Definition

The World Cultures requirement is designed to introduce students to major ideas, institutions, and historical events that have shaped human societies. The courses that would meet this objective have some of the following features:

1. they are designed primarily to explore topics, issues, or themes;

2. they provide an historical perspective (in the sense of addressing the changes in institutions, movements, or cultural practices);

3. they emphasize critical events, movements, institutions, ideas, or literary/artistic achievements;

4. they present a comparative approach between cultures in the European and non-European tradition, or subcultures within cultures. International Perspective courses may or may not be comparative but should present a view across national cultures.

The three categories are as follows:

A. Perspectives in the European Tradition

B. Perspectives outside the European Tradition

C. Comparative Cultures and International Perspectives

Students must take one course (three credits) from category A and one course (three credits) from either category B or C. Courses on these lists may count toward the other distribution component requirements, and major and minor requirements. A course may be included in more than one category but students may count a course in only one category.

Perspectives Outside the European Tradition Course List

The following list of courses has been approved to meet the Perspectives Outside the European Tradition requirement.

African and African Diaspora Studies (Humanities)

ADST 320       Issues in African Studies

Anthropology (Social Science)

ANTH 102      Cultural Anthropology

ANTH 103      Languages of the World

ANTH 203      Anthropology of Men and Women

ANTH 210      Myth and Life

ANTH 301      Hunters and Gatherers

ANTH 305, ANTH 605          North American Indians

ANTH 306, ANTH 606          South American Indians

ANTH 307, ANTH 607          Contemporary Chinese Society

ANTH 308, ANTH 608          East Asia

ANTH 311      Cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa

ANTH 315, ANTH 615          Cognitive Anthropology

ANTH 316      Peoples of the Pacific

ANTH 319      Economic Anthropology

ANTH 326, ANTH 626          Highland Mexican Prehistory

ANTH 328      Middle American Indians

ANTH 330      History of Writing

ANTH 335, ANTH 635          Culture and Religion

ANTH 339      Peasants in Preindustrial Society

ANTH 351, ANTH 651          Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism

ANTH 353, ANTH 653          Arts of Native North America

ANTH 354, ANTH 654          Indians of the Great Plains

ANTH 354, ANTH 654          Regional Cultures of Native North America

ANTH 371, ANTH 671          Historical Ecology of Amazonia

ANTH 413      North American Prehistory

ANTH 415      African Prehistory

ANTH 426      Archaeology of the U.S. Southwest

ANTH 441      Olmec and Maya Civilizations

ANTH 613      Southeastern United States Prehistory

ANTH 615      Cognitive Anthropology

ANTH 634      Medical Anthropology

ANTH 670      Spoken Nahuatl

ANTH 672      Spoken Yoruba

ANTH 680      Spoken Yucatecan Maya

ANTH 681      Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs

ANTH 682      Classical Yucatecan Maya

ANTH 683      Aztec and Maya Literature

ANTH 684      Beginning Kaqchikel (Maya)

ANTH 687      Kaqchikel (Maya)Culture

Art (Fine Arts)

ARHS 313, CLAS 413, HISA 413      Egypt Under the Pharaohs

ARHS 353, RUSS 353 Survey of Russian Art and Architecture

ARHS 370      Pre-Columbian Art

ARHS 371      Colonial Art of Latin America

ARHS 385      African Art

ARHS 386      Arts of African Diaspora

ARHS 387      20th-Century African-American Art

ARHS 672      Seminar on Aztec Arts

ARHS 673      Seminar in Mexican Manuscript Painting

Asian Studies (Interdisciplinary)

ASTA 300       Chinese Literature in Translation

ASTA 318       Peoples of South Asia

ASTA 391       Special Topics: Japanese History

Brazilian Studies (Interdisciplinary)

BRAZ 201       Introduction to Brazilian Studies

BRAZ 481       Topics in Brazilian Studies

BRAZ 491, 492           Independent Studies

BRAZ 695, 696           Special Offerings in Brazilian Studies

Classical Studies (Humanities)

CLAS 413, ARHS 313, HISA 413 Egypt Under the Pharaohs

Communication (Humanities)

COMM 355    Third World Cinema

COMM 418    African Cinema

COMM 419, SPAN 419         Introduction to Latin American Film

COMM 461    National Cinemas in Latin America

COMM 462    Women, Development, and Communication in the English-speaking Caribbean

COMM 464    Communication and Cultural Identity in the English-speaking Caribbean

Economics (Social Science)

ECON 358      Labor and Population in Latin America

ECON 359      Economic Development of Latin America

ECON 372      Contemp. Japanese Economy

ECON 374      Asian-Pacific Economic Development

English (Humanities)

