Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies
Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary field of research and teaching that investigates culture and seeks to create and transform individual experiences, social relations, and power structures. Courses in this field explore the relations between culture, understood as human expressive and symbolic activities, and cultures, understood as distinctive ways of life.
Combining the strengths of the social sciences and the humanities, Cultural Studies draws on methods and theories used in traditional disciplines such as Literary Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Communication Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Economy, Psychoanalysis and Religious Studies, among others. By working across the boundaries of these fields, Cultural Studies addresses new questions and problems arising in today's world. As such, Cultural Studies draws on theories and methods not only from traditional disciplines but also from the growing fields of Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, Feminist Studies, and Media Studies. In doing so, the discipline addresses debates concerning the theory of texts and their production; the relationship between culture and politics; the formation of knowledge and institutions; and the nature of cultural antagonisms and crises. In short, Cultural Studies is more than a single body of theory or methods; rather, it is a series of interrelated questions and answers drawn from numerous disciplines.
Students of Cultural Studies will develop flexible tools enabling them to analyze the rapidly changing global environment. They will learn to interpret how different aspects of our social world (gender, race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic class, etc.) influence how we see our world. The process of doing Cultural Studies involves both students and faculty in the dynamic investigation of personal and social values, social location, and the formation of social institutions and world views.
The Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies degree program requires 121 credit hours to complete.
Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies Degree Plan
UIW Undergraduate Core Curriculum
UIW core coursework is required. Review the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Here and review the degree plans for each concentration for scheduling of the core curriculum classwork. In addition, 45 Community Service hours are part of all bachelor's degree programs. See Community Service.
| UIW Core Curriculum |
| Composition and Rhetoric |
6 credit hours |
| Literature and Art |
6 credit hours |
| Science and Mathematics |
7 credit hours |
| History and Behavioral Science |
6 credit hours |
| Philosophy and Religion |
9 credit hours |
| Second Language |
6 credit hours |
| Wellness and Physical Education |
3 credit hours |
| |
43 total core credit hours |
| |
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| Community Service |
45 clock hours (non-credit) |
Part of the History and Behavioral Science section of the UIW Core, ANTH 1311 is required for all students in the Cultural Studies degree program.
Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies Required Coursework
The three 1-hour Cultural Studies Colloquium courses are generally taken in the Sophomore and Junior years.
| CLST 2315 | Introduction to Cultural Studies | 3 |
| CLST 2320 | Cultural Studies Methods: Inquiry and Evidence | 3 |
| CLST 3325 | Cultural Studies Theory | 3 |
| CLST 4310 | Cultural Studies Senior Seminar | 3 |
| CLST 3110 | Cultural Studies Colloquium I | 1 |
| CLST 3115 | Cultural Studies Colloquium II | 1 |
| CLST 3120 | Cultural Studies Colloquium III | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Required CORE Course
| ANTH 1311 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Approved Electives
Student must take 18 credit hours of electives, 12 hours of which must be upper division. Students must meet all prerequisites for these courses.
General Electives
Students must take 40 to 45 credits of electives to complete the 121 hour program requirement. A minor or minors may also be completed.
Total Credit Hours: 121