Students interested in Cultural Studies should be strongly motivated, self-disciplined, and able to assume responsibility to ensure the success of their curricular program.
Students interested in majoring in cultural studies should meet first with the director of the major to explain his/her interests. The director, upon agreeing that those interests can be appropriately located in and served by the CS major, will assign the student an advisor. The advisor will then approve and continue to oversee the student’s program and progress, using the existing declaration of major and worksheet. The student must take the signed declaration and worksheet to the appropriate Curriculum Coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences (3018A Steele Building), currently Nick Seidentop.
By the beginning of their senior year, students are expected to write up, in consultation with their advisor, a brief formal description of their area of interest in cultural studies and how their program served those interests..
Each student must complete at least 8 courses (24 hours) approved by his or her advisor. Among these courses, students are required to take (1) Comm 350 “Practices in Cultural Studies,” preferably as early as possible and (2) Research in Cultural Studies (Comm 550 or an approved substitute). In addition, students are strongly encouraged to take “Social Theory and Cultural Diversity” offered in several departments (ANTH 380, COMM 318, INTS 380, RELI 323). This course also satisfies the university’s cultural diversity requirement. No more than 4 courses (12 hours) taken in the same department may count toward the major credits.
A student should strengthen his or her course of study by choosing some B.A. level perspectives and electives that complement courses in Cultural Studies. Unlike students in departmental majors, Cultural Studies students may choose appropriate perspective courses from any departments.
