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Critical Identity Studies Requirements
Critical Identity Studies
The Department of Critical Identity Studies (CRIS) aims to bring normative and non-normative identities and embodied lifeways (based on races, religions, genders, sexualities, dis/abilities, nations, etc.) across space and time into critical and constructive dialogue so as to integrate theories and practices that advance the work of equity and anti-racism at the college and beyond.
Drawing on cross-disciplinary approaches to women’s and gender studies, ethnic studies, religious studies, disability studies, postcolonial studies, and more, CRIS students have ongoing opportunities to understand identity deeply, remake dominant knowledge paradigms, and practice what it means to transform themselves and their communities through self-reflection and hands-on engagement within and outside the traditional classroom.
Whether their communities are the places they call home, the various contexts of Beloit College, or the global networks they build, students will broaden their awareness of the relations that constitute self and other and enhance their ability to navigate complex systems of power within which identity formations take shape.
Courses from several different departments and programs count toward the Critical Identity Studies major and minor.
Majors
Requirements
- Critical Identity Studies 101.
- Two Critical Identity Studies Blocks from the list in the “Blocks” section below (up to 8 units).
- At least one unit from these blocks must address methodology (to be chosen in consultation with the advisor).
- Aside from Critical Identity Studies 101, no more than 3 courses at the 100-level may apply to the major.
- Critical Identity Studies 350.
- Additional units chosen in consultation with the advisor that add up to at least 10 units in total.
- A student may double-count no more than two courses with any other major or minor except in consultation with their advisor.
- Students with a GPA 3.6 or above in courses in the major may apply in the fall of the senior year for honors. Honors are awarded based on the development and public presentation of an outstanding senior project that builds or transforms community.
Minors
Requirements
- Critical Identity Studies 101.
- One Critical Identity Studies Block from the list in the “Blocks” section below (4 units).
- At least one unit from the selected block must address methodology (to be chosen in consultation with the advisor).
- Aside from Critical Identity Studies 101, no more than 1 course at the 100-level may apply to the minor.
- Critical Identity Studies 350.
- A student may double-count no more than one course with any other major or minor except in consultation with their advisor.
Requirements
- Religious Studies 101
- Five additional units in RLST.
- Some of these units may be fulfilled by courses focused on religion in another discipline (e.g., HIST 225, Renewal and Reform in Early Modern Europe, and HIST 264, Piety and Heresy in the Middle Ages) or as part of study abroad.
- A maximum of one unit may be fulfilled by a course not primarily focused on religion, as long as the student does substantial work on a topic related to the study of lifeways seen as religious for the course. This option requires the approval of a religious studies advisor prior to the completion of the course.
More information
Learn more about the Religious Studies Minor at Beloit College
Cross-disciplinary Blocks
Students who complete the Bodies block will be able to analyze how bodily practices intersect with knowledge systems, as well as articulate the ways in which bodies are shaped by and transgress structures of power and oppression.
Four units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
- CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives
2. Bodies in function (take at least one unit):
- ANTH 120. The Human Animal
- ANTH 225. Mortuary Archeology
- ANTH 230. Fundamentals of Human Osteology
- BIOL 110. Human Biology
- BIOL 111. Zoology
- BIOL 121. Botany
- BIOL 152. Aquatic Biology
- BIOL 256. Anatomy
- COGS 241. Minds, Brains, and Bodies
- GLAM 215. Ancient Medicine
- HEAL 252. Women’s Health
- PHIL 221. Biomedical Ethics
- SOCI 275.Health, Medical Care, & Society
- Relevant topics courses.
