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View the Literary and Cultural Studies Faculty. 

Literary and Cultural Studies Program

The program in Literary and Cultural Studies brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the study of culture. Students collaborate with an advisor to design an individualized and focused plan of study that includes courses from a range of departments and programs. Courses that involve the comparative analysis of more than one national literature are central to the program, as are those that explore the intersections of literature and theory. Moreover, students are encouraged to expand their definition of the “text” to include not just literature but also other media such as music, art, and cinema (indeed, LCST offers a special major concentration in “Film Studies,” which allows students to use the College’s Film minor as the core of their Literary and Cultural Studies major). Students are equally encouraged to take courses in related disciplines that help situate the creative text in terms of its cultural and historical contexts: thus, students majoring in Literary and Cultural Studies can also count toward their major courses from departments that are not primarily oriented toward the study of literature and the arts, such as Anthropology, History, Philosophy, and Sociology.

A major in Literary and Cultural Studies prepares students to pursue advanced degrees in literature and its allied academic disciplines. It is also appropriate preparation for any profession that emphasizes critical analysis and effective oral and written communication. A minor in Literary and Cultural Studies may be taken to enhance majors in the humanities, social sciences or interdisciplinary programs (see Minor Requirements ).

* Beginning Fall 2014, the major and minor in LCST will no longer be offered; in their place, there will be a new major and minor in Film and Media Studies.

More information is available at the Literary and Cultural Studies Program website: www.wm.edu/as/lcst.

Programs and Course Descriptions

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