Social & Cultural Studies
The social and cultural studies concentration explores the relationships among social relations, cultural practice, and economic, historical, and political contexts.
With similar coursework to a cultural studies degree, this Babson concentration provides you with a better sense of how to read and interpret the meanings of historical documents, literary works, pop culture texts, and various forms of visual, aural, and material culture. Comparative cultural studies courses draw on insights from an array of disciplines to examine the constructed meanings and practices of everyday life.
Where the Social & Cultural Studies Concentration Will Take You
Classes in media and cultural studies emphasize interdisciplinary, multicultural, and multimedia approaches to learning about dynamic cultural, historical, and social interactions. You will become more aware and sensitive to ways identity and cultural assumptions are constructed by race, gender, sexuality, age, national identity, religion, and ethnicity.
These skills and mindset learned in your cultural studies courses lend themselves well to any career in business, nurturing empathy and promoting successful communication whether you are an entrepreneur, team leader, or team member.
What You Will Study in Your Social & Cultural Studies Courses
To complete their coursework, students take four cultural studies courses from at least two separate disciplines, which include history, foreign language studies (Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish), expressive culture (literature, visual arts, music), and cultural studies.
Our concentrations are designed to help you specialize or explore options within our bachelor's in business administration degree, but the courses offered are comparable to what’s offered in a cultural studies major program, as well as a bachelor’s of cultural studies.
The following courses are a sample of the types of social and cultural studies courses you may take and not the official course listing. For more information on the social and cultural studies concentration requirements, please visit the undergraduate catalog.
Race and racial injustice and Indigenous people's claims and experience of marginalization shape political, social, economic, and cultural life. This course seeks to raise questions about the history of race as a social and political construct. Learn about topics such as whiteness as a political identity, the Black radical tradition, the model-minority myth, racial capitalism, intersectionality, queer theory, and many others.
Discover how musical genres transcend global barriers—and also what gets lost in translation in this course that explores how societal forces like colonization and technology play a role in the development, appreciation, and business of music. This is a broad topic, which covers how music addresses concerns of authenticity, hybridity, cultural imperialism, nationalism, personal identity, censorship, political protest, ownership, and appropriation. Ultimately, you leave class with a deeper understanding of what music means and the role it plays in your life.
Analyzing the characteristic volatility of Latin America’s business environment, the course provides an in-depth examination of the workings of Latin America's economies, which in combination with courses in the liberal arts, leads to a greater appreciation of this region's global distinction and diversity. You will cover both theoretical and policy issues in development.
Explore how Malaysians and Thais think about “social responsibility” and how they achieve it, as well as how approaches to business ethics in our own countries differ from Malaysians’ and Thais’. This course focuses on three Asian faiths and cultural traditions—Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism, and you will visit three socially responsible companies, each representing, respectively, an approach to social responsibility consistent with one of those three traditions, learning about their influence on business ethics.
Explore more social and cultural studies courses
You Will Learn From the Best
At Babson, our faculty are experts, innovators, and scholars in their chosen fields. Here are just some professors sharing their expertise and support with our students in the social and cultural studies program.
Have Questions?
Faculty Contact: Sandra Graham
Sponsoring Divisions: Arts & Humanities and History & Society
