Special Topics
HINDI 4610: Indo-Pakistan Lit & Media
JAPAN 4420: Asian Medicine: Tradition, Contexts, and Modernity
JAPAN 4570: Multicultural Japan
JAPAN/KOREA 4580: Japanese Empire to Korean Wave: Popular Culture in Motion
PERS 4325: Hyphenated Lives: Muslim-Americans in the U.S.
PTGSE 4710: Luso-Brazilian Cinema
RUSS 3580: Russia and Asia

Additional Courses

ANTH 3110: Women Cross Culturally
ANTH 3134: Language, Thought and Culture: Anthropology of the Human Mind
COMM 3770: Cross Cultural Documentary
COMM 5620: International Communication
ENGL 3600: Introduction to Critical Theory
ENGL 3780: Global/Transnational Literature
ENGL 5090: Literature, Film, and Video Games
ENGL 5775: Holocaust Literature
ETHNC 5350: Diaspora, Transnationalism & US Community
FILM 3110: History of Film until 1952
FILM 3120: History of Film from 1952
LING 3470: Language and Culture
LING 3600: Cross Cultural Communication
MUSC 3600: World Music
PHIL 3640: World Religions
SOC 3741: Migrants & Communities
WRTG 4010: Writing across Borders
WRTG 4050: Writing & Cultural Rhetorics