As a Comparative Studies major, you will learn more about the variety of ways people have developed to understand and describe the world, their place within it, and their relationship to others. Understanding cultural similarities and differences is at the heart of the Comparative Studies program. Comparative Studies raises questions that help us understand how culture shapes the lives of individuals and groups.
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The concentration in Comparative Cultural Studies draws on social and aesthetic theory to understand how social identities, actions and desires are produced and practiced in everyday life. The approach is both interdisciplinary and cross-cultural.
Students in this concentration study specific ethnic cultures, arts and communities within the contexts of changing national, transnational and global realities as well as broader questions of power and difference in society.
Students in this concentration focus on the study of literature from different cultures, nations, and genres and explore relationships between literature and other forms of cultural expression.
The Folklore concentration provides an introduction to the study of folklore methods and folk materials. Students will learn how different cultural groups interact among themselves and with others, while focusing their study on particular subjects or particular geographical regions or cultural groups.
In this concentration, students examine not only the ways in which science and technology shape culture, but how culture shapes the direction and growth of science and technology and how science is interwoven with other aspects of culture.
The Ohio State University Department of Comparative Studies is a multi-disciplinary community of scholars who study how human societies organize themselves through the production of knowledge, discourses and material practices. The department addresses processes of cultural interaction, with particular attention to the dynamics of knowledge, power, authority and cultural difference.
Students majoring in comparative studies develop strong skills in analytical and critical thinking and in written and spoken communication. These skills are essential to many positions in both the public and private sector: government; local, national and international service organizations; business and industry; and all levels of education. Comparative studies students also develop their understanding of cultural differences as they attend to the intersections of gender, ethnicity, race and class. In an increasingly diverse nation and interconnected world, employers have come to value this important area of expertise.
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Columbus, OH 43210
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Columbus, OH 43210
