UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

An Honors course in the World Cultures distribution explores - from term to term in varied specific cases - the basic assumption that culture is a vital framework for thought and action. In each Honors WC course and in this course, we will address the question "What is the study of World Culture?" by exploring the fundamental basic assumptions of the field, which include: culture is material and symbolic; cultural symbols and materials are created by (a) people who express their cohesive identity through these products and labels; historical forces impact culture; even within a homogenous culture there will be debate and contestation; culture identifies members of a group while also distinguishing them from other groups; and a comparative perspective is essential to understanding the diversity of world cultures. An Honors College course in World Cultures shares the attributes of university-wide WC courses in its emphasis on discussing the meaning of culture, the dynamic nature of culture, and the implications of ethnocentrism. Students acquire experience with the diverse methodologies (textual interpretive, participatory, and observational) of studying world cultures by learning how to understand cultures other than one's own, and how to compare and contrast different cultures with one another. Students are taught how to engage academic texts and data/information from current research studies, while also being trained to situate these data and texts in interdisciplinary contexts. In this way, an Honors course in World Cultures emphasizes the interplay between history, economics, politics, and culture.