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Cultures and Movements with tracks in Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, Religious Studies, and World History 

 

Culture and movements are interdependent areas of inquiry studied across the social sciences and humanities that are relevant for understanding current events, the drivers of and possibilities for change in the world. Culture refers to the ways people imagine and construct their worlds, make and experience meaning, act and interact with each other and the material objects that shape their lives. Movements refer to the ways in which people conceive and contribute to societal change. The study of cultures and movements engages the question of what sustains socio-cultural orders, including those relating to gender, religion, racial and economic inequalities, and how do these systems change? Studies in cultures and movements include analysis of the ways that values and ethical norms, knowledge, economic and political systems and institutions emerge and evolve. By adding a temporal dimension to the study of culture and society, the Cultures and Movements stream reflects on where a society has been and where it may go in the future.  

The Cultures and Movements Major has four tracks, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, World History, and Religious Studies, each of which prepares students to be global citizens. All tracks place an emphasis on the development of empirically grounded, comparative, field-based, archival, and experiential learning skills, and prepare students for working in inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural contexts. Cultures and Movements students learn how to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data, and to combine various fieldwork, text-analytical and archival methods. Students in this major learn a unique form of inquiry that combines understandings of how the past bears on the present, and how conceptual tools can shed light on diverse and pressing contemporary issues. The varied theoretical approaches covered in this major address questions relating to gender, ethnicity, inequality, technology, health and illness, the family, environment, religion, art, memory, citizenship, international development and inter-cultural relations. By their senior year, students will have the skills to read cutting-edge research in sociology, cultural anthropology, world history, religious studies and the interdisciplinary terrains among these. This training will prepare students with the critical, creative, and intercultural skills to compete for a wide variety of jobs in the private and public sectors, including with policy organizations, marketing, health, and design teams, transnational corporations, NGOs and consultancies. This major can also be a stepping stone for graduate study across the social sciences and humanities and in cognate fields such as international law and business, global health, international and development studies, heritage and museum studies, and many other fields.  

Major Requirements

(Not every course listed is offered every term, and the course list will be updated periodically. Please refer to the online Course Catalog for Courses offered in 2023-2024.)

Cultures and Movements / Cultural Anthropology

Divisional Foundation Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

SOSC 101

Foundational Questions in Social Science

4

SOSC 102

Introduction to Research Methods

4

Interdisciplinary Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

CULMOVE 101

Cultures of Globalization

4

CULMOVE 201

Migration, Inequality and Culture

4

CULMOVE 203

Wealth, Inequality, and Power

4

CULMOVE 302[1]

Culture and Social Movements

4

CULMOVE 390

Junior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

CULMOVE 490

Senior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

Disciplinary Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

CULANTH 101

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

4

CULANTH  206

The Ethnography of China: New Directions

4

CULANTH  211

Gender, Mobility and Labor

4

CULANTH  302

Ethnographic Field Methods[2]

4

And choose two courses from the following five courses, with at least one at the 300-level or above

CULANTH  207 / MEDIA 207

Cultures of New Media

4

GCULS 201/ CULANTH 202/MEDIA 202/

Culture and Industry

4

CULANTH  304

The Anthropology of Doing Good: China and Beyond

4

CULANTH  314

Refugees and the Biopolitics of Citizenship

4

CULANTH  405

Medical Anthropology

4
Electives

Courses listed in the table below are recommended electives for the major. The course list reflects the most recent intellectual organization of major electives. Depending on the academic year in which you matriculated, some of the courses below may be requirements for your major. To verify required courses, always consult the requirements for the relevant class year in the bulletin of the year in which you matriculated unless you have been approved to complete the major requirements of a subsequent year.  (See Ability to Meet Major Requirements Published in Years Subsequent to Year of Matriculation.)

