Requirements for the concentration
The Contemporary Cultures and Societies concentration focuses on the lived experiences of people in societies around the world, largely through their own perspectives. It addresses how they identify and organize themselves, how they engage with political and economic dynamics at the national and global level, and how their insights contribute to global initiatives and policies. Key topics include well-being, sustainability, and social justice.
To fulfill this concentration, students complete five courses (15 credits) as indicated below. These courses must be taken in at least two different academic departments.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| Five courses selected from the list below, at least two of which must be Anthropology (ANTH) courses. IAFF 3513 (Human Rights and Ethics) is equivalent to ANTH 3513 (Anthropology of Human Rights) and as such it may be counted toward the Anthropology course requirement. ANTH 1002 or ANTH 1004 is a prerequisite for most of the ANTH courses listed here. | ||
| AMST 2490 (Themes in U.S. Cultural History) was incorrectly listed under this requirement in the initial publication. It was removed effective December 12th, 2023) | ||
| ANTH 2501 | The Anthropology of Gender: Cross-Cultural Perspectives | |
| ANTH 2502 | Anthropology of Science and Technology: Twenty-First Century Brave New Worlds | |
| ANTH 2506 | Religion, Myth, and Magic (Same as REL 2506: Religion, Myth, and Magic) | |
| ANTH 3501 | Anthropology of Development | |
| or IAFF 3501 | International Development Theory, Policy, and Practice | |
| ANTH 3502 | Cultural Ecology | |
| ANTH 3503 | Psychological Anthropology | |
| ANTH 3504 | Illness, Healing, and Culture | |
| ANTH 3506 | Politics, Ethnicity, and Nationalism | |
| ANTH 3507 | Kinship, Family, and Community | |
| ANTH 3508 | Art and Culture | |
| ANTH 3513 | Anthropology of Human Rights | |
| or IAFF 3513 | Human Rights and Ethics | |
| ANTH 3601 | Language, Culture, and Cognition | |
| ANTH 3701 | Native Peoples - North America | |
| ANTH 3702 | Anthropology of Latin America | |
| ANTH 3703 | Cultures of the Pacific | |
| ANTH 3704 | Cultures of Southeast Asia | |
| ANTH 3705 | Anthropology of East Asia | |
| ANTH 3707 | Anthropology of the Middle East | |
| ANTH 3708 | Anthropology of Africa | |
| ANTH 3709 | Japanese Culture Through Film (Same as JAPN 3162: Japanese Culture Through Film) | |
| ANTH 3791 | Topics in Regional Anthropology (Anthropology of South Asia) | |
| ANTH 3991 | Special Topics (Medical Anthropology) | |
| ANTH 3991 | Special Topics (Power and the Body) | |
| ANTH 4008W | Seminar: Contemporary Anthropological Theory (Anthropological Theory) | |
| ARAB 3105 | Special Topics (Arabic and Social Media) | |
| ARAB 3105 | Special Topics (Contemporary Arabic Literature) | |
| ARAB 3105W | Special Topics (Gender and the Arab World (in English)) | |
| ARAB 3301 | Modern Arabic Literature | |
| ARAB 3501 | Arabic and Arab Identity | |
| ARAB 3502 | Arab Film and Culture in English | |
| CAH 2192 | Art of Southeast Asia | |
| CHIN 3162 | Chinese Culture Through Film | |
| CHIN 3163 | Taiwanese Literature and Film | |
| EALL 3814 | Religion and Philosophy in East Asia | |
| ENGL 2710 | Postcolonialism, Race, and Gender in Global Anglophone Literature and Film | |
| or ENGL 2710W | Postcolonialism, Race, and Gender in Global Anglophone Literature and Film | |
or | ||
| WGSS 3170 | Special Topics in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (Postcolonialism, Race, and Gender in Global Anglophone Literature and Film) | |
or | ||
| WGSS 3170W | Selected Topics (Postcolonialism, Race, and Gender in Global Anglophone Literature and Film) | |
| FREN 2500 | Cultural Politics of Food in France | |
| FREN 3020 | Contemporary France | |
| GEOG 2120 | World Regional Geography | |
| GEOG 2127 | Population Geography | |
| GEOG 2133 | People, Land, and Food | |
| GEOG 3145 | Cultural Geography | |
| GEOG 3165 | Geography of South Asia | |
| GEOG 3195 | Special Topics in Human Geography (Global Environmental Justice. Same as IAFF 3190: Global Environmental Justice) | |
| GER 3182 | The Fairy Tale from the Grimms to Disney | |
| GER 3183 | Berlin Before and After the Wall | |
| GER 3185 | Literary Voices and the Fascist Experience—in English | |
| GER 3187 | German Cinema after 1945 | |
| GER 3188 | The Lives of East Germans | |
| GER 4174 | Inside/Outside the Third Reich | |
| GER 4175 | Literature of two Germanies | |
| GER 4176 | Contemporary German Literature | |
| HIST 3301W | Topics: U.S. History (African Americans and Africa) | |
| HIST 3366 | Immigration, Ethnicity, and the American Experience | |
| HIST 3367 | The American Jewish Experience | |
| HIST 3811 | The Emergence of the Modern Middle East | |
| HONR 2047 | Self and Society Seminar (Holocaust Memory. Same as IAFF 3205 and JSTD 2002: Holocaust Memory) | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (Politics and Culture in the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 2201W | Women in Global Politics | |
