Why Cultural Studies?


The Master of Arts in Cultural Studies at the University of Washington Bothell provides opportunities to analyze and transform cultural practices across diverse disciplines and sectors.  The Cultural Studies program focuses on applied learning, allowing students and faculty members to link theory and practice as they develop new understandings of culture as both a field of inquiry and a means of engagement.


Graduates of the Cultural Studies program are equipped to:

  • Identify, analyze, and address the specific structural location of cultural issues and debates, and propose creative and effective interventions;
  • Recognize, critically address, and collaboratively negotiate cultural diversity and difference in a variety of educational and institutional sites;
  • Move effectively from project conception to project execution through the use of both critical and immersive techniques that engage specific publics;
  • Create a dynamic portfolio of work that provides the opportunity for reflection and showcases examples of research and collaboration;
  • Engage in professional positions as researchers, educators, activists, artists, and problem-solvers in a variety of cultural and organizational arenas.

What is Cultural Studies?