Undergraduate Courses
The following undergraduate courses are offered on a regular basis. Many fulfill General Education (GEC) humanities requirements. Honors sections (H) are also offered for many courses.CS 100 INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMANITIES: CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES Explores the role of literature and the arts in constructing, maintaining, and questioning the values and beliefs of diverse cultures and historical periods; topics vary. (GEC, H)
CS 170 SCIENCE AND RELIGION A philosophical examination of the relationship between science and religion, concentration on issues regarding the creation of the universe and the origins of life. Cross-listed with Philosophy 170. (GEC)
CS 201 LITERATURE AND SOCIETY Study of relationships among politics, society, and literature; analysis of social and political elements of literature and film from diverse cultures and historical periods. (GEC, H)
CS 202.01 LITERATURE AND RELIGION Study of relationships between religion and secular literature; analysis of religious and spiritual elements of literature and film of diverse cultures and historical periods. (GEC, H)
CS 202.02 COMPARATIVE SACRED TEXTS Introduction to religious views of the universe, the supernatural, the human condition, ethics, social organization, etc., through primary sacred texts (oral and written) of diverse cultures and historical periods. (GEC)
CS 203 LITERATURE AND THE SELF Study of relationships between psychology and literature; analysis of psychological concepts and processes as represented in literature and film of diverse cultures and historical periods. (GEC, H)
CS 204 LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY Study of relationships among literature, science, and technology; analysis of representations of science and technology in literature and film of diverse cultures and historical periods. (GEC, H)
CS 205 LITERATURE AND ETHNICITY Study of relationships between literature and ethnicity; analysis of concepts of ethnicity as represented in literature and film of diverse cultures and historical periods. (GEC)
CS 214 INTRODUCTION TO SEXUALITY STUDIES This course will provide an introduction to sexuality studies through an interdisciplinary approach. To apply the knowledge learned, this course requires a fieldwork component.
CS 234 AMERICAN ICONS Interdisciplinary methods in American studies; emphasis on the plurality of identities in American culture. (GEC)
CS H240 THE NATURE OF MODERNITY: KEY IDEAS AND ENDURING PROBLEMS Examination of some of the defining ideas of modern thought and how those ideas have problematically affected modern life in both developed and developing countries. (GEC; Honors only)
CS 241 INTRODUCTION TO ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES Introduction to Asian American studies; history, experiences, and cultural production of Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Filipino, and Southeast Asian ancestry. (GEC)
CS 242 INTRODUCTION TO LATINO/A STUDIES Introduction to Latino/a studies; history, politics, and cultural production of Latino/a communities in the U.S. and its borderlands. (GEC)
CS 243 INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE AMERICAS Introduction to race and ethnicity in the U.S.: how race and ethnicity have shaped American culture, social thought, social institutions and inter-group relations. (GEC)
CS 264 READING POPULAR CULTURE This course will introduce students to the analysis of popular culture texts, with special emphasis on the relationship between popular culture studies and literary studies. Cross-listed in English.
CS 270 INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE RELIGION Introduction to the academic study of religion through comparison among major traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) and smaller communities. (GEC, H)
CS 272 SCIENCE AND SOCIETY Critical analysis of the multiple relations of science to society, with emphasis on knowledge, power, authority, values, and ethics. (GEC)
CS 273 INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE LITERATURE Analysis of oral and written literatures of diverse cultures and historical periods; their relation to such issues as cultural difference, national identity, and textual authority. (GEC)
CS 274 INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE CULTURAL STUDIES Introduction to interdisciplinary field of cultural studies; emphasis on relation of cultural production to power, knowledge, and authority, globally and locally. (GEC)
CS 275 INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL REPRESENTATION Analysis of the use of visual representation to generate and transmit ideas, information, and knowledge in contemporary culture. (GEC)
CS 293 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES Designed to give students an opportunity for personal study with a member of the faculty.
CS 294 GROUP STUDIES Designed to give groups of students an opportunity to pursue special studies not otherwise offered.
