Explore the history, societies, cultures, literatures, and languages of people in the United States and around the world through classes, capstone projects, and study abroad.

Note: You can join or leave a Path of Study at any time and your credits will always count toward your Bachelor’s degree.

About Culture, Text, and Language in World Societies

Explore people and communities, past and present, and what they do, think and make, in relationship to their environments and larger societies, cultures, and the world. This path includes programs in history, culture, anthropology, archaeology, literature, languages, philosophy, religion, sociology, ethnic and gender studies, music, theater, and art history.

Culture, Text, and Language in World Societies Students:

• immerse themselves in cultures, communities and arts through the critical analysis of texts, images and objects
• participate in community-based study, internships and projects
• gain study-abroad experiences in France, Mexico, Nicaragua, Germany, Spain, Thailand, Greece, Italy, Ireland and China
• acquire advanced research, writing, communication and analytical skills
• complete advanced studies and senior capstone projects in the humanities, social sciences and/or performing arts

The critical thinking and academic skills equip students for success in careers in education, the performing arts and humanities, law, politics, journalism, international studies, diplomacy, social sciences and social entrepreneurship.

Just as importantly, study inspires students to be deeper thinkers and more engaged agents in an ever-changing world.

Foundational programs

Foundational programs teach writing, critical analysis of texts and contexts, interdisciplinary thinking, library research, and group collaboration. They give students specific skills needed for upper-division programs. Foundational programs are taught every year but exact themes change.

Foundational Programs for 2019–20

Fall 2019	Winter 2020	Spring 2020
Highway 101 Revisited: History, Literature, Music and Ecology
Krotscheck, Eltantawi (Almighty Gods)

Foundational Programs for 2020–21

Fall 2020	Winter 2021	Spring 2021
Social Animal: Foundations in Social Inquiry	Social Animal: Foundations in Social Inquiry
	Dangerous Readings

Foundational Programs for 2021–22

Fall 2021	Winter 2022	Spring 2022
Modernity and its Discontents
In Sickness and in Health	Culture, Self, and Healing
Taste: Cultural Sensibilities in Music and Food

Foundational Programs for 2022–23

Fall 2022	Winter 2023	Spring 2023
Mythology and Music
Culture, Self and Healing	Culture, Self and Healing	Culture, Self and Healing
Foundations in Literary Arts and Theory: Structures and Strictures

Foundational Programs for 2023–24

Fall 2023	Winter 2024	Spring 2024
Bringing out the Dead

Intermediate Programs

Many of our intermediate programs are organized as area studies, which we define as the interdisciplinary study of topics framed by geography, language, culture, and history. Often these programs (like "The French Program", "Ireland in History and Memory" or "America to 2020") last two or three quarters, and include foreign language study and quarter-long study abroad or other travel options. Students in these year-long programs begin at an intermediate level, gain advanced knowledge over the course of the year, and often complete advanced independent projects within the program during spring quarter.

Advanced programs

Advanced programs allow students with a special focus in the humanities, performing arts and interpretive social sciences to undertake in-depth study of one particular field or interdisciplinary question, or to carry out a senior thesis or senior capstone project based on scholarly or creative original work.

Advanced Programs for 2019–20

Fall 2019	Winter 2020	Spring 2020
From the Earth: Advanced Section
	SOS: Learning, Education, Schooling
	SOS: Walking
		Islamic Modernity in Global Perspective
		Capstone in Psychology

Advanced Programs for 2020–21

Fall 2020	Winter 2021	Spring 2021
American Literature and community service
Philosophy and Beckett
Multicultural Counseling
	Consciousness, Dreams and Beliefs

Advanced Programs for 2021–22

Fall 2021	Winter 2022	Spring 2022
American Literature and community service	Ruins
		Capstone in the Humanities

Advanced Programs for 2022–23

Fall 2022	Winter 2023	Spring 2023
Critical Race Theory and Research
Ruins
American Literature and community studies		Food Fictions: From Hungry Ghosts to Hunger as Big Business
		Capstone in the Humanities

Advanced Programs for 2023–24

Fall 2023	Winter 2024	Spring 2024
Multicultural Counseling
Critical Race Theory and Research