3. Bodies in culture (take at least one unit):
- ANTH 253. Queer Ethnography
- ANTH 308. Bodies
- CRIS 255. Maladies of Empire
- PSYC 225. Psychology of Women
- RLST 311. Curative Communities
- RLST 315. Enlightened Bodies
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- ANTH 375. Archaeology of Animal Companions
- COGS 205. Cyborg Brains and Hybrid Minds
- CRIS 265. Bodies and Care
4. Bodies in motion (take at least one unit):
- ART 135. Figure Drawing
- HEAL 110. Myofascial Conditioning and Wellness
- PART 100. Improvisation for Theatre
- PART 106. Fundamentals of Acting
- PART 113. Modern Dance 1
- PART 180. Movement Improvisation
- PART 213. Modern Dance 2
- PART 215. Ballet 2
- PART 313. Modern Dance 3
- PART 315. Ballet 3
- PERC 104. Introduction to Weight Training
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- HEAL 280. Pilates
- PART 200. Hip Hop Dance
Students who complete the Colonialism and Decoloniality will be able to articulate how global structures of power depend upon and reproduce interdependent and transformative forms of knowledge production, as well as identify and practice alternatives to colonial structures and norms.
Four units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
- CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives
2. History and culture (at least one unit):
- HIST 250. Modern African History
- HIST 268. Europe and the Modern World
- PART 150. Performing Arts Historiography
- PART 219. Fakes, Forgeries, and Keepin’ It Real?
- PART 310. History of Fashion
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- ENGL 263. Colonial/Postcolonial Literatures in English
- HIST 150. Colonialism
- HIST 310. History Beyond Borders
3. Forms of knowledge and power (at least one unit):
- PHIL 275. Africana Philosophy
- POLS 160.International Politics
- POLS 210. Sustainable Cities
- POLS 265. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
- POLS 272. Politics of Latin America & the Caribbean
- RLST 206. Decolonizing the Anthropology of Religion
- RLST 309. Secularism and the Colonial Project
- RLST 315. Enlightened Bodies
- Relevant topics courses.
Students who complete the Criminal Justice and the Carceral State block will be able to identify the social norms and values that shape notions of criminality, as well as analyze the variable impact of the carceral state on different bodies and communities.
Four units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory courses (two units):
- SOCI 100. Introduction to Sociology
- One unit from (as appropriate for course choices below):
- POLS 110. U.S. Federal Government and Politics
- POLS 180. Introduction to Political Thinking
2. Theories of justice/criminality (at least one unit):
- PHIL 243. Theories of Law and Justice
- POLS 180. Introduction to Political Thinking
- POLS 280. Classical Justice
- Relevant topics courses
3. Carceral institutions and social structures (at least one unit):
- POLS 211. Poverty, Punishment, and State Control
- POLS 214. Race and Ethnicity in America
- POLS 237. International Law and Organization: European Union
- POLS 262. Human Rights Seminar
- SOCI 205. Social Statistics
- SOCI 256. Criminal Justice
- SOCI 261. Social Deviance: Issues of Freedom and Control
- SOCI 281. The Sociology of Law
- Relevant topics courses.
For a minor in Criminal Justice and the Carceral State, select two additional courses from the above lists (in consultation with an advisor) for a total of six.
For a cross-disciplinary self-designed major, students should consider combining three or four of the following five blocks, or supplementing two of these blocks with a disciplinary minor in a related area of study:
Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Biology
Forensic Chemistry
Criminal Justice and the Carceral State
Genocide, Mass Violence, and Human Rights
Students who complete the Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Education, Identity, and the Life Cycle block will be able to analyze how different pedagogical goals and approaches contribute to identity formation at the K–12 level globally, as well as advance social change through pedagogical innovation.
Four units total from the following list:
- EDYS 102. Historical and Philosophical Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
- EDYS 151. Psychological Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
- EDYS 164. Socio-Cultural Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
- EDYS 201. Comparative and International Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
- HEAL 252. Women’s Health
- PSYC 225. Psychology of Women
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- EDYS 276. [Topics vary]
Students who complete a Genocide, Mass Violence, and Human Rights block will gain a foundation in the political and historical circumstances that have led to genocidal violence, while also exploring the ethical frameworks and empathetic skills necessary for understanding and addressing situations in which genocidal atrocities have been committed. These skills and perspectives help to prepare students to document past and current atrocities, and to work with survivors, including refugee communities.