CS 301 LOVE IN WORLD LITERATURE Representations of love in world literature; emphasis on mythological, psychological, and ideological aspects of selected representations in different cultures and time periods. (GEC, H)
CS 305 MEDICINE AND THE HUMANITIES Humanistic, scientific, and clinical perspectives on medical issues; literary uses of medical themes, medicine as art and science. (GEC)
CS 306 THE QUEST IN WORLD LITERATURE Motif of the quest in world literature; physical and mental journeys as metaphors of personal transformation and salvation. (GEC)
CS 308 REPRESENTATIONS OF THE EXPERIENCE OF WAR Representations of war in works of literature, religious texts, and film from diverse cultures and time periods. (GEC)
CS 314 WOMEN IN EAST-ASIAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE Critical analysis of East Asian and Asian-American women's experience, examining the gender and sexual differences in the distribution of political power and in discourse. (GEC)
CS 321 THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA History and structure of South Asian religions with attention to myth, ritual, art, philosophy, and social stratification.
CS 322 NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIONS Comparative survey of indigenous religions of North, Central, and South America; and patterns and diversity in religious experience, cosmologies, myths, rituals, beliefs, and local regional variations.
CS 323 THE BUDDHIST TRADITION History and structure of Buddhism from founding to present in South, Southeast, and East Asia; emphasis on rituals, beliefs, and local and regional variations.
CS 324 AFRICAN RELIGIONS Survey of African traditional religions and their interaction with Islam and Christianity in Africa and the diaspora; emphasis on cosmologies, myth, ritual, ethics, and witchcraft.
CS336 CULTURAL STUDIES OF AMERICAN MUSICS Investigation of the social, political, and cultural contexts of the development of popular musics in the U.S. (GEC)
CS339 TRANSNATIONALISM AND CULTURE IN THE AMERICAS Transnationalism as a central feature of cultural and artistic production in the Americas, focusing on the politics of language, race, citizenship, migration, and national belonging. (GEC)
CS345 SOUTH ASIAN AMERICAN RELIGION AND CULTURE Historical overview and critical discussion of South Asian American identity; focus on religious identity, ethnicity, nationalism, globalism, gender. (GEC)
CS 358 FILM AND LITERATURE AS NARRATIVE ART Relationships between film and literature; emergence of cinematic art as a form of representation with emphasis on diverse cultural traditions. (GEC)
CS 367 SECOND WRITING COURSE (GEC):
CS 367.01 AMERICAN IDENTITY IN THE WORLD American culture viewed from inside and outside and from the perspective of foreign cultures, as seen in literature, film, art, music, journalism, folklore, and popular culture. (GEC)
CS 367.02 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN AMERICAN CULTURE Role of science and technology in contemporary American society; their relationship to human values; sources of concern about their impact; evaluation of selected issues. (GEC)
CS 367.03 RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN AMERICA Exploration of the concept of religious freedom and the position of minority religious groups in American society. (GEC)
CS 367.04 U.S. LATINO/A IDENTITY Latino/a identity in the U.S.; emphasis on Latino/a cultural history and expression and on the role of race, class, gender, and sexuality in identity construction. (GEC)
CS 373 PROBLEMS IN LITERARY AND CULTURAL TRANSLATION Introduction to issues and problems inherent to translating literatures and cultures.
CS 367.02 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN AMERICAN CULTURE Role of science and technology in contemporary American society; their relationship to human values; sources of concern about their impact; evaluation of selected issues. (GEC)
CS 367.03 RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN AMERICA Exploration of the concept of religious freedom and the position of minority religious groups in American society. (GEC)
CS 367.04 U.S. LATINO/A IDENTITY Latino/a identity in the U.S.; emphasis on Latino/a cultural history and expression and on the role of race, class, gender, and sexuality in identity construction. (GEC)
CS 376 THE JEWISH MYSTICAL TRADITION The history of Jewish mysticism from antiquity to the present, with emphasis on its implications for the comparative study of religious experience. (GEC, H)
CS 377 CONTEMPORARY FOLKLORE IN THE ARAB WORLD Study of contemporary folklore of the Arab world, including verbal art, material culture, visual self-representation, and performance. (GEC)
CS 398 APPROACHES TO COMPARATIVE STUDIES Introduces Comparative Studies majors to theoretical tools, methods of investigation, and key concepts in Comparative Studies research and scholarship.
CS 470 FOLKLORE OF THE AMERICAS Comparative study of folklore and folk groups of the Americas; topic varies: folk narratives, beliefs, customs, practices, of Latino/a, Asian, African, Native, and Anglo cultures.
CS 475 STUDIES IN ETHNOGRAPHY Explores the history, theory, and methods of ethnographic study in different contexts (e.g., religious, ethnic, occupational groups).
CS 498 STUDY TOUR Specific content, location, quarter(s) of offering and prerequisites vary; contact department office for details.
CS 500 CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Exploration of classic and contemporary conceptual approaches to international studies used by anthropologists, economists, geographers, historians, political scientists, and psychologists. Cross-listed in International Studies.
