Bachelor of Arts in International Studies - Comparative Culture and Identity

The Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS) seeks to be a focal point for the interdisciplinary study of issues that transcend borders. We encourage students and faculty to broaden their horizons while they deepen their knowledge of particular cultures and political, economic, and social contexts. We administer one of the fastest growing and largest undergraduate programs on campus in the form of both a major and minor as well as fellowship support for students. Knowledge and insight pertaining to global affairs and different societies and cultures are more important than ever in today's interconnected world. A well-developed international perspective contributes to personal intellectual growth, is an increasingly important component of America's civic culture, and is required for success in an expanding number of professions. Sub-plans: International Security, Norms & Cooperation; Political Economy & Development; Comparative Culture & Identity; Global Environment & Health. The major in International Studies offers students the opportunity to take a set of courses across departments to bring multiple methods and concepts together to address global problems. The major is rigorous and offers a balanced approach between disciplinary structure and depth and cross-disciplinary flexibility and breadth. Students create a curriculum from across the college and university aimed at developing a broad understanding of the causes and effects of global challenges and potential redress. The International Studies major aims to develop students’ skills in moving among different units of analysis and different approaches and methods to understand, analyze, and ultimately help solve contemporary global issues and challenges. International Studies students will be exposed to topics such as global health trends, human rights and refugees, cultural homogenization and hybridization, environmental and energy crises, terrorism, transnational social movements, immigration, and the spread of technology. The major will draw on methods developed in specific disciplines such as economics, sociology, psychology, comparative literature, political science, anthropology, and history, and some methods emerging from cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields. In this sub-plan, students take courses that help them understand the global richness of behavioral, literary, and artistic expressions reflecting the diversity of the human experience. Among the topics covered are theories of culture, theories of identity, comparative belief systems and societal organizations, nationalism, comparative literary and film traditions, comparative ideologies, colonialism and post-colonialism, global arts, comparative gender studies, and cultural transmission. Prerequisites: Completion of INTLSTD 101: Introduction to International Studies with a minimum grade of C-. Students must have enrolled in or completed 4th-term language proficiency. To Declare: Students must be enrolled in or have completed INTLSTD 101.