Hemispheric & Transnational Studies engages in the comparative analysis of culture and history in the Americas to explore how scholarship on the Atlantic, borderlands, and diaspora has reshaped American Studies, Caribbean Studies, and Latin American Studies, emphasizing the topics of empire, race, and revolution.

One of the intellectual aims of Hemispheric Studies is to explore how the “transnational turn” in the academy sets new agendas for scholarship. Students explore how scholarship on the Atlantic, borderlands, and diaspora have reshaped U.S. American Studies, Caribbean Studies, and Latin American Studies. Requirements for the concentration are dictated according to the department/program in which the student is enrolled.

The Hemispheric and Transnational Studies concentration is available to students in the Applied Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, English, History, and Religion programs. The concentration is awarded in conjunction with the MA or PhD and is noted on the transcript as an additional area of qualification.

SCHOOL AT A GLANCE

The School of Arts & Humanities lets you tailor your program to target your specific interests. You’ll conduct research across disciplines to approach problems in new ways, all in an intimate, collegial learning environment where faculty-mentors offer you personal attention, and opportunities for collaborative, interdisciplinary scholarship abound.

Interdisciplinary Concentrations

This interdisciplinary concentration is available for students pursuing the following degree programs:

Featured Courses

ENG 467
U.S. Latino/a/x Literature & Culture

Takes an interdisciplinary approach to Latin/x literature and cultural production, exploring key themes such as hybrid identities, U.S. imperialism, and the Latinization of urban America.

CLST 308
Comparative Cultural Studies Traditions: Latin American & the U.S.

Explores foundational theories of Cultural Studies as practiced in the United States based on English origins, Latin American and Latino/a influence, Marxist theory, and cultural materialism.

CLST 462
Black Diaspora Cultural Studies

Analyzes black diasporic cultural production and socio-political theory from the nineteenth century to the present in the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States.

CLST 489
Remembering Trauma: Museums, Memorials & Commemoration

Examines the role that museums and memorials have played in shaping the general process of coming to terms with past acts of state-sponsored violence, war, and genocide.

ENG 323
Harlem Renaissance & Literature of the Americas

Explores the writings of the Harlem Renaissance as intimately connected to a broader literature of the Americas, examining meanings of race, gender, and nationalism in the early 20th century.

ENG 456
Hemispheric Americas Studies

Examines the literature and culture of the Americas from the 19th century to the present, focusing on nation, race, empire, and violence.

Program Requirements

Master of Arts
• 16 units in seminars designated as hemispheric or transnational in scope
• A capstone/final paper (in Cultural Studies only) on hemispheric or transnational literatures or cultural theories
• One language requirement in Spanish, French, Portuguese, or Creole. (Other languages may be considered by request.) The language requirement serves as a Research Tool for Cultural Studies.

PhD
Same as MA, with the added requirement of either a major or minor qualifying field examination in Hemispheric Studies, determined in consultation with the advisor.

Note: in some cases, fulfilling the requirements of this concentration as well as the core requirements for the student’s degree may involve additional units or Research Tools. Students should always consult with an academic advisor before adding a concentration to their degree program.

Faculty & Research

  • David Luis-Brown profile image

    David Luis-Brown

    Associate Professor of Cultural Studies and English
    Chair, Cultural Studies Department

    Research Interests

    Hemispheric Americas studies, Latino/a/x studies, Black diaspora studies, American literature and culture

  • Eve Oishi profile image

    Eve Oishi

    Associate Professor of Cultural Studies

    Research Interests

    Cultural studies, Media studies, Feminist and queer theory, Asian American studies

  • Eric Bulson profile image

    Eric Bulson

    Andrew W. Mellon All-Claremont Chair in the Humanities
    Professor of English
    Chair, English Department

    Programs

    English

    Research Interests

    James Joyce, Modernism, Critical theory, Media studies, World literature, Visual storytelling, British and Anglophone literature (1850–2000)

  • Lori Anne Ferrell profile image

    Lori Anne Ferrell

    Dean, School of Arts & Humanities
    Director, Early Modern Studies Program
    Director, Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards

    Research Interests

    English Renaissance and Reformation Literature; Early Modern British and European History; Reformation Studies, Protestantism, the Bible and English-language Culture; the Bible in America; William Shakespeare

  • Wendy Martin profile image

    Wendy Martin

    Professor of American Literature and American Studies

    Research Interests

    American literature and culture, American poetry, American studies, Women’s studies, Death and Dying in American Literature and Culture; Jazz in American Culture

  • Joshua Goode profile image

    Joshua Goode

    Associate Professor of Cultural Studies and History
    Chair, Cultural Studies (Fall 2022)

    Research Interests

    Modern Spain, 19th- and 20th-century Europe, Genocide and racial thought, Museums and commemoration, Memory

  • Daniel Ramírez profile image

    Daniel Ramírez

    Associate Professor of Religion

    Research Interests

    American religious history; Latin American religious history; Religion, migration, and transnationalism; Religion in borderlands; Contemporary theories of religion

  • JoAnna Poblete profile image

    JoAnna Poblete

    Professor of History
    John D. and Lillian Maguire Distinguished Professor in the Humanities
    Chair, History Department

    Research Interests

    Colonialism and empire, unincorporated territories, migration and labor, comparative ethnic studies, Asian-American and Pacific Islander studies, 20th-century United States, indigenous issues, environmental history, oral history, U.S. expansionism

Request information about the Hemispheric & Transnational Studies program

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Jill Steggall

Assistant Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-1186
E: jill.steggall2@cgu.edu