华盛顿大学

The Master of Arts in Cultural Studies at the University of Washington Bothell offers an integrative approach to the study of culture across diverse locations. Designed for a small cohort, Cultural Studies prepares students for careers in social, cultural, and arts fields or further interdisciplinary graduate education across the arts, humanities, and social and natural sciences.

Our programs are structured with classes offered in the evening to serve non-traditional students, including working professionals. Consequently, all graduate classes on the UW Bothell campus meet twice a week, after 5 pm. While you are welcome to work while enrolled in the program, please note that because the programs are rigorous, it is beneficial to have the ability to adjust your work schedule to allow more focus on your studies during periods when your academic workload intensifies.

The MA in Cultural Studies is the first graduate program in the Pacific Northwest, and one of very few programs nationally, to partner the interdisciplinary study of art and culture with a community-based learning network. The program offers students multiple opportunities to develop and document educational experiences and professional skills suited to their individual career goals.

Curriculum

The Cultural Studies curriculum builds foundational knowledge of different forms of cultural studies inquiry, with a special emphasis on participatory action research strategies and diverse forms of community collaboration. The two-year program draws on the existing and emerging strengths, interests, and experiences of students and faculty alike. The program's curriculum and its learning environment are intentionally collaborative, generative, and flexible.

Cultural Studies is a student-driven and portfolio-based program. At every stage, we have designed the curriculum to build on the energy and resources that students bring to the program. It will work equally well for students whose background is largely academic and those with extensive professional experience. Our aim is to provide Cultural Studies students with multiple opportunities to develop a rich toolkit of skills and a vital network of professional and community relationships that will enhance their future careers across a range of arts and cultural practices and fields.

Learning Objectives

This unique mixture of theoretical and practical training provides students with the professional abilities essential for cultural workers in a rapidly changing variety of social, cultural, and arts arenas. As a Cultural Studies graduate, you will be able to:

• identify, analyze, and address the specific structural location of cultural issues and debates, and propose creative and effective interventions;
• recognize, critically address, and collaboratively negotiate cultural diversity and difference in a variety of educational and institutional sites;
• move effectively from project conception to project execution through the use of both critical and immersive techniques that engage specific publics;
• create a dynamic portfolio of work that provides the opportunity for reflection and showcases examples of research and collaboration;
• engage in professional positions as researchers, educators, activists, artists, and problem-solvers in a variety of cultural and organizational arenas.