What is culture? How do literature and the visual and performing arts travel across cultures?
CLA addresses these questions by seeking to understand the production and reception of literature, film, and the visual and performing arts through aesthetic, theoretical, historical, and sociological methods. Faculty who teach in CLA draw on a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, including art history, literature, film, environmental studies, creative writing, performance studies, cultural and media studies, disability studies, history, gender and race studies, and philosophy. CLA students learn to appreciate and think critically about how cultural practices vary across diverse social systems, and are strongly encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to participate in public and community-based arts projects.
CLA graduates are well equipped to pursue graduate education in a range of programs related to the interdisciplinary arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences, as well as professional fields such as law, policy, education, and journalism. CLA also provides excellent preparation for careers in publishing, public relations, and public service, especially in the context of community and public arts organizations.
Prerequisites
While there are no official prerequisites, students choosing this degree option will find it helpful to be able to write an analytical paper and should have at least two courses in literature, the visual arts, or performance. Historical knowledge and competency in foreign languages is also highly desirable.
Transition from Option to Major
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences is transitioning its Culture, Literature and the Arts option within the Interdisciplinary Studies major to a major in Culture, Literature and the Arts. Students who are admitted for Autumn Quarter, 2010, and subsequent quarters must declare the major. Students who declare the CLA option prior to Autumn Quarter, 2010, may choose to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with an option in Culture, Literature and the Arts or may declare the major and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Culture, Literature and the Arts. The requirements for the option and the major are the same.
CLA Option Requirements
- BIS 300 Interdisciplinary Inquiry*
(5 credits)
- CLA Option Core (5 credits)
- CLA Option Courses (35 credits)
- Senior Seminar (5 credits)
- Additional IAS Coursework
(20 credits)
- General Electives (20 credits)
TOTAL= 90 Credits
CLA Major Requirements
- BIS 300 Interdisciplinary Inquiry*
(5 credits)
- CLA Option Core (5 credits)
- CLA Option Courses (35 credits)
- Senior Seminar (5 credits)
- Additional IAS Coursework
(20 credits)
- General Electives (20 credits)
TOTAL= 90 Credits
- *Should be taken in the first quarter of IAS enrollment.
- The 70 major credits must be completed in MATRICULATED STATUS.
Areas of Knowledge
Within the above-listed 90 credits, a minimum of ten (10) credits must overlap with Visual, Literary and Performing Arts (VLPA), Individuals and Societies (I&S), and Natural World (NW). They must be taken in IAS courses at the 200, 300, or 400 levels. Multiply-designated courses may not be double-counted as fulfilling two Areas of Knowledge.
200-level Coursework
Up to 35 credits of 200-level coursework taken at UWB may be applied toward designated requirements within the 90 program credits. Please contact an IAS adviser for details.
Culture, Literature and the Arts Core & Affiliate Faculty and Staff
Bill Seaburg (faculty coordinator), Constantin Behler, Jackie Belanger, Bruce Burgett, Leslie Bussert, Kathleen DeLaurenti, JoLynn Edwards, Mike Gillespie, Michael Goldberg, David Goldstein, Jeanne Heuving, Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, Kanta Kochhar-Lindgren, Joe Milutis.