Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature B.A.

The major in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature (CSCL) is a flexible and multidisciplinary BA program in the Liberal Arts. Our courses examine the ways global cultural and artistic practices reflect and transform modes of knowing, feeling, and acting politically and underpin conceptions of both individual and collective social identity. The CSCL curriculum covers a wide range of media and art forms, from literature to cinema, popular culture, music, and the visual arts. The department places a particular focus on the power of ideas; we like to think about how abstract questions in philosophy and theory address concrete problems in our material world.

CSCL strives for a broad, international scope and ranges widely across history and geography. We aim to produce critical, thoughtful, and well-rounded citizens prepared to work in a wide range of careers from media and journalism to academia, law, politics, medicine, non-profit work in schools, libraries, archives, museums, and community organizations to advertising, business, entertainment, and other creative fields. Many of our graduates are path-breaking intellectuals, artistic innovators, and committed participants in social struggles that will shape our collective future.