April 2026 Update: Beginning in Fall 2026, the Comparative Cultures & Politics (CCP) major will be renamed Politics, Rights, & Culture. This change reflects the evolution of the field and better represents the intellectual scope of the program, the expertise of its faculty, and the knowledge students develop through their coursework. The new name also aligns more closely with professional and market expectations for graduates. No changes have been made to the curriculum or degree requirements.
Implications for current students: Students graduating in Spring or Summer 2026 will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Cultures and Politics. Beginning in Fall 2026, all students in the major will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Rights, & Culture. If you have questions about how this transition applies to your academic plan, please contact your academic advisor.
Politics, Rights, & Culture (PRC) is a major that studies how culture and politics intersect in global, transnational and national public affairs. PRC’s interdisciplinary approach combines the humanities and social sciences to give students the skills they need to understand and address global public affairs.
This major provides students with tools to better understand diverse cultural perspectives around the world, explore how culture shapes power relations, and how political and economic dynamics impact culture. The comparative and transnational focus encourages students to learn about other cultures and political systems, to reflect back on their own societies, and to discover how they want to position themselves as globally engaged citizens.
View Courses & Degree Requirements
Courses are anchored in contemporary issues relevant to global public affairs. Our courses examine such issues as:
This major offers a sophomore sequence of courses introducing the study of culture and politics in comparative and transnational perspective, as well as electives in relevant subject areas and a capstone seminar. The major’s related area requirement gives students the opportunity to gain expertise in areas or peoples outside of the United States and allows them to develop comparative and international perspectives valued by public and private employers. Students gain knowledge that is critical for understanding the impact of politics and policies on people’s lives, for envisioning new possibilities for global interactions, and for developing practical responses to social injustice, inequality, and conflict.
Graduates go on to pursue careers in the U.S. government, the private sector, social and popular media, cultural organizations, and non-profit organizations. They also pursue a wide range of graduate and professional degrees, including law, education, non-profit administration, public policy, public health, communication, cultural studies, environmental studies, media studies, anthropology, social work, and business.
MC331 Encounters with Post-Communism
MC333 Performance, Politics, and Nation
MC334 Rights, Advocacy, and Activism
MC337 Global Public Health
MC369 Global Issues in Citizenship