ENLS 430       African Literature

ENLS 443       Caribbean Literature

ENLS 445       African Literature

French (Humanities)

FREN 304       African and Caribbean Literature

FREN 305       Literature in Exile

FREN 307       French Around the World

FREN 480       Survey of Francophone Literature

FREN 484       Philosophy, Francophone Literature, and Politics: Imagination and Institutions

FREN 686       Francophone Art, Literature, and Politics

Haitian Creole (Humanities)

HACR 112      Intermediate Haitian Creole

HACR 113      Haitian Language and Culture I

HACR 281, 282          Special Projects

History (Social Science)

Ancient, Medieval

HISA 413, ARHS 313, CLAS 413      Egypt Under the Pharaohs

Africa

HISB 130        Africa to 1880

HISB 131        Africa Since 1880

HISB 312        West African Culture and Society

HISB 313        Southern Africa

HISB 611        Colonialism, Freedom, and the Problem of Difference

Asia

HISC 302        History of China, 1600 to the Present

HISC 397        Special Topics in Asian History

HISC 612        History of Women in China and Japan

HISC 697        Special Topics in Asian History

Modern Europe

HISE 324        Russian History from the 9th to the Mid-19th Centuries

HISE 338        East Central Europe, 1918-Present

Latin America

HISL 171        Introduction to Latin American History

HISL 172        Introduction to Caribbean History

HISL 173        Seminar on Latin America

HISL 372        Topics in Modern Latin American and Caribbean History

HISL 374        Caribbean Cultural History

HISL 378        Women in Latin American History

HISL 380        Caribbean Revolutions

HISL H420     History of Voodoo and Other African Derived Religions in the Americas

HISL 660        Peasants, Rebellion and the State in Latin America

HISL 660        Peasants, Rebellion and the State in Latin America

HISL 661        Modernity and Its Discontents in Latin America

HISL 661        Modernity and Its Discontents in Latin America

HISL 679        Central America

HISL 682        Modern Brazil

Middle East, North Africa

HISM 120       Contemporary Middle East

HISM 320       History of Islam

HISM 321       Modern Middle East

HISM 405       Medieval Northwest Africa

HISM 414       Islam and Western Mediterranean World, 1000-1900

International Development (Social Science)

INDV 101       Introduction to International Development

Jewish Studies (Humanities)

JWST 350       The Golden Age of Spanish Jewry: Moslem Spain

Latin American Studies (Social Science)

LAST 101       Introduction to Latin Amer. Studies

LAST 102       Cultural Heritage of Latin America

LAST 313       Topics in Contemporary Latin American Culture and Society

Literature (Humanities)

LITR 202        Global Texts and Traditions II

Music (Fine Arts)

MUSC 242     World Musics

MUSC 330     Music Cultures of the World

MUSC 331     Topics: Music of Latin Amer.

MUSC 341     Russian Music

MUSC 345     Music of Latin America

Philosophy (Humanities)

PHIL 336        Sacred Symbols

PHIL 350        Buddhism

Political Science (Social Science)

POLC 331       Governments of Central America and the Caribbean

POLC 335       Latin American Governments

POLC 338       Asian Governments

POLC 431       Mexican Politics and Government

POLC 432       Government and Politics of Southern Cone

POLC 435       Violence, Human Rights, and Trad. Justice in Latin America

POLI 461        Africa in International Politics

POLT 487       Asian Political Thought

Portuguese (Humanities)

PORT 313       Readings in Luso-Brazilian Literature

PORT 333       Brazilian Literature in Translation

PORT 623       Brazilian Literature and the City

PORT 644       Brazilian Popular Music

PORT 653       Literature of the Lusophone World

Russian (Humanities)

RUSS 353, ARHS 353           Survey of Russian Art and Architecture

Sociology (Social Science)

SOCI 147        Global Social Change

SOCI 249        Latin American Social Structure

SOCI 690        The Sociology of Development in Latin America

SOCI 691        Gender in Latin America

SOCI 693        Social Movements in Latin America

SOCI 694        Political Sociology of Latin America

SOCI 695        Sociology of Migration

SOCI 696        Urban Latin America

SOCI 698        Brazilian Society: Beyond Beaches, Bikinis, and Barracas

Spanish (Humanities)

SPAN 313       Introduction to Latin American Culture

SPAN 412       Social Problems in Spanish American Literature

SPAN 414       Introduction to Colonial Letters

SPAN 416       Africans in Latin America

SPAN 418       Mexican Cultural Studies

SPAN 419, COMM 419         Introduction to Latin American Film

SPAN 420       The Historical Novel of Latin America

SPAN 609       Indigenous Peoples of the Colonial New World

SPAN 678       Latin American Cultural Studies

Back to the Curriculum Committee Home Page