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
New Book Co-Edited by Dr. Faulkner
As children and adults who love poetry know, it can be a powerful expression of emotion and opinion, evoking feelings and provoking thought in a way that straight narrative sometimes cannot. A new book co-edited by Dr. Sandra Falkner, professor of communication and director of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Bowling Green State University, and Abigail Cloud, senior lecturer in creative writing and editor-in-chief of BGSU’s Mid-American Review, presents poetry as a political and research tool as well as an artistic one. “Poetic Inquiry as Social Justice and Political Response,” published by Vernon Press as part of its Series in Literary Studies, brings together works by writers from the United States and abroad whose poetry explores the complex realities of injustice, both current and historical. Their topics range from indigenous people to life in a former slave-trading city in Nigeria to education in the U.S. to ecological concerns to women’s issues everywhere. Read More
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.