Four units total from the following lists:
- Historical contexts (at least one unit):
- CRIS 255. Maladies of Empire
- HIST 150. Nazi Germany: History and Film
- HIST 150. Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Colonialism
- HIST 250. Modern African History
- RLST 301. Lifeways of Resistance in the Black Atlantic
- Relevant topics courses
- Sociopolitical Approaches (at least one unit):
- POLS 160. International Politics (when content is appropriate)
- POLS 262. Human Rights Seminar
- POLS 263. Politics of Mass Atrocities
- POLS 265. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
- SOCI 216. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
- SOCI 261. Social Deviance
- Relevant topics courses
- Theoretical and Methodological Foundations (at least one unit):
- CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives
- EDYS 276. Navigating Difficult Knowledge
- PHIL 220. Ethical Theory
- PHIL 243. Theories of Law & Justice
- POLS 264. Human Rights Advocacy
- PSYC 260. Principles of Social Psychology
- RLST 205. Radical Empathy
- SOCI 205. Social Statistics
- SOCI 211. Research Methods
- Relevant topics courses
For a minor in Genocide, Mass Violence, and Human Rights, select two additional courses from the above lists (in consultation with an advisor) for a total of six.
For a cross-disciplinary self-designed major, students should consider combining three or four of the following five blocks, or supplementing two of these blocks with a disciplinary minor in a related area of study:
- Forensic Anthropology
- Forensic Biology
- Forensic Chemistry
- Criminal Justice and the Carceral State
- Genocide, Mass Violence, and Human Rights
Students who complete the Indigenous Studies block will be able to identify how indigenous communities have grappled with colonial forces and developed decolonial strategies for ethical living, as well as articulate how indigenous lifeways envision and engage with the natural world.
Four units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
- CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives
2. Colonialism/decoloniality (at least one unit):
- RLST 206. Decolonizing the Anthropology of Religion
- RLST 309. Secularism and the Colonial Project
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- ENGL 263. Colonial/Postcolonial Literatures in English
- HIST 150. Colonialism
- HIST 310. History Beyond Borders
3. Environmental studies (at least one unit):
- PHIL 224. Environmental Ethics
- PHIL 231. Philosophy of Nature and the Environment
- POLS 210. Sustainable Cities
- POLS 255. US Environmental Law & Policy
- POLS 259. Environmental Political Theory
- SOCI 271. Sociology of the Environment
- WRIT 220. Writing the Environmental Humanities
- Relevant topics courses.
4. Indigenous communities and practices (at least one unit):
- PHIL 275. Africana Philosophy
- RLST 205. Radical Empathy
- RLST 311. Curative Communities
- RLST 330. Rethinking Race and Identity in Cuba
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- ANTH 375 Indigenizing Practice
- ANTH 375 Indigenous Values
- ANTH 375 Indigenous Curation in Practice
- ENGL 190 Introduction to Native American Literature
Students who complete the Intersecting Identities block will be able to recognize how intersecting aspects of identity contribute to inequities experienced in our everyday worlds, as well as reflect on how our positionality shapes our perceptions and actions, as well as the ways in which we are perceived and acted upon in our lives.
Four units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
- CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives; or substitute SOCI 100. Introduction to Sociology
2. Multiple identities/identity formation (at least one unit):
- EDYS 102. Historical and Philosophical Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
- EDYS 164. Socio-Cultural Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
- EDYS 201. Comparative and International Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
- PART 150. Performing Arts Historiography
- PART 219. Fakes, Forgeries, and Keepin’ It Real?
- PART 310. History of Fashion
- POLS 262. Human Rights Seminar
- POLS 263. Politics of Mass Atrocities
- POLS 265. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
- PSYC 161. Research Methods and Statistics I
- PSYC 162. Research Methods and Statistics II
- RLST 101. Religion and Reality
- RLST 301. Lifeways and Resistance in the Black Atlantic
- RLST 309. Secularism and the Colonial Project
- RLST 330. Rethinking Race and Identity in Cuba
- SOCI 205. Social Statistics
- SOCI 245. Families in Transition
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- SPAN 251/ENGL 250 Crossing Borders in Medieval & Early Modern Spanish and English Literature
- Specific aspects of identity (at least one unit):
- HEAL 252. Women’s Health
- PART 288. Performing Gender
- PSYC 225. Psychology of Women
- SOCI 225. The Sociology of Sex and Gender
- SOCI 262. Multiracial in America
- SPAN 270. Latinxs in Beloit: An Oral History Project
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- ENGL 190. Introduction to Native American Literature
- ENGL 194. Questioning Literary Traditions: Gods & Monsters
Students who complete the Queer and Trans Studies block will be able to identify the historical and theoretical foundations of queer and trans studies, as well as interpret literary and artistic works that participate in queer and trans activism.
