What major is good for someone who likes cultural and international studies?

College Majors
1

<p>My initial instinct was International Relations, which is what I'm sticking to now. Yet, I was wondering is there a more "pure" major for cultural connections and international views that didn't include the political and economic aspects that IR has?</p>

<p>Someone told me about Cultural Anthropology. What is that and what schools are good for that? Is it a major in itself, or is it tied with a broad Anthropology study?</p>

<p>any other suggestions for majors?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>edit: as a note, I'm not interested in tribal culture and things like that. I'm more interested in things like: how does German culture affect a German teenager's views? How did Russians come to be relaxed in drinking? Do advertisers and shows and comedy differ for different nations?</p>

2

<p>Well what comes to mind are the following:</p>

<p>International Affairs/Relations or Global Studies (depending on the school)
Anthropology
Area Studies (if you have a particular interest in certain culture)
Political Science</p>

<p>and then you can always add Foreign Languages or some minor relevant to your interests depending on the school of your choice.</p>

<p>I’m also interested in these studies, and recently met up with a friend that was very interested in Arab Studies. This is her career path so far:</p>

<p>Anthropolgy/Arab Studies/Arab Language in American U
Moroccan Studies/Gender Studies/Arab Language in a university in Morocco
and is working as a intern in an embassy.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

3

<p>Thanks, and I’m interested in comparisons in culture, not a specific one. Well, actually I wish I had time to learn about each culture, but since I can’t in a four year period, I am going for a broad study on a bunch of cultures</p>

4

<p>If you are not into politics and economics, as much as cultural interaction, then IR is not the right major for you. Even if you choose classes not heavy in politics most of your peers in your major will be interested in politics.</p>

<p>It sounds like you are a cultural anthropology student through and through. At the undergraduate level anthropology is very broad and you can focus on many cultures. Though be aware that “cultural comparison” is a very delicate and nuanced topic. Modern anthropology is not so much about comparison, but–to loosly quote Geertz–to see “how different people answer the big questions.”</p>

<p>Also, anthropology hasn’t been about “tribalism” since the 60s. Anyone who tells you that clearly has no idea what the contempory focus of the field is. </p>

<p>As for schools. Look for schools with real anthropology departments, many small LACs combine sociology and anthropology, and almost always anthropology is short-changed. (Sociology is not as globally focused as anthropology is by the way.) Basically all state schools will have anthropology, since it is a pillar of the liberal arts.</p>

5

<p>Thanks potato!</p>

<p>Could you give me a little more information on cultural anthropology. Like, maybe give me an example of a class from it, or something you would analyze</p>

6

<p>Anthropology, in a broad sense, is the “study of humans.” This includes biological, archaeological, social/cultural and linguistic/cognitive aspects. In some colleges, only a social/cultural anthropology major is offered, and it is sometimes simply called Anthropology. In larger colleges, you might have a few different programs in Anthropology. In some cases, you might be able to choose between two very broad programs in Anthropology, usually either a B.A. or a B.S. Finally, there are colleges which offer a single Anthropology major with few available “concentrations.” As you can see, the Anthropology major(s) differs between each college. Make sure you know the program well before you apply to a college.</p>

<p>You ought to be most interested in cultural anthropology and social anthropology. Cultural anthropology is focused on comparative cultural studies and generally belongs to the Humanities; Social anthropology spends more time examining institutions and social relations, and is generally more quantitative; it belongs to the Social Sciences. You seem more interested in Cultural Anthropology, but that might very well change - personally, I think that Cultural Anthropology focuses on observations while Social Anthropology focuses on explanations. If you’re good with numbers, you might also be interested in Sociology, which is a more quantitative study of society.</p>

<p>I’ll give you a few examples of Anthropology classes in my college (which focuses on social/cultural anthropology, but includes relevant classes from other aspects of Anthropology):</p>

<p>“Modern social theory” - Readings from Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Max Weber and Sigmund Freud.</p>

<p>“The social uses of media” - Studying media from an anthropological perspective, using social scientific analysis. </p>

<p>“Culture and consumption” - Study of mass consumption and material culture</p>

<p>Besides these, there are courses on linguistics, history and the fine arts that are cross-listed with Anthropology courses.</p>

<p>Note: Anthropology is a very broad subject, and you’ll not be able to completely avoid politics and economics. For example, you’ll definitely have to study Marx’s theory of alienation and Weber’s theories of bureaucracy, and to grasp these you’ll have to get a basic understanding of their political theories. Also, if you’re looking for an in-depth examination of many different cultures in college, you’re not gonna get it. College courses will generally teach you the methods and theory rather than specific knowledge. But do some reading yourself and go on an exchange study program and you should be fine.</p>

7

<p>I mostly agree with Roch. However, most programs do have classes that are more cross cultural. For example, one of my favorite classes was “religious fundamentalism” which covered European theory, American conservativism and the Middle East. But to be honest, many classes are regional. However, there is no rule that one has to take all classes in one region, thus making the major broader. Also most universities require classwork in theory (Marx, Geertz, Boaz, Levi-Strauss…) these classes draw from many cultures since all the theorists study different areas. Also comparative anthropology was popular with early “armchair anthropologists,” who basically all anthropology majors study at one point.</p>

<p>As for some of the classes I have taken…
aesthetics and affects; opera, storytelling and society; memory and space; morris dancing and english ritual performance; sociolinguistics, middle eastern identities, museum anthropology, ancient technology and evolutionary psychology</p>

<p>If you can’t tell I am into the interactions of art and culture.</p>

8

<p>Cultural Anthropology and Communications are the areas that come to mind based on the interests you described. Foreign languages would cover aspects of your interests, too, if you have interests in particular countries or regions.</p>

9

<p>"Well what comes to mind are the following:</p>

<p>International Affairs/Relations or Global Studies (depending on the school)
Anthropology
Area Studies (if you have a particular interest in certain culture)
Political Science"</p>

<p>Those are great degrees. Be sure to pick Unemployment as a minor because that is where your ehaded with those degrees.</p>

10

<p>i cant believe the number of misguided responses you’ve had. </p>

<p>The name for what you are interested in is either one or a mix of:</p>

<p>cultural studies/sociology/cultural anthropology…with bits of media studies (in the US it’s called “communications”? and sometimes “modern culture/ media studies” depends where really), linguistics, social psychology here and there…</p>

<p>i hope the above should get you started… there’s no harm in googling and wikipediaing “social theory”, “social criticism” etc to pinpoint specific interests within these fields.</p>

<p>the best thing to look out for before deciding on a particular major at a university is to scan the modules you’ll be studying thoroughly… nothing is more irritating than finding out that your uni doesnt offer modules in such and such that you find interesting. flexibility of the degree (eg varied options, allowing independent/further study etc) is also very important. Also for the course to match the level of rigor you expect. Sometimes this can be tricky as certain sociology degrees might emphasise philosophy (enlightenment era) or economics (which you may/may not find interesting or challenging) and certain media studies options can seem pretty silly/too easy.</p>

<p>best of luck.</p>