Culture, Literature & the Arts

BACHELOR OF ARTS

On this page: Major Description | Requirements | Learning Objectives | Faculty & Staff | Courses

Use your creativity, imagination, and passion for innovation to express meaning across audiences!
Do courses like Shakespeare & Film and Representation, Colonialism, & the Tropical World sound exciting to you?
Do you want to explore a career in Education, Journalism, or Public Relations?

macro close up of different color oil paint

The Culture, Literature & the Arts major (CLA) inquires into the make-up of diverse cultures and societies, and their literatures and arts.

Students in the major study written and visual texts, interactive and performative modes of practice, and philosophical and theoretical accounts of those texts and practices.

Students gain an understanding of the complex relations among lived, represented, and speculated existence. CLA courses focus on the historical, social, and aesthetic dimensions of arts and culture, with special attention to the intersections among gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, disability, and other vectors of power and privilege.

Passion

Students in the Culture, Literature & the Arts major are passionate about understanding diverse cultures and societies, and their literature and arts. Students who are passionate about diversity as it relates to visual & written texts, interactive & performative practices, and the philosophical & theoretical accounts of them will thrive within the CLA major.

Practice

Courses in the Culture, Literature & the Arts major focus on the historical, social, & aesthetic aspects of art and culture, with special attention to the intersections among gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, disability, and other vectors of power and privilege. Students gain an understanding of the complex relations among lived, represented, and speculated existence.

Profession

Using their background in Culture, Literature & the Arts, graduates in this major communicate with others through their use of the English language in career roles such as education, advocacy, and consulting. Students in the CLA major end up working as teachers, public relations consultants, journalism/social media, and publishing among others.

Major requirements

Recommended preparation

Interested in exploring this major, but not ready to commit? Consider taking one of the below courses! Any of these selections will help familiarize you with the academic program and prepare you for advanced coursework in the major.

BIS 136 Introduction to Art History
BIS 161 Introduction to Film Narrative
BIS 162 Race, Gender, and Sexuality through Film & TV
BIS 163 The Lives of Objects
BIS 164 Introduction to World Literature
BIS 206 Engaging Literary Arts
BIS 209 Engaging Visual and Media Arts
BIS 216 Introduction to Cultural Studies

Prerequisites

While there are no official prerequisites for this major in the School of IAS. UW Bothell students in good standing can declare a major in Culture, Literature, and the Arts at any time. Once ready to submit a declaration form follow this link to the IAS Major Declaration Form

Degree requirements

The following degree requirements are required as of Autumn 2024 quarter. Student who enter the Culture, Literature, and the Arts (CLA) major prior to Autumn 2024 have different requirements. Please see your Academic Advisor for questions and academic planning.

10 credits of Composition Coursework
- B WRIT 133 or B WRIT 134 or ENGL 131 or equivalent (5 credits)
- B WRIT 135 or ENGL 141 or equivalent (5 credits)
CLA Core (5 credits)
- BISCLA 380 or BISCLA 384
CLA Courses (35 credits)
- See below for approved list of CLA Courses
Additional IAS Coursework (20 credits)

TOTAL = 70 Credits

School of IAS Requirements & Policies

Residency Requirement: 30 credits must be completed in residency at UW Bothell
Cumulative GPA Requirement: Major GPA must be at a cumulative of 2.00 or higher
Interdisciplinary Practices & Reflection (IPR): The IPR requirement can overlap with 70 credit major coursework or it can be completed through elective credits. Please see the IPR page for course options.
Upper Division Credit Policy: Of the credits applying to the major requirements, a minimum of 35 credits must be completed at the Upper Division (300-400) level.

Learning objectives

The Culture, Literature & the Arts curriculum advances the five core IAS learning objectives. Students taking courses and/or majoring in Culture, Literature & the Arts:

Engage the complex question of what cultures are and do;
Analyze diverse forms of cultural production and consumption, including literature and language, film and media, music and sound, visual arts and images, performing arts and kinesthetics;
Appreciate the richness and complexity of artistic communication, language, and imagination;
Investigate the importance of form, design, and genre across the arts;
Understand how creativity and artistic expression are embedded within larger social and cultural contexts;
Understand how artistic practices and cultural production vary across time and space.

People

Faculty

Research Librarian

Leslie Hurst

Courses

A. Culture, Literature & the Arts Core Courses (CLA:CORE)

BISCLA 380 Arts in Context
BISCLA 384 Literary and Popular Genres

B. Culture, Literature & the Arts Courses (CLA)

35 credits from any of the courses below

Creative Writing

BISIA 207 Introduction to Creative Writing: Words, Stories, Dialogues
BISIA 310 Creative Writing: Poetry
BISIA 311 Creative Writing: Prose
BISIA 401 Literary and Arts Journal Editorial Board
BISIA 410 Advanced Creative Writing Workshop

