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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News and Stories
Donahue Honored by Ohio Senate
Dr. Matthew Donahue was surprised recently when, upon returning to campus from a research trip, he opened his mail and found a proclamation from the Ohio Senate commending him “for remarkable attainment” on a recent project. Donahue, a lecturer in popular culture in the School of Cultural and Critical Studies, said he was astounded to learn that the legislature, thanks to Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R., 2nd District), had recognized him for his documentary “The Amsterdam T-Shirt Project.” An icon of popular culture, the T-shirt has been used since the late 1950s almost as a “removable tattoo” to express oneself, Donahue said, and has also turned into a huge industry, especially in the travel sector. He found that Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, is particularly known for producing commemorative T-shirts. He received a travel grant from the Popular Culture Association to explore and document the phenomenon, including Amsterdam artists, vendors and T-shirt shop owners. The resulting film placed in the top four among American independent filmmakers in the 2019 Travel Video Awards sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters. Among those involved in the making of the documentary were BGSU alumni Joshua Lightle and Walter McKeever. Donahue wrote the music for the film, which was performed by guitarist Skip McDonald, a frequent collaborator. Donahue plans to continue his explorations of the unique popular culture of Amsterdam.
Wallach Invited to Speak on Continued Relevance of Recording Studios
In today’s world of technology-infused artistic production, music can be made and recorded without the musicians ever being in the same room. However, there is undeniably an ineffable something that happens when they are together that cannot be achieved separately, according to Dr. Jeremy Wallach, a Bowling Green State University professor of popular culture and expert on popular music and globalization. Wallach was invited to discuss this phenomenon recently in Venice, Italy, at the annual “Music and Musicology in the 21st Century” conference of the Giorgio Cini Intercultural Institute of Comparative Music Studies, a humanities research foundation. This year’s focus was “Ethnography of Recording Studios.” Read More