The College of Arts and Sciences: Literary and Cultural Studies

Creative expression through literature, dance, music, poetry, drama or the visual arts is a powerful form of communication. The Literary and Cultural Studies program delves into the deeper meanings of these forms to cultivate the understanding and skills critical to success in a complex, multicultural, and global world.

Bryant's small class sizes and personal attention from faculty provide opportunities for students to assist faculty with research. Some recent faculty research projects by Literary and Cultural Studies faculty include:

And Now…the News? Mimesis and the Real in The Daily Show by Professor Amber Day
"What are you looking at? Tourism, Artists and Visual Culture on the margins of France by Professor Maura Coughlin
Rites not Rights: The Institutional Challenges to Liberal Democracy in Ralph Ellison's Juneteenth by Professor Tad Davies

For more information about the Literary and Cultural Studies, contact Professor Mary Prescott, Department Chair, at mprescot@bryant.edu.

Programs

Bachelor of Arts with a major in Literary and Cultural Studies

By engaging in creative expression, students in the Literary and Cultural Studies program focus on the critical interpretation, social and historical context, and creative expression of the music, literature, art, and culture of communities around the world. Through this investigation, students learn to see themselves as agents whose actions shape the world they live in.

Fundamental to Literary and Cultural Studies is the cultivation and refinement of communication skills, including written, oral, visual and multimedia, to convey ideas meaningfully and effectively.

The curriculum also focuses on literary and cultural literacy – the ability to read, interpret and create a variety of literary and cultural practices.

Download a .pdf of the curriculum requirements

Minor in Literary and Cultural Studies

The minor in English and Cultural Studies provides an introduction to the literary and cultural texts that have shaped – and continue to shape – modern society. This cultural background gives students a better understanding of the world today, and how to help shape the world in the future.

Students work with their program advisor to custom design their minor.

In addition to the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements, students in the Literary and Cultural Studies major must complete:

Introduction to Cultural Studies
Two survey courses in Literary and Cultural Studies in historical context at the 200-level
Three Studies in Literary and Cultural Studies courses at the 300-level
Two Advanced Studies in Literary and Cultural Studies courses at the 400-level
Senior Seminar in Critical Theory
Senior Practicum Course

The Literary and Cultural Studies concentration requires:

Introduction to Cultural Studies
One survey course in Literary and Cultural Studies in historical context at the 200 level
Two Literary and Cultural Studies courses at the 300 level
One Advanced course in Literary and Cultural Studies at the 400 level
Senior Seminar in Critical Theory

The Literary and Cultural Studies minor requires:

Introduction to Cultural Studies
One survey course in Literary and Cultural Studies in historical context at the 200 level
One Literary and Cultural Studies course at the 300 level
One Advanced course in Literary and Cultural Studies at the 400 level

For detailed course descriptions, please refer to the course catalog. Courses are listed in alphabetical order.

Opportunities After Graduation

The core skills students learn in Literary and Cultural Studies--comparative approaches, critical thinking, and effective expression--make them competitive in most industries and fields, including:

Non-profit Organizations
Government
Arts Administration
Community Programs
Film
Publishing
Corporate Communication
Marketing
Advertising
Public Relations
Human Resources
Management

Students are also well-prepared to pursue graduate study in literature, law, philosophy, film, or international studies.

Faculty

The ECS faculty will help you develop the capacity for close reading, disciplined analysis, imaginative insight, and the ability to construct and articulate a coherent argument.

Thomas Chandler, Associate Professor and Poet Laureate of Rhode Island Emeritus
M.F.A., Creative Writing, Brown University
B.A., English, University of New Hampshire

Academic Interests: Poetry writing; fiction writing; contemporary American poetry

Janet Dean, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., English, Columbia University
M.Phil., English, Columbia University
M.A., English, Columbia University
B.A., English and German, Colby College

Academic Interests: 18th- and 19th-century American literature; American studies; gender studies; the frontier in American culture

Cileine deLourenco, Associate Professor
Ph.D., Spanish American Literatures, The Ohio State University
M.A., Spanish American Literatures, The Ohio State University
B.A., Spanish and French, Austin Peay University

Academic Interests: Contemporary Latin American literatures; Latin American cultural studies; African Diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean; Brazilian studies

William Graves III, Associate Professor
Ph.D., Anthropology, Indiana University
M.A., Linguistics, Indiana University
B.A., Russian Language and Literature, University of Maryland

Academic Interests: Language and culture; social construction of technology; social theory

Terri Hasseler, Professor Ph.D., English, University of Washington
M.A., British and American Literature, Marquette University
B.A., English and Political Science, St. Norbert College

Academic Interests: International studies; women’s studies; Gothic narratives

Stanislaus Kozikowski, Professor
Ph.D., English, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
M.A., English, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
B.S., Management, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Academic Interests: English literary renaissance; Shakespeare; short fiction; nineteenth and twentieth century British and American writers

Martha Kuhlman, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Comparative Literature, New York University
M.A., Comparative Literature, New York University
B.A., Comparative Literature, New York University

Academic Interests: European modernism; central European literature; world literature; critical theory, the Postmodern novel

Alex Perullo, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Ethnomusicology and Folklore, Indiana University
M.A., Ethnomusicology and Folklore, Indiana University
B.A., Anthropology and International Affairs, University of New Hampshire

Academic interests: Ethnomusicology; popular music

Mary Prescott, Professor and Chair
Ph.D., English, Brown University
B.A., English, University of Vermont

Academic Interests: Contemporary fiction; classroom applications of learning theory.

Thomas J. Roach, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Comparative Studies, University of Minnesota
M.A., Comparative Studies, University of Minnesota
B.A, Philosophy and English, Boston College

Academic Interests: Continental philosophy; AIDS studies; queer theory; comparative literature; film/new media studies

Elizabeth Walden, Associate Professor
Ph.D., Comparative Literature, University of Minnesota
M.A., Philosophy, University of Virginia
B.A., Philosophy, Hamline University

Academic Interests: Literary and aesthetic theory; performance and film; poststructuralism/postmodernism; critical theory; feminist theory; history of philosophy

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