Academic Programs
The Institute of Arts and Humanities emphasizes the value of interdisciplinary thinking in addressing the needs of a complex world. We house programs in regional, ethnic, and thematic studies. Our programs equip students to analyze and speak about the past, present, and future with creativity and insight.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies (AAPI)
Minor
The Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Program is intended for students with various academic interests and career goals. Its curriculum focuses on the complex social, cultural, political, literary, artistic, and historical aspects of Asian American and Pacific Islander life.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Amanda Soloman Amorao
Program Coordinator: Kumi Obayashi-Ward
Email: aapi@ucsd.edu
Black Diaspora and African American Studies
Major/Minor
The African American Studies Program examines Black life in the United States through interdisciplinary, Diasporic frameworks. This approach provides students with robust analytical skills to examine the ways in which African Americans' multifaceted realities and powerful legacies have shaped and continue to evolve within the current national and international contexts.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Dennis Childs
Program Coordinator: Sheriyan Bradford
Email: bdaas@ucsd.edu
Chicanx and Latinx Studies (CLS)
Minor
The Chicanx and Latinx Studies Program provides a broad introduction to the histories and cultures of Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. Students of the CLS program will gain a deeper understanding of Chicanx and Latinx history and culture, a unique sightline to the construction of race, ethnicity, and cultural difference, a compelling introduction to pressing contemporary debates on immigration, citizenship, and the border, and an opportunity to strengthen writing, critical thinking, and comprehension skills.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Luis Alvarez
Program Coordinator: Cristina Guerrero
Email: cls@ucsd.edu
Chinese Studies
Major/Minor
Chinese Studies at UC San Diego is an interdisciplinary program that fosters an understanding of China with an emphasis on contemporary and historical research. Students in the Chinese Studies Program will acquire linguistic, cultural, political, historical and artistic knowledge of China that will provide them with valuable life skills and help them succeed in their future careers. By coordinating with different departments across the university, students are able to see and learn about China from a variety of perspectives.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Sarah Schneewind
Program Coordinator: Cristina Guerrero
Email: chinesestudies@ucsd.edu
Cinematic Arts and Film Studies
Major/Minor
The Cinematic Arts major is defined by its interdisciplinarity, bridging both film-studies and film practice pedagogy. Cinematic Arts brings together theory and practice, teaching students both the theoretical/critical approaches to film, but also practical techniques in film production. The Film Studies minor educates students in a conventional Humanities context, where students learn to critically analyze film and engage with a broad literature of film history and theory.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: TBD
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: filmstudies@ucsd.edu
Classical Studies
Major/Minor
The Classical Studies Program is concerned with the cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome - roughly from the time of Homer to the time of St. Augustine - in all their aspects. This program thus offers undergraduates an opportunity to study the cultures of Greece and Rome through the combined resources of the Departments of History, Literature, Visual Arts, Theater and Dance, and Philosophy. The study of Ancient Greek and Latin languages themselves serves as the starting point for the broader consideration of specific texts in their literary, intellectual, and historical context.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Co-Directors: Mira Balberg and Matthew Herbst
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: caesar@ucsd.edu
European Studies
Minor
European Studies is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the politics, culture, economy, society, and history of Europe, and on Europe's place in the world. Students who minor in European Studies are able to design their coursework to focus on their own interests by drawing from multiple disciplines including communications, economics, history, political science, literature, sociology, philosophy, the arts and more.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Frank Biess and Ulrike Strasser
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: caesar@ucsd.edu
German Studies
Major/Minor
German Studies is an interdisciplinary program that offers both a major and a minor for students with broad academic interests in the German-speaking world. Students may design individual plans of study from the many core courses offered in the Departments of History, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and Theatre and Dance.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Frank Biess and Ulrike Strasser
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: caesar@ucsd.edu
Global South Studies (Previously Third World Studies)
Major/Minor
Global South Studies provides an understanding of the changing economies and politics of the global south and its relationship to the west. Students will be able to enhance their critical thinking and writing skills through this interdisciplinary program. The Global South Studies Program draws on courses available through various Departments including Anthropology, Communication, Ethnic Studies, History, Literature, Political Science, and Sociology.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Matthew Vitz
Program Coordinator: Cristina Guerrero
Email: globalsouth@ucsd.edu
Italian Studies
Major/Minor
Italian Studies is an interdisciplinary program in the language, literature, history, music, theatre and art of Italy. This program offers students the opportunity to design a major or minor around course offerings from the Department of History, Literature, Music, Theatre and Dance, and Visual Arts.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Frank Biess and Ulrike Strasser
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: caesar@ucsd.edu
Japanese Studies
Major/Minor
The Japanese Studies Program coordinates a variety of campus offerings dealing with the language, history, culture, and political economy of Japan. The program is especially strong in the area of modern and contemporary Japan. Students in the Japanese Studies Program will acquire linguistic, cultural, political, historical, and artistic knowledge of Japan that will provide them with valuable life skills and help them succeed in their future careers.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Christena Turner
Program Coordinator: Kumi Obayashi-Ward
Email: japan@ucsd.edu
Jewish Studies
Major/Minor
Jewish Studies is an interdisciplinary program offering courses, a major, and two minors. Courses are offered in the Departments of Anthropology, Communication, History, Literature, Music, Political Science, Philosophy, and Sociology. Students study Jewish history, languages, and culture in detail, from their biblical roots through the modern era. With their emphasis on critical analysis and writing, courses prepare students for careers in teaching, law, public policy, or any other field that values clear thought and expression.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Allan Havis
Program Coordinator: Cristina Guerrero
Email: jewishstudies@ucsd.edu
Middle East Studies
Minor
The Middle East Studies Program offers students an interdisciplinary minor aimed at a comparative study of the Middle East (including North Africa). The minor curriculum's "Core Courses" emphasize the study of the Middle East since the emergence of Islam, while "Supporting Courses" may include further study of the ancient, medieval, or modern Middle East, or a three-quarter sequence of a Middle Eastern language.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Babak Rahimi
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: caesar@ucsd.edu
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Major/Minor
Russian, East European, and Eurasian (REEES) is an interdisciplinary program that provides a broad range of courses in the history, language, literature, and social and political life of Russia (before, during, and after the Soviet period). This program is designed for students who do not wish to restrict their Russian Studies to literature.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Amelia Glaser
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: caesar@ucsd.edu
Transnational Korean Studies
Minor
Transnational Korean Studies is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to explore and deepen their interest in and knowledge of Korea. This program places special emphasis on modern Korea as a transnational formation, exploring how Korea has been shaped and constructed under changing historical circumstances and in relation to other nation-states, empires, and their histories and cultures.
Mailcode: 0113
Address: Arts and Humanities Building, 6th Floor
Program Director: Jin-kyung Lee
Program Coordinator: Jennifer Dieli
Email: koreanstudies@ucsd.edu