Cultures and Movements - Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, and History

Overview

Culture and movements are two interdependent areas of inquiry studied across the social sciences that have implications for understanding contemporary public discourse, policy debates, and current events. Culture refers to the ways people act and interact, the material objects that shape their lives, the social and political organizations that shape social action, and how these change over time. Nearly every human action is shaped in some way by the cultural context in which it is embedded. Movements refer to the interactions and dynamics of practices, values, beliefs, economic systems and institutions over time and include—but are not limited to—social, political, and economic changes that reflect where a society has been and that shape where it may go in the future. 

Cultural perspectives are uniquely positioned to shed light on movements by providing insight into how movements are shaped—and how they shape—the broader society in which they occur. Cultural perspectives also contribute to understanding movements by clarifying the internal functioning of the social organizations that create and are changed by movements.

The Cultures and Movements - Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, and History major is offered by Duke Kunshan University.

Opportunities 

This major has three tracks, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, and History, each of which provides students the opportunities for academic study and applied research and practice. Theoretical approaches include individual-centered, pragmatist, structuralism, cognitive, and political orientations. Methodological approaches incorporate ethnographic, survey research, network analysis, computational, and other approaches. By their senior year, students will have the skills to read cutting-edge research in this interdisciplinary field and will be equipped to compete for jobs with policy organizations, corporations, NGOs, and other top employers. They will also be well-prepared to apply to graduate programs in the social sciences, public policy, history, and management.