Art, Film, and Literary Histories

BIS 121 Introduction to Drawing
BIS 130 What is Art?
BIS 131 Introduction to Arts Practice
BIS 132 Introduction to Photography
BIS 133 Introduction to Acting
BIS 134 Introduction to Dance
BIS 135 Introduction to Painting
BIS 136 Introduction to Art History
BIS 161 Introduction to Film Narrative
BIS 162 Race, Gender, and Sexuality through Film & TV
BIS 164 Introduction to World Literature
BIS 185 Art & Climate Change
BIS 206 Engaging Literary Arts
BIS 207 Shakespeare and Film
BIS 208 Experimenting through the Arts
BIS 209 Engaging Visual and Media Arts
BIS 212 Engaging Performing Arts
BIS 245 Environment & Humanities
BIS 261 Introduction to Film Studies
BIS 301 Narrative Forms
BIS 323 History of Photography
BIS 324 Gender, Human Rights, and Global Cinema
BIS 331 Journalism and Media History
BIS 332 Global Digital Industries
BIS 347 History of American Documentary Film
BIS 361 Studies in American Literature
BIS 363 Politics and Popular Music
BIS 370 Nineteenth Century American Literature
BIS 371 Twentieth Century American Literature
BIS 377 British Literature and the Gothic Novel
BIS 378 Languages of Poetry
BIS 379 American Ethnic Literatures
BIS 382 The Visual Art of Biology
BIS 387 Women and American Literature
BIS 388 Literature in Translation
BIS 389 American Indian Literature
BIS 407 Children’s Literature and Reader Response Criticism
BIS 471 Women in Art
BISIA 230 Performing Arts Techniques
BISIA 240 Visual and Media Arts Techniques
BISIA 250 Photography as Art
BISIA 283 Interdisciplinary Art Techniques
BISIA 319 Interdisciplinary Arts
BISIA 340 Visual and Media Arts Workshop
BISIA 344 Video Art
BISIA 350 Photography and Digital Art
BISIA 383 Interdisciplinary Arts Workshop
BISIA 450 Image and Imagination
BISIA 483 Advanced Interdisciplinary Arts Workshop
BISIA 484 Arts Learning in the Community

Culture, Historical, and Societal Studies

BIS 163 The Lives of Objects
BIS 165 Introduction to Ethnic Studies
BIS 183 Introduction to the Middle East
BIS 193 Introduction to Philosophy
BIS 205 Technologies of Expression
BIS 216 Introduction to Cultural Studies
BIS 219 The Politics of Sex Education
BIS 224 Introduction to Feminist Studies
BIS 227 Rad Women in the Global South
BIS 233 Social Media in Context
BIS 234 Media, Culture, and Capitalism
BIS 235 Critical Media Studies
BIS 236 Introduction to Interactive Media
BIS 238 Language, Identity, Culture and Power
BIS 252 Politics of Science
BIS 255 Critical Diversity Studies
BIS 256 Introduction to African American Studies
BIS 257 Introduction to Asian American Studies
BIS 258 Introduction to US Latina/Latino Studies
BIS 266 United States History to 1865
BIS 267 United States History from 1865
BIS 268 World History to 1500
BIS 269 World History after 1500
BIS 282 Introduction to Globalization
BIS 310 Women, Culture and Development
BIS 313 Issues in Media Studies
BIS 317 Language, Society and Cultural Knowledge
BIS 319 Public Arts and Ecological Restoration
BIS 322 Topics in Performance Studies
BIS 326 Race, Space, and Segregation
BIS 329 Topics in Mathematics Across the Curriculum
BIS 335 Human Rights in America
BIS 336 History of Mass Incarceration in the US
BIS 339 Issues in Global Cultural Studies
BIS 340 Approaches to Cultural Research
BIS 341 Topics in the Study of Culture
BIS 351 Topics in American Culture
BIS 354 Modern European Intellectual History
BIS 356 Ethics and the Environment
BIS 365 Institutions and Social Change
BIS 367 Ethics and Society
BIS 369 Indigenous Psychology and Health
BIS 372 Representation, Colonialism, and the Tropical World
BIS 431 Issues in Sexual Politics and Cultures
BIS 440 Topics in Everyday Social and Cultural Life
BIS 450 Performance and Healing
BIS 455 Literature and Sexuality
BIS 462 The Culture of the Cold War in America
BIS 464 Topics in Advanced Cinema Studies
BIS 470 Art, Politics, and Social Change
BIS 474 Topics in European Cultural History
BIS 480 International Study Abroad
BIS 485 Topics in Cultural Studies
BIS 486 Studies in Women and Literature
BIS 487 Topics in American Literature
BIS 488 Topics in British Literature
BIS 491 Topics in Policy Studies
BISAES 364 Public Memory and Dissent in American Culture
BISAES 367 Exploring American Culture: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
BISAES 369 American Culture and Mass Media
BISGWS 303 Approaches to Feminist Inquiry
BISMCS 234 Media and Communication Techniques
BISMCS 333 Media and Communication Studies
BISMCS 343 Media Production Workshop
BISMCS 471 Advanced Topics in Media and Communication
BISMCS 472 Advanced Media Production Workshop
BISPSY 348 Cultural Psychology