4 units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives
2. Artistic Production and Analysis (at least one unit):
- PART 180. Movement Improvisation
- PART 280. Contact Improvisation
- PART 288. Performing Gender
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- FREN/ENGL 250 Trans before Trans
- MDST 271 Depictions of Drag in TV and Film
3. Social and Cultural Analysis (at least one unit):
- ANTH 253. Queer Ethnography
- ANTH 308. Bodies
- SOCI 225. The Sociology of Sex and Gender
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- ANTH 375 Politics of Care
Students who complete the Race and Racialization block will be able to recognize the social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural deprioritization or prioritization of different communities based on phenotype, as well as identify the construction of social structures and behavioral conditions that create and recreate racial hierarchies.
4 units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
- CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives
2. Additional coursework (at least three units):
- CRIS 255. Maladies of Empire
- CRIS 256. Speculative Activism
- ENGL 263. Colonial/Postcolonial Literatures in English
- HIST 250. Modern African History
- PHIL 275. Africana Philosophy
- POLS 211. Poverty, Punishment, and State Control
- POLS 214. Race and Ethnicity in America
- POLS 263. Politics of Mass Atrocities
- POLS 265. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
- RLST 301. Lifeways and Resistance in the Black Atlantic
- RLST 315. Enlightened Bodies
- RLST 325. Movements within the African Diaspora
- RLST 330. Rethinking Race and Identity in Cuba
- SOCI 205. Social Statistics
- SOCI 245. Families in Transition
- SOCI 262. Multiracial in America
- SOCI 267. Race, Class, and Gender in Film
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- CRIS 265. Bodies and Care
- ENGL 194. Questioning Literary Traditions: Gods & Monsters
- HIST 150. Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Colonialism
- HIST 150. Nazi Germany in History and Film
- MDST 271. African-American Cinema
Students who complete the Religious Lifeways block will be able to analyze religious phenomena with an awareness of the ethical and epistemological implications of positionality and their relationship to power structures and social identities, as well as explain (and possibly modify) their own assumptions and practices in light of the lifeways of others.
4 units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
- RLST 101. Religion and Reality
2. Additional coursework (at least three units):
- HIST 225. Renewal and Reform in Early Modern Europe
- HIST 264. Piety and Heresy in the Middle Ages
- RLST 205. Radical Empathy
- RLST 206. Decolonizing the Anthropology of Religion
- RLST 240. Worldbuilding in Buddhist Narrative
- RLST 301. Lifeways and Resistance in the Black Atlantic
- RLST 309. Secularism and the Colonial Project
- RLST 311. Curative Communities
- RLST 315. Enlightened Bodies
- RLST 325. Movements within the African Diaspora
- RLST 330. Rethinking Race and Identity in Cuba
- Relevant topics courses.
Students who complete the Sex and Gender block will be able to analyze how gender-based power, privilege, and oppression—historical, cultural, institutional—have constrained bodies and identities within a male/female binary, as well as identify forms of creative and political resistance and transformation that support ways of being beyond a male/female binary.
4 units total from the following lists:
1. Introductory course (one unit):
- CRIS 101. Making Change: Restorative Justice in Our Everyday Lives
2. Sex and gender in culture, politics, and history (at least one unit):
- ANTH 120. The Human Animal
- ANTH 253. Queer Ethnography
- ANTH 308. Bodies
- JAPN 262. Japanese Women Writers in Translation
- HEAL 252. Women’s Health
- POLS 262. Human Rights Seminar
- POLS 263. Politics of Mass Atrocities
- PSYC 225. Psychology of Women
- SOCI 205. Social Statistics
- SