The program provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the world's cultural traditions. In each course a central theme is examined chronologically in representative societies.
Every class is team-taught by faculty from various disciplines.
The courses offer a comparative approach to the development of world cultures. Interactions between societies and the role played by various social groups in the creation of each civilization are emphasized. The program imparts basic knowledge of the cultures that have flourished on the planet, while fostering an awareness of the past and of its impact on the present. It proceeds from the conviction that all parts of the university and all parts of the globe can speak to the same fundamental issues. Relationships of societies to the places that they inhabit as revealed in myths of origin, visions of the afterlife, images of nature, and attitudes toward various habitats.