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

The Urban

CULANTH 106

Home House and Housing

4

GCULS 106

Our Cities and Ourselves

2

PUBPOL 106

Urbanizing China

2

Migration and Globalization

RELIG 108

History of God in Seven Paintings

2

CULMOVE 115

Displacement and Identity: Stories of Diasporic Migration in China and the World

2

CULANTH 209

Globalization and Alternative Globalization

4

GLHLTH 312

Global Aging and Care 

4

Ethnicity and Citizenship

CULMOVE 206

Ethnic and Religious Diversity In the Middle East

4

CULANTH 306

Borders, Boundaries and Ethnic Peoples in China

4

CULANTH 314/ POLSCI 314

Refugees and the Biopolitics of Citizenship

4

HIST 118

The American Empire

4

HIST 121

Pan-Africanism: Global Story of an Idea

4

HIST 123

All Around Us – Technology, Infrastructure, and History

2

HIST 250

Gandhi and Moral Leadership

4

HIST 315/ CULANTH 315

Why Be a Bandit?

4

HIST 413

The Color Line: a Worldwide History of White Supremacy

4

POLSCI 310

America in the World

4

Capitalism

POLSCI 305

American Capitalism in the World

4

CULANTH 305

The Culture of Development: Africa

4

HIST 414

The Age of Revolutions: 1640-1865

4

HIST 415

The Origins of Capitalism: 1500-1900

4

Heritage

CULMOVE 205 /RELIG 205

Religion, Power, and Social Change

4

CULANTH 214/ POLSCI 214

Authoritarianism and the Struggle for Democracy in Latin America

4

CULANTH 303

Politics of Food: Land, Labor, Health, and Economics

4

MEDIART 220/ CULANTH 220

Visual Anthropology

4

Cultures and Movements / Religious Studies

Divisional Foundation Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

SOSC 101

Foundational Questions in Social Science

4

SOSC 102

Introduction to Research Methods

4

Interdisciplinary Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

CULMOVE 101

Cultures of Globalization

4

CULMOVE 201

Migration, Inequality and Culture

4

CULMOVE 203

Wealth, Inequality and Power

4

CULMOVE 302[3]

Culture and Social Movements

4

CULMOVE 390

Junior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

CULMOVE 490

Senior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

Disciplinary Courses

Course Code 

Course Name 

Course Credit 

RELIG 101 

Comparative Religious Studies 

4 

RELIG/CULMOV 205 

Religion, Power, and Social Change 

4 

RELIG 302[4] 

Religion and the Environment 

4 

Choose two of the following courses on different religious traditions 

RELIG 201 

Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism 

4 

RELIG 203[5] 

History of God 

4 

RELIG 206 

Animism, Shamanism, and Mediums 

4 

And choose one of the following courses 

RELIG 305 

Modern Religion 

4 

HIST 201 

History Methods and Research 

4 

  CULANTH 101 

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology 

4 

GCULS 105 

Critical Comparative Studies 

4 

Electives

Courses listed in the table below are recommended electives for the major. The course list reflects the most recent intellectual organization of major electives. Depending on the academic year in which you matriculated, some of the courses below may be requirements for your major. To verify required courses, always consult the requirements for the relevant class year in the bulletin of the year in which you matriculated unless you have been approved to complete the major requirements of a subsequent year.  (See Ability to Meet Major Requirements Published in Years Subsequent to Year of Matriculation.)

Note: Students mainly interested in furthering their knowledge of Chinese religions can choose the Chinese religions thematic area. Those interested in broader comparisons can choose Chinese religions compared. Those interested in non-Chinese religions can choose the non-Chinese religions thematic area. 

Chinese Religions 

PHIL 102/HIST 101 

Ancient Chinese History and Philosophy 

4 

HIST 102 

Medieval Chinese History 

4 

HIST 103 

Premodern Chinese History 

4 

RELIG 202 

Modern Buddhism 

4 

CULANTH 107[6]

Food, Ethnicity, and Globalization

4 

HIST 109 

Everyday Maoism in Objects: Revolution, Culture, and Life 

2 

CULANTH 306 

Borders, Boundaries and Ethnic Peoples in China 

4 

HIST 217/ARTS 217[7] 

