School of Cultural & Critical Studies
The School of Cultural and Critical Studies (CCS) includes four interdisciplinary units with distinct but complementary missions: the American Culture Studies Program, the Department of Ethnic Studies, the Department of Popular Culture, and the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. These units share a multidisciplinary approach, eclectic methodologies, a commitment to critical thinking and engagement, and an emphasis on how differences -- cultural, national, economic, racial, sexual, etc. -- are constructed and expressed.
Our undergraduate students engage in a dynamic core curriculum that includes service-learning, training in qualitative research, and a senior capstone project.
Graduate students in the School of Cultural and Critical Studies participate in a lively intellectual community. We offer a PhD or MA in American Culture Studies, an MA in Popular Culture, and graduate certificates in Ethnic Studies, Public History, and Women’s Studies.
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Alumni Spotlight
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News and Stories
Dr. Rainey-Smithback to serve as WGSS Interim Director
Welcome to Dr. Sarah Rainey-Smithback, the interim director of the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program in the School of Cultural and Critical Studies (CCS) here at Bowling Green State University.
Dr. Rainey-Smithback served in the School as the Director of Undergraduate Studies from 2011-2018.
Rainey-Smithback is an Associate Professor of both undergraduate and graduate courses in the WGSS program and CCS. In her research she works at the intersections of feminist and queer theory, gender, disability, popular culture, sexual identity, and pedagogy. She will also serve as the Women's Studies Graduate Certificate Program Advisor.
A special thanks to the previous Director, Dr. Sandra Faulkner for her years of service in this position.
Beka Patterson- Best of A&S Award
During it's fall semester breakfast for staff members in the College of Arts and Sciences, the newly created Arts and Sciences Staff Council awarded it's first annual staff awards. With Dean Craig's approval, the Staff Council created four awards that provided the opportunity for individual employees to be recognized for their demonstration of outstanding commitment to BGSU. The awards included: the Best of Arts and Sciences Award, the Mentorship Award, the Problem Solver/Innovative Thinker Award, and the Rising Star Award. The Best of Arts and Sciences and the Rising Star Award would be awarded to one Administrative and one Classified Staff member, while the Mentorship and Problem Solver Awards were a single award. Kelly Stewart, Biological Sciences, and Rebekah Patterson, School of Cultural & Critical Studies, were both awarded the Best of Arts and Sciences Award for their exemplary work to the BGSU community. Read More