CS 508 UTOPIA AND ANTI-UTOPIA Exploration and critique of utopian thinking in different historical and cultural contexts.
CS 510 THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY NOVEL: TRANSNATIONAL CONTEXTS Analysis of 20th-century fiction from western and nonwestern traditions: issues include colonialism, post-colonialism, nationalism, capitalism, revolution, migration.
CS515 GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND RELIGION Explores intersections of gender, sexuality and religion in comparative and cross-cultural contexts.
CS520 THEORY AND METHOD IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION Survey of contemporary theories and methods used in the academic study of religion.
CS525 CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN GLOBAL CONTEXT Examination of contemporary religious movements within the context of larger political, cultural, and economic processes, including post-colonialism, modernization, and globalization.
CS526 NEW AGE AND NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS Study of new age and new religious movements in contemporary America.
CS531 THE CITY AND CULTURE Introduction to the comparative and cross-cultural study of cities, urban culture, and urbanism.
CS535 GENDER AND SCIENCE Examination of relations between gender and science; topics include the gendering of "science" and "nature," biological theories of sexual inequality, feminist critiques of science and technology.
CS 541 MYTH AND RITUAL Ritual, myth, and literature: structural and thematic relationships.
CS 542 NATIVE AMERICAN IDENTITY Historical and contemporary issues of American Indian identity, primarily in U.S.; focus on American Indian authors, artists, and scholars.
CS 543 ASIAN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE Focused study of a topic in Asian American literary and cultural studies.
CS 544 LATINO/A LITERATURE AND CULTURE Focused study of a topic in Latino/a literary and cultural studies.
CS 545 INTERSECTIONS: APPROACHES TO RACE, GENDER, CLASS AND SEXUALITY Examines intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality in various sites within American culture (e.g., legal system, civil rights discourse, social justice movements).
CS550 WEXNER CENTER SEMINAR Seminar offered in conjunction with Wexner Center exhibitions, performance series, or symposia; may be taught by visiting artists, performers, or critics.
CS573 WORLD LITERATURE: THEORY AND PRACTICE Discussion of world literatures in theoretical, historical, and cultural contexts, with particular attention to translation, language, nationalism, globalization, and internationalism.
CS 585 STUDIES IN LITERACY This foundational course explores how our understanding of literacy and its relationships to ongoing societies, cultures, and social change has been challenged and revised.
CS 585.01 TOPICS IN LITERACY STUDIES Reconsiders the "great debates" about literacy--oral v. written, etc.--through the critical study of literacy's acquisition, practice or use, and consequences/concomitants.
CS 585.02 HISTORY OF LITERACY This course seeks to understand the history of literacy by examining literacy's contributions to making the modern world, and social changes' impacts on literacy.
(proposed; approval pending) CS573 WORLD LITERATURE: THEORY AND PRACTICE Discussion of world literatures in theoretical, historical, and cultural contexts, with particular attention to translation, language, nationalism, globalization, and internationalism.
CS 585.02 HISTORY OF LITERACY This course seeks to understand the history of literacy by examining literacy's contributions to making the modern world, and social changes' impacts on literacy.
CS 597.01 ISSUES OF THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
CS 597.01 GLOBAL STUDIES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Explores relations among culture, science, and technology in changing global contexts. (GEC)
CS 597.02 GLOBAL CULTURE Examines contemporary global cultural flows, the concepts useful in analyzing them, and the questions they raise about power and cultural change. (GEC)
CS 598 SENIOR SEMINAR Writing seminar based on students' independent research.
CS 597.02 GLOBAL CULTURE Examines contemporary global cultural flows, the concepts useful in analyzing them, and the questions they raise about power and cultural change. (GEC)
CS 620 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION Survey and comparison of concepts, categories, theories, and methods used by various disciplines in the study of religion. (Listed under Religious Studies pending change to Comparative Studies)
CS 641 THE JAPANESE RELIGIOUS TRADITION A survey of the Japanese tradition, including Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism, New-Confucianism, and folk religion from the 6th century B.C.E. to the present. (Listed under Religious Studies pending change to Comparative Studies)
CS 645 STUDIES IN KOREAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE Critical study of Korean-American literature and literary genres of the twentieth century, with particular attention to historical, social, and cultural contexts.
CS 648 STUDIES IN ORALITY AND LITERATURE Examination of major theories of writing and of oral composition and transmission, in juxtaposition to case material deriving from a variety of Middle Eastern cultures. Cross-listed in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.