| IAFF 3180 | Special Topics in Security Policy (Gender, Conflict, and Security) | |
| IAFF 3180 | Special Topics in Security Policy (Global Energy Security) | |
| IAFF 3181 | Special Topics in Conflict Resolution (Cultural Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution) | |
| IAFF 3183 | Special Topics in Development Policy (Globalization and Sustainable Development) | |
| IAFF 3183 | Special Topics in Development Policy (Human Trafficking) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (topic: Christianity and Islam in East Asia. Same as REL 3990: Christianity and Islam in East Asia) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (North Korean Society and Culture. Same as IAFF 3186: North Korean Society and Culture) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (South Asian Politics Via Literature and Film) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Taiwan: Internal Developments and Foreign Policy) | |
| IAFF 3186 | Special Topics in Asian Studies (Women in Asia) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Democracy Under Siege) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin America in Motion: Indigenous Movements) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Latin American Migration) | |
| IAFF 3187 | Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (Mexico Since Independence) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Identity, Politics, Society: Israel) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (State and Society in Egypt) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Africa & Globalization: Culture & Context) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Africa Declassified) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (African Literature and Politics) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Ethnic and Religious Conflict in Africa) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Foreign Influence in Senegal) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa) | |
| IAFF 3189 | Special Topics in African Studies (Women and Leadership in Africa) | |
| IAFF 3190 | Special Topics in International Affairs (Global Environmental Justice. Same as GEOG 3195: Global Environmental Justice) | |
| IAFF 3190 | Special Topics in International Affairs (Global Mental Health Policy) | |
| IAFF 3190 | Special Topics in International Affairs (Race, Identity, and Conflict) | |
| IAFF 3190 | Special Topics in International Affairs (LGBTIQ+ in International Affairs) | |
| IAFF 3190W | Special Topics (Masculinities in International Affairs) | |
| IAFF 3205 | Holocaust Memory (Same as HONR 2047 and JSTD 2002: Holocaust Memory) | |
| IAFF 3210W | Migration, Gender, and International Development | |
| IAFF 3501 | International Development Theory, Policy, and Practice | |
| or ANTH 3501 | Anthropology of Development | |
| IAFF 3513 | Human Rights and Ethics | |
| or ANTH 3513 | Anthropology of Human Rights | |
| ITAL 3300 | Italian Literature and Culture in Translation | |
| ITAL 4100 | The Italian American Experience | |
| ITAL 4184 | Contemporary Italian Cinema | |
| JAPN 3112 | Japanese Literature in Translation II (HONR 2047 and IAFF 3205: Holocaust Memory) | |
| JAPN 3162 | Japanese Culture Through Film | |
| or ANTH 3709 | Japanese Culture Through Film | |
| JSTD 2002 | Topics in Judaic Studies: Modern (Holocaust Memory. Same as HONR 2047 and IAFF 3205: Holocaust Memory) | |
| KOR 3112 | Korean Literature in Translation II | |
| KOR 3162 | Korean Culture through Film | |
| KOR 3190 | Korean Arts and Culture | |
| KOR 3300 | Historical Trauma and Cultural Healing in Post-1950s Korean Art | |
| REL 2506 | Religion, Myth, and Magic | |
| or ANTH 2506 | Religion, Myth, and Magic | |
| REL 2814 | Religion and Philosophy in East Asia | |
| or EALL 3814 | Religion and Philosophy in East Asia | |
| or EALL 3814W | Religion and Philosophy in East Asia | |
| REL 2922 | Ethics and World Religions | |
| REL 3990 | Selected Topics in Religion (topic: Christianity and Islam in East Asia. Same as IAFF 3186: Christianity and Islam in East Asia) | |
| SLAV 2361 | Russian Culture | |
| SLAV 2366 | Russian Literature from World War II to the Present | |
| SLAV 2366 | Russian Literature from World War II to the Present (in English) | |
| SLAV 2786 | Introduction to Russian Cinema II (in English, films subtitled) | |
| SLAV 2786 | Introduction to Russian Cinema II (in English) | |
| SOC 2175 | Sociology of Sex and Gender | |
| SOC 2179 | Race and Minority Relations | |
| SPAN 3200 | Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World | |
| SPAN 3440 | Caribbean Literature and Culture | |
| SPAN 3550 | Queer Latin America | |
| SPAN 4450 | Mexican Literature and Culture | |
| SPAN 4460 | Southern Cone Literature and Culture | |
| UW 2020W | Advanced Topics in Writing (Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) | |
| WGSS 2120 | Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | |