The study of Culture, Literature, and Media prepares students to better understand humanity’s needs, wants, habits, dreams, and shortcomings so that they may become effective change makers and leaders in whatever occupational field they pursue. Specifically, a CLM major leaves Wesleyan prepared to communicate and empathize with people from all around the world and all walks of life, and to rhetorically and critically analyze the literature and media they produce. CLM students also develop skills in media literacy; intercultural collaboration; and written, oral, and digital communication. Courses are discussion based, and they invite students to consider the powers of language, rhetorical strategy, and visual representation in shaping experiences of place, gender, race, class, and other essential components of culture and identity. Through coursework, individual and collaborative projects, and interactions with faculty, students practice critical thinking, analytical reasoning, empathy, and creativity. Together with writing, speaking, and visual analysis skills, these attributes ensure that CLM majors are prepared for contemporary and future demands both in the workplace and as engaged, empathetic, and culturally-competent global citizens. Ultimately, CLM is a major that focuses on the study of how human beings use symbols of various types (language, sounds, images, etc.) to create and share meaning in the process of the social construction of reality.
Through their CLM coursework, students also have opportunities to focus in depth on such topics as globalization, sustainability, intersectionality, digital culture, speculative fiction, gender studies, rhetorical studies, media and film studies, and intercultural communication. Moreover, students discover various practical and theoretical approaches to critical and rhetorical analysis in our core courses, and they strengthen communication and collaborative skills through writing, speaking, and creative production. Students conclude their studies by designing a scholarly or creative project integrating their studies in CLM, and they have the opportunity to engage in internships, experiential learning, and other professional activities.
Upon completion of their work in CLM, students are able to:
- Analyze diverse cultural practices and texts through various critical perspectives;
- Demonstrate media literacy across various platforms;
- Produce original scholarly and/or creative works from an interdisciplinary perspective
Each course in the CLM major foregrounds one or two of the Student Learning Outcomes above. In addition to completing 51 hours of coursework, the major includes an integrative experience (completed as part of CLM 401: Senior Seminar in Culture, Literature, and Media). The CLM major requires completion of a core (15 hours) and either two concentrations (18 hours each) or one concentration (18 hours) plus 18 hours from other concentrations (with at least 9 hours of 300-level courses). The CLM core and concentrations are:
