Cultural Studies

www.unc.edu/depts/cultstud

LAWRENCE GROSSBERG, Director, University Program in Cultural Studies

Affiliated Faculty

Robert Allen (American Studies and History), Carole Blair (Communication Studies), Richard Cante (Communication Studies), Tyler Curtain (English and Comparative Literature), Adrienne Davis (Law), Eric Downing (English and Comparative Literature), Mark Driscoll (Asian Studies), Arturo Escobar (Anthropology and Latin American Studies), Gregory Flaxman (English and Comparative Literature), Madeleine Grumet (Education), Dorothy Holland (Anthropology), Joseph Jordan (African and African American Studies), Joy Kasson (American Studies), Scott Kirsch (Geography), Alice Kuzniar (Germanic Languages), Richard Langston (Germanic Languages), Federico Luisetti (Romance Languages), Christopher Lundberg (Communication Studies), John McGowan (English), Christopher Nelson (Anthropology), George Noblit (Education), John Pickles (Geography and International Studies), Della Pollock (Communication Studies), Peter Redfield (Anthropology), Barry Saunders (Social Medicine), Sarah Sharma (Communication Studies), Randall Styers (Religious Studies), Jane Thrailkill (English and Comparative Literature)

Introduction

Cultural studies is an innovative interdisciplinary field of research and teaching that investigates how culture creates and transforms individual experiences, everyday life, social relations, and power. Research and teaching in the 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 from literary studies, sociology, communications studies, history, cultural anthropology, and economics. By working across the boundaries among these fields, cultural studies addresses either historical issues or the problems of today’s world. Cultural life is not only concerned with symbolic communication; it is also the domain in which we set collective tasks for ourselves and begin to grapple with them as changing communities. Cultural studies is devoted to understanding the processes through which societies and the diverse groups within them come to terms with history, community life, and the challenges of the future.

Program of Study

The degree offered is bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies. The diploma and transcript will state that the student received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in interdisciplinary studies/cultural studies.

Majoring in Cultural Studies: Bachelor of Arts

Cultural studies is a curricular option within interdisciplinary studies (IDST) administered by the University Program in Cultural Studies. The curriculum in cultural studies is designed for students who wish to develop an educational program that combines the strengths of various departments and curricula in the College of Arts and Sciences. Cultural studies is an area of scholarship that has emerged at the intersection of such academic disciplines as anthropology, communication studies, history, and literary studies. Students devise a personal program of study in consultation with a faculty advisor.

More specifically, cultural studies focuses simultaneously on the production, practice, and dissemination of cultural forms. Courses in cultural studies examine the multifaceted concept of culture, as well as the history of its emergence in modern discourse. Cultural studies therefore attends closely to issues such as identity construction, forms of representation, and the production of knowledge and power. In addition to its interdisciplinary nature, cultural studies also explores critically and historically the issues and problems that produce, legitimate, and/or challenge traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The University Program in Cultural Studies supports course work and research in theoretical developments in cultural studies, the practice of cultural studies, cultural studies and the politics of identity, cultural history and the history of “culture,” culture and the geography of power, and popular and performative circulations of culture. Students in cultural studies may address these and other areas, as appropriate.

Each student must complete at least eight courses (24 hours) approved by a cultural studies advisor as fulfilling requirements for the major. Among these courses, students are required to take the cultural studies core course, IDST 350 Practices in Cultural Studies, prior to graduation, preferably in the junior year. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to take social theory and cultural diversity courses offered in several departments (ANTH 380, COMM 318, INTS 380, RELI 323, SOCI 380). No more than four 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 Connections and elective courses that complement courses in cultural studies. The cultural studies advisors will regularly publish a list of courses that qualify for the major credits in cultural studies.

Eligibility

As in all other interdisciplinary programs, students interested in cultural studies must be strongly motivated and self-disciplined, and they must assume responsibility to ensure the success of their curricular program. The curriculum is intended for students who already have a record of solid academic performance and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or better.

Each student interested in cultural studies must complete a major declaration form. When preparing to declare the cultural studies major, the student should clearly articulate the rationale for the course of study, identify the area of concentration, and list relevant courses that will be taken. This process should be completed in consultation with a cultural studies advisor, preferably in the sophomore year and no later than the first semester of the junior year. After receiving approval from the cultural studies advisor, who prepares a worksheet containing all major courses, the student should provide a copy to the associate dean for undergraduate curricula in 3010 Steele Building to be placed in the official student file.

Examples of recent course of study plans are available from the cultural studies advisors.

All petitions to major in cultural studies are subject to approval.

Honors in Cultural Studies

Students with an overall GPA of 3.2 or above and a GPA of 3.3 or above in cultural studies courses are encouraged to undertake an honors thesis project during the senior year for a total of six credit hours (IDST 693H in the fall and 694H in the spring). These hours will be in addition to the 24 hours (eight courses) minimally required for the major. For more information, consult the guidelines for the honors thesis in cultural studies.

Special Opportunities in Cultural Studies

Departmental Involvement

Students are highly encouraged to attend and participate in events (lectures, colloquia, conferences) sponsored by the University Program in Cultural Studies.

Study Abroad

Experience of other cultures through study abroad is encouraged and can form a crucial part of a student’s program of study for the major.

Undergraduate Research

The University Program in Cultural Studies sponsors working groups of faculty and students in culture and economics, culture and science, and representation and performance. Undergraduates are encouraged to join these groups and to contribute to their ongoing research.

Graduate School and Career Opportunities

Given the growing recognition of the importance of culture in every aspect of our society, cultural studies majors are often attractive candidates for a range of innovative and creative enterprises and activities. Cultural studies majors are strong candidates for graduate programs in various disciplines, such as anthropology, comparative literature, English, film studies and production, urban and regional planning, medical anthropology, and geography. Cultural studies majors are also well prepared for careers in the cultural industries.

Contact Information

For descriptions of cultural studies courses, see the “Interdisciplinary Studies” section of the Undergraduate Bulletin.

For information about the interdisciplinary studies major in cultural studies, please contact the University Program in Cultural Studies in 111 Bingham Hall, upcs@unc.edu, or Scott Kirsch, UPCS Undergraduate Director, 306 Saunders Hall, kirsch@email.unc.edu. For general information about the interdisciplinary studies major, consult Jay M. Smith, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Curricula, in 3010 Steele Building.