UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM IN GLOBAL CULTURES
152 Humanities
Instructional Building; (949) 824-9290
http://www.humanities.uci.edu/global_cultures/
Armin
Schwegler, Director
Undergraduate Program
Global Cultures is an innovative undergraduate major (and minor) in the School of Humanities with an exciting mission: to explore the problems and processes of globalization from a humanistic perspective. The major provides students with twenty-first-century analytical skills and knowledge that is critical to understanding the complexities of the diverse world in which we live. In the process, Global Cultures equips students with the knowledge and tools that lead to successful careers in a wide range of professions and fields.
Global Cultures faculty offer high-quality lectures and, in advanced courses, interactive small group seminars. The major favors a multidisciplinary approach that draws on multiple departments and programs, housed in both the Humanities (including Art History, English, Film and Media Studies, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Spanish and Portuguese, and many more) and the Social Sciences (Anthropology, Chicano/Latino Studies, Political Science, Sociology, among others).
Up-to-date examples of the highly diverse courses taught in the major may be found at http://www.humanities.uci.edu/global_cultures/. The curricular offerings of Global Cultures are extraordinarily broad. With this intellectually stimulating learning environment, the major attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds. Global Cultures faculty provide these students with a critical understanding and a strong foundation for practice in a variety of occupations, both domestic and international.
The major requires a total of 14 courses. Six of these courses are specific, and eight are electives (see below). Students are encouraged to augment their foreign language competence beyond the School minimum. Participation in the UC Education Abroad Program is strongly recommended for all Global Cultures majors.
Students majoring or minoring in Global Cultures must choose a primary emphasis (six courses) and a secondary emphasis (two courses) from the list below. Each emphasis essentially consists of a geographic focus. Students may also design their own emphasis in consultation with a program advisor and with the approval of the Global Cultures Committee. All emphases are chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor and/or the approval of the Global Cultures Committee. Examples of how current students are combining their primary and secondary emphases are available at http://www.humanities.uci.edu/global_cultures/.
EMPHASES
Hispanic, U.S. Latino/Latina, and Luso-Brazilian Cultures: Examines the historical, political, and cultural formations of regions where Spanish and Portuguese are spoken, including Spain, Portugal, Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in the Western Hemisphere, and the Latino/Latina population in the United States.
Africa (Nation, Culture) and its Diaspora: Examines Africa as a diverse geographical and political expression, including its historical, political, and cultural formation locally, regionally, and globally.
Asia (Nation, Culture) and its Diaspora: Examines Asia as a diverse geographical and political expression, including its historical and cultural formation locally, regionally, and globally.
Europe and its Former Colonies: Examines Europe and its former colonies as a diverse geographical and political expression, including its historical and cultural formation locally, regionally, and globally.
Atlantic Rim: Explores the movement of people and cultures in relationship to the historical and contemporary experience of societies that are adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, including, among others, west Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and western and northern Europe, as well as the British archipelago.
Pacific Rim: Explores the movement of people and cultures in relationship to the historical and contemporary experience of societies that are adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, including, among others, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the United States, Central and South America, and Malaysia.
Inter-Area Studies: Includes comparative studies of the geographical regions outlined in the above six emphases, for instance, the analysis of Africans in Asia, or the cultural, historical, and political connections between the Atlantic and the Pacific Rim.
Students may also design their own emphasis by combining two or more regional emphases in a non-traditional fashion. For instance, a student may wish to study what is known as "Creole" (oral) literatures, found in multiple locations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
STUDY ABROAD OPTION
Students are encouraged to study abroad, and may be able to satisfy a significant portion of their major requirements abroad. For maximum number of courses allowed and other pertinent details, see http://www.humanities.uci.edu/global_cultures/.
All courses taken abroad must be approved. Course approval typically involves the following: (1) presentation of syllabi and other pertinent course materials (term papers, exams, etc.) from the foreign host university, and (2) submission of a UCI Humanities Petition form (available online, and to be completed after student's return to UCI) to the Undergraduate Director of the Program in Global Cultures, and to the Office of Undergraduate Study. Students are advised to consult with the Office of Humanities Undergraduate Study (HIB 143) and the Global Cultures Director both before and after their stay abroad. NOTE: See also the residence requirement below.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
The major prepares students particularly well for careers in all fields in which analysis, judgment, argument, and a wide (global) rather than narrow perspective are important. The Global Cultures major equips students with a knowledge that is critical to understanding the complexities of the diverse world in which we live.
The following careers are especially well suited for Global Cultures majors: business (national as well as international), law, management, education (primary and secondary teaching), politics, public policy, academia, print media, television, foreign service, tourism, travel industry, and graduate studies in a wide variety of fields (business, law, education, public policy, and others).
The UCI Career Center provides services to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. See the Career Center section for additional information.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE B.A. DEGREE IN GLOBAL CULTURES
University Requirements: See pages 54-61.
School Requirements: See page 260.
Requirements for the Major
A. History 21A, 21B, 21C.
B. Global Cultures 103A-B.
C. Global Cultures 191.
D. Seven upper-division courses, five of which must focus on one emphasis and two on a second emphasis chosen from the approved course lists at http://www.humanities.uci.edu/global_cultures. Quarterly consultation with a faculty advisor is also required.
E. One additional upper- or lower-division course which must focus on the primary or secondary emphasis chosen from the approved course lists at http://www.humanities.uci.edu/global_cultures/.
Students are encouraged to augment their language other than English competence beyond the School minimum. Participation in the UC Education Abroad Program is strongly recommended for all Global Cultures majors.
Residence Requirement for the Major: At least five upper-division courses required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI. By petition, two of the five may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, provided that course content is approved—usually in advance—by the Director of the Global Cultures Program.
Requirements for the Minor
A. Two courses from History 21A, 21B, 21C.
B. Global Cultures 103A-B.
C. Three upper-division courses from one emphasis.
D. One upper-division course from a second emphasis.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: A minimum of four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI. Two of the four may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, providing course content is approved in advance by the appropriate department chair.
Emphases and Approved Courses: The lists of approved courses are extensive and vary from quarter to quarter, depending upon course scheduling. For complete up-to-date information, consult http://www.humanities.uci.edu/global_cultures.
(Schedule of Classes designation: GlblClt)
103A-B Global Cultures I, II (4-4). Introduction to the processes by which economies, cultural practices, national entities, groups, individuals, and personal identities have undergone globalization. 103A: General background and methodological tools for understanding problems and processes of globalization. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. 103B: Explores how globalization has manifested itself in specific topics, periods, or societies. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
105 Language Origins: Evolution, Genetics, and the Brain (4). Examines how human language(s) may have originated. Studies pertinent techniques (reconstruction) and addresses related questions, including Is our language faculty inborn (i.e., genetically encoded)? Can brain imaging and population genetics research help to unlock this mystery of human evolution? Same as History 135G, Anthropology 152A, and Linguistics 175.
191 Global Cultures Senior Seminar (4). Students explore a topic(s) concerning the processes and/or problems of globalization from an interdisciplinary perspective and build on their critical and analytical skills when investigating cultural and other phenomena that cut across national borders. Research assignments, class presentations, final seminar paper. Prerequisites: Global Cultures 103A-B; upper-division standing or consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
199 Independent Study (1 to 4). Directed reading and research in consultation with a faculty advisor. Substantial written work required. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.