Arts of China 

4 

HIST 301 

China in Global Perspective 1: China and the Silk Roads World: 500-1500 

4 

MEDIART 108 

Love and Dreams on the Chinese Stage 

2 

Chinese Religions Compared 

PHIL 103 

Chinese and Mediterranean Philosophy 

4 

RELIG 204 

The Problem of Evil 

4 

RELIG 107 

Readings in Religious Literature 

2 

CULMOV 202 

Culture and Social Movements 

4 

CULANTH 405 

Medical Anthropology 

4 

GCULS 301  

Religion and Sexuality  

4 

GCULS 402  

Digital Tribes 

4 

RELIG 303 

The Human Condition 

4 

RELIG 304 

Ethics in Religious Perspective 

4 

Non-Chinese Religions 

RELIG 103 

Law and Revelation 

4 

RELIG 102[8] 

The Historical Jesus 

4 

RELIG 104 

Myth and Nation 

4 

RELIG 105 

Gods and People 

4 

CULMOVE 206 

Ethnic and Religious Diversity in the Middle East 

4 

POLSCI 312. 

Islamic Political Thought 

4 

Cultures and Movements / Sociology

Divisional Foundation Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

SOSC 101

Foundational Questions in Social Science

4

SOSC 102

Introduction to Research Methods

4

Interdisciplinary Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

CULMOVE 101

Cultures of Globalization

4

CULMOVE 201

Migration, Inequality and Culture

4

CULMOVE 203

Wealth, Inequality and Power

4

CULMOVE 302[9]

Culture and Social Movements

4

CULMOVE 390

Junior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

CULMOVE 490

Senior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

Disciplinary Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

SOCIOL 101[10]

Introduction to Sociology

4

STATS 101

Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods

4

SOCIOL 305

Theory and Society

4

And choose two courses from the following six courses

SOCIOL 202

Sociology of Culture

4

SOCIOL 204

Identity, Action, and Emotion

4

SOCIOL 211

Social Inequality

4

SOCIOL 212[11]

Contemporary Social Problems

4

SOCIOL 306

Contemporary Population Problems

4

SOCIOL 405

Sociology of Gender

4

Electives

Courses listed in the table below are recommended electives for the major. The course list reflects the most recent intellectual organization of major electives. Depending on the academic year in which you matriculated, some of the courses below may be requirements for your major. To verify required courses, always consult the requirements for the relevant class year in the bulletin of the year in which you matriculated unless you have been approved to complete the major requirements of a subsequent year.  (See Ability to Meet Major Requirements Published in Years Subsequent to Year of Matriculation.)

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

Social Inequalities

SOSC 203

The Social, Political, and Economic Implications of Immigration

4

CULMOVE 206

Ethnic and Religious Diversity in the Middle East

4

CULANTH 211

Gender, Labor, and Mobility

4

SOCIOL 301

Race, Ethnicity, and Citizenship

4

POLSCI 311/ SOCIOL 311 /PHIL 311

The Political and Social Thought of Hannah Arendt

4

CULANTH 314 /POLSCI 314

Refugees and the Biopolitics of Citizenship

4

ECON 333/ SOSC 333

Social and Economic Networks

4

HIST 413

The Color Line: a Worldwide History of White Supremacy

4

Institutions

SOCIOL 104

Love, Marriage, and Family in Comparative Perspectives

2

POLSCI 104[12]

Comparative Politics and Institutions

4

CULMOVE 205/ RELIG 205

Religion, Power, and Social Change

4

SOCIOL 205

Gender, Work, and Organizations

4

CULANTH 214/ POLSCI 214

Democracy and Authoritarianism in Latin America 

4

PUBPOL 305

American Capitalism in the World 

4

PUBPOL 318

How to Change the World: The Role of Non-State Actors

4

HIST 415

The Origins of Capitalism: 1500-1900

4

Culture and Society

PUBPOL 106

Urbanizing China

2

RELIG 108

History of God in Seven Paintings

2

CULMOVE 115

Displacement and Identity: Stories of Diasporic Migration in China and the World

2

HIST 123

All Around Us – Technology, Infrastructure, and History

2

HIST 250

Gandhi and Moral Leadership

4

SOCIOL 206

Reshaping Global Urbanization

4

CULANTH 207 / MEDIA 207

Cultures of New Media

4

SOSC 301

Religion and Community in America

4

USSTUD 301

The Western Across Boundaries

4

CULANTH 306

Borders, Boundaries and Ethnic Peoples in China

4

GLHLTH 312

Global Aging and Care 

4

Methods

INFOSCI 102

Computation and Problem Solving

4

LIT 110

The Art of the Interview

4

STATS 210

Probability, Random Variables and Stochastic Processes

4

GLHLTH 301

Global Health Research Methods

4

CULANTH 302[13]