CS 651 TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES Critical study of selected themes and topics in a comparative and cross-cultural perspective; emphasis on issues of method, critical theory, representation, power, knowledge, and authority.
CS 660 MODERNITY: KEY ISSUES AND CONCEPTS Introduces key issues and concepts defining modernity, focusing on how modernity has shaped recent and contemporary politics and culture, as well as discussions of globalization.
CS 665 STUDIES IN JAPANESE AMERICAN LITERATURE Critical study of modern Japanese-American literature in historical and cultural context; topics vary: literature of the internet, gender and identity politics, genre studies, women’s writing.
CS 672 POETRY AND POLITICS IN THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY MEDITERRANEAN Exploration of several poets and poetic traditions around the Mediterranean in relation to modern political struggles: resistance to fascism; dilemmas of imperialism and underdevelopment.
CS 677 STUDIES IN WORLD FOLKLORE
CS677.01 GENRES OF WORLD FOLKLORE Historical and cross-cultural study of genre theory; comparative study of specific genres of folk literature, e.g., fairy tales, folk tales, legends, epics, jokes.
CS 677.02 THEMES IN WORLD FOLKLORE Cross-cultural, cross-genre study of folklore themes: e.g., folklore of sex, folklore of religion; multidisciplinary perspective employs anthropological, psychological, and literary theory.
CS 677.03 FOLK CUSTOM, ART, AND MATERIAL CULTURE Study of folk customs, arts, and material culture; theoretical emphasis on structural affinities of these with other folk forms, including verbal art, ritual, festival, folk religion.
CS 677.04 COMPARATIVE FOLK GROUPS Comparative study of ethnic, regional, religious, kin, occupational, age or sex groups; emphasis on range of historical and contemporary theoretical perspectives used to understand groups.
CS 678 STUDIES IN CHINESE-AMERICAN LITERATURE Critical study of modern Chinese-American literature in historical and cultural context. Topics vary: gender issues, genre studies, women's writing.
CS 677.03 FOLK CUSTOM, ART, AND MATERIAL CULTURE Study of folk customs, arts, and material culture; theoretical emphasis on structural affinities of these with other folk forms, including verbal art, ritual, festival, folk religion.
CS 677.04 COMPARATIVE FOLK GROUPS Comparative study of ethnic, regional, religious, kin, occupational, age or sex groups; emphasis on range of historical and contemporary theoretical perspectives used to understand groups.
CS 693 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES Designed to give able students an opportunity to puruse special studies not otherwise offered.
CS 694 GROUP STUDIES Special topics.
CS 697 STUDY AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION An opportunity for students to study at a foreign institution and receive Ohio State credit for that work.
CS 698 STUDY TOUR Specific content, location, quarter(s) of offering, and prerequisites vary; contact department office for details.
CS 699 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES Undergraduate research in variable topics.
CS 706 COMPLEX ETHNOGRAPHY Critical analysis of relationships among the researcher, object of research, framing knowledge, and political context of ethnographic work.
CS 716 THEORIZING CULTURE The concept of culture as it has developed over time; emphasis on tension between descriptive and normative approaches.
CS 725 THEORIZING RELIGION Relationships between religion and other domains in a cross-cultural, comparative framework with attention to theoretical models and particular texts and traditions.
CS 730 THEORIZING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Introduction to comparative and cultural studies of science and technology.
CS 741 THEORIZING GENRE Comparative studies of genre theory and specific genres (e.g., epic, novel, autobiography, film genres) in cultural context.
CS 752 RACE AND CITIZENSHIP: FORMATIONS IN CRITICAL RACE THEORY Critical analysis of concepts of law, e.g., a value-free legal code, universality of legal concepts, equitable enforcement; emphasis on U.S.
CS 760 THEORIZING PERFORMANCE Advanced introduction to field of performance studies; theory and practice of expressive social behaviors, including theatre, dance, ritual, sport, and embodied practices of everyday life.
CS 783 HONORS RESEARCH Senior honors course leading to graduation with distinction; independent study for the student with special aptitude.
CS 790 FOUNDATIONS OF CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL THEORY Interdisciplinary survey of the theoretical bases of major contemporary approaches to the study of literature; readings in Marx, Freud, Derrida, Cixous, and others.
CS 792 INTERDEPARTMENTAL STUDIES IN THE HUMANITIES Two or more departments present colloquia on subjects of mutual interest; topics to be announced.
