Transculturalism

The Transcultural Humanities challenge us to think critically about our positions and perspectives in a constantly changing, ever-enlarging global society, even as they reach back through centuries and millennia to draw on the very foundations that define our humanity. Such cultural foundations include languages, various art forms (literary, musical, pictorial, sculptural etc.) as well as media old and new.

Course of Study

The B.A. in Transcultural Studies is based on an interdisciplinary program taught by scholars from 13 different humanities fields. The curriculum is integrated rather than merely cumulative, as heterogeneous subjects are conceptualized within a common transcultural frame. Students are thus encouraged to approach a variety of fields from a uniquely transcultural vantage point, and to develop critical cross-disciplinary methods that will enrich their explorations of individual topics and themes. Instead of privileging one medium or form of expression over others, the curriculum is open to the whole range of medialities—from verbal to visual to digital—as it fosters a detailed and ongoing engagement with each cultural artifact in its (medial) specificity and uniqueness.

The program offers considerable flexibility, enabling students to tailor the curriculum to their individual needs and inclinations. The program’s flexibility is further enhanced by an entire semester at the student’s disposal, which can be used to study abroad, or to pursue internships and other academic/professional activities.

The B.A. in Transcultural Studies can be pursued either as a broad interdisciplinary degree, or with a specialization in any one of the participating subjects, e.g. media and communication, languages and literatures, history etc.