Ethnographic Field Methods

4

SOSC 320

Data in the World: Applied Social Statistics

4

Cultures and Movements / World History

Divisional Foundation Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

SOSC 101

Foundational Questions in Social Science

4

ARHU 101

The Art of Interpretation: Written Texts

4

Interdisciplinary Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

CULMOVE 101

Cultures of Globalization

4

CULMOVE 201

Migration, Inequality and Culture

4

CULMOVE 203

Wealth, Inequality and Power

4

CULMOVE 302

Culture and Social Movements

4

CULMOVE 390

Junior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

CULMOVE 490

Senior Seminar: Advanced Topics

4

Disciplinary Courses

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

HIST 201

History Methods and Research

4

And choose four additional courses from the elective list below: two courses from “Themes and Theories” and two courses from “Research and Methods.”  Of the four total courses, two must be at the 300-level or above.

Electives

Courses listed in the table below are recommended electives for the major. The course list reflects the most recent intellectual organization of major electives. Depending on the academic year in which you matriculated, some of the courses below may be requirements for your major. To verify required courses, always consult the requirements for the relevant class year in the bulletin of the year in which you matriculated unless you have been approved to complete the major requirements of a subsequent year.  (See Ability to Meet Major Requirements Published in Years Subsequent to Year of Matriculation.)

Course Code

Course Name

Course Credit

Themes and Theories

RELIG 108

History of God in Seven Paintings

2

HIST 110  

Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Global Issues  

4

HIST 111  

Ancient Roots to Global Routes  

4

HIST 112

History of the Indian Ocean World

4

HIST 114

Conflicts and Resolutions in Modern South Asia

4

HIST 123

All Around Us – Technology, Infrastructure, and History

2

HIST 202[14]  

Global Interactions in Historical Perspective  

4

HIST 204 

Asia in World History

4

HIST 210/ARTS 211

Global Art History 

4

HIST 313  

Southeast Asia from the Age of Imperialism to the Global Cold War  

4

HIST 315 / CULANTH 315  

Why Be a Bandit?  

4

HIST 411

Seeing History from the Mountains and the Seas: Ethnographic histories of Asia  

4

HIST 412  

Global Labor History  

4

Research and Methods

HIST 250[15]  

Gandhi and Moral Leadership  

4

HIST 312  

Southeast Asia and the Rise of Global Trade  

4

HIST 314  

Writing the History of War  

4

HIST 410  

The Spice Race: How the Spice Trade shaped our World  

4

[1] This course was numbered CULMOVE 202 prior to fall term 2022.

[2] This course was named CULANTH 302 Field Methods prior to fall term 2022.

[3] This course was numbered CULMOVE 202 prior to fall term 2022.

[4] This course was named RELIG 302 Religious and Philosophical Thought of the Environment prior to the fall of 2023.

[5] This course was named RELIG 203 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam prior to the fall of 2023.

[6] This course was numbered CULANTH 205 prior to fall term 2023.

[7] This course was named and numbered HIST217/MEDIART 217 Ancient and Imperial Chinese Art prior to fall term 2023.

[8] This course was named RELIG 102 Prophets and Priests prior to the fall of 2023.

[9] This course was numbered CULMOVE 202 prior to fall term 2022.

[10] This course was named and numbered SOCIOL 110 Sociological Inquiry prior to fall term 2022.

[11] This course was numbered SOCIOL 111 prior to fall term 2022.

[12] This course was numbered and named POLSCI 201 Political Institutions and Processes prior to fall term 2022.

[13] This course was named CULANTH 302 Field Methods prior to fall term 2022.

[14] This course was named HIST 202 World History and Global Interactions prior to fall term 2022.

[15] This course was numbered HIST 107 prior to fall term 2022.