Culture and Politics
Explore the intersection of culture, identity, power and global inequality in our culture and politics major.
The culture and politics (CULP) major at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service is a flexible and interdisciplinary program dedicated to the critical study of global power. Whether you have a specific area of interest or are still exploring your options, our major offers the space and resources to craft your own curriculum and make your academic journey your own.
Our students and faculty work across a wide range of disciplines and pursue bold, multimedia work that pushes the boundaries of humanities and social sciences scholarship. Within CULP, you will be exposed to pressing topics and methods in history, technology, violence, language, geography, identity, media and more. Through opportunities for original research, peer mentorship and community engagement, we create an academic and social home for each student.
Major overview
Major declaration dates
Sophomore year
- Begins: After add-drop in September
- Ends: Friday before Spring Break
Curricular dean
At a glance
- 1 foundational course
- 4 core courses (drawn from a variety of disciplines and methods)
- 5 concentration courses (organized around a self-designed research topic)
Concentrations
- Self-designed thematic concentration based on topics and questions that inspire you.
Program outcomes
As a CULP student, you will study how historical and cultural forces shape global landscapes on both local and international scales. Examining intersections between political, cultural, and social forces shaping global inequalities will help you build the critical analytical skills needed to become a thoughtful, informed leader navigating complex global challenges.
By completing the culture and politics major in your Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree, you will graduate with the skills and knowledge to:
- Evaluate cross-cultural political issues, dynamics, and practices by learning critical reading strategies and ways to assess scholarly arguments, methods, data, and rhetoric
- Recognize multiple perspectives and dimensions of cultural interactions within historical and geographic power relations, and apply critical frameworks to competing claims
- Develop analytical and ethical skills necessary for resolving conflicts in the domestic and international realm
- Understand and apply an expansive concept of culture that empowers people, organizations, and institutions as agents of change
- Address global inequality and undertake projects that facilitate social justice
Career paths
As a student majoring in culture and politics, you will develop a strong foundation in global affairs and have the flexibility to pursue various career paths. CULP alumni have excelled in international development, nonprofit leadership, journalism, academia, law, filmmaking and public office. Your studies will provide a deep understanding of the political and cultural forces at play in key global issues, preparing you to contribute thoughtfully and conscientiously in various sectors.
Academics
The culture and politics curriculum is designed to provide the rigor of focused academic study and the freedom to explore diverse themes in ways that align with your intellectual goals.
Throughout the major, you will work with faculty mentors and the curricular dean to refine your academic plan, as well as formal and informal peer networks that link students in the major. You have the opportunity to self-direct your independent research projects, including through the senior thesis capstone.
Courses
To get the most up-to-date list of courses available in the CULP program, as well as past course offerings, visit GU Experience and follow these steps:
- Go to GU Experience > registration dashboard
- Under the schedule of classes section, select browse classes
- Select term
- In the subject menu, choose culture & politics
- Scroll down and click the class search button to explore available classes
CULP allowed me to bloom as an interdisciplinary thinker. Now, I blend work in performance, politics, migration and technology. I write for scholarly journals, create presentations that advocate for migrants at international NGOs and make theater with refugees in their new homes. CULP gave me the skills to talk, write, research and present across industry and discipline lines.
Devika Ranjan (CULP)
The faculty and courses in the CULP department have taught me how to engage critically with this world, to ask questions about things that are taken for granted, to unravel threads that I am interested in, to connect local and global struggles, and to identify a single root cause behind every injustice in the world.
Fiona Naughton (CULP)
The CULP major has allowed me to bridge my interests of geopolitics with other fields, like Indigenous studies, climate science and ecofeminism. By picking my own global affairs classes—from Life on the High Seas to Women, Peace, & Security—I’ve been able to weave together a concentration of study that not only fits, but champions my academic goals.
Sreya Patri (CULP)
Faculty
Our faculty in the culture and politics program go beyond their roles as educators; they are practitioners, mediamakers, researchers, and artists. Our professors serve as dedicated mentors to each of their students in their unique academic and professional ambitions.
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Arjun Shankar
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Cynthia Schneider
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Derek Goldman
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Ian Bourland
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Jane Komori
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Jessica Roda
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Kate Chandler
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Melinda González
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Shiloh Krupar
Alumni spotlight
A CULP major prepares you for many career pathways. Our alumni include nonprofit leaders, documentary filmmakers, a U.S. Senator, professors, international development practitioners and more.
Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga) (SFS’09)
Corina Kwami (SFS’10), Public speaker, jazz singer, dancer and scholar
Racquel Gates (SFS), Associate Professor, Film and Media Studies at Columbia University
Culture and politics stories
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SFS journalist alumni tell the world’s stories
Many SFS alumni become journalists, driven by a shared call to inform. We spoke with several about their paths, lessons and lasting SFS impact.
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Joella Kiondo (SFS’25) combines cultural connection and urban planning
Joella Kiondo (SFS’25) bridges cultures, leads with purpose and aims to drive impact through urban planning.
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From comedy to academic council, Zan Haq (SFS’24) savors every opportunity at Georgetown
Zan Haq (SFS’24), a senior from Dallas, is a culture and politics major with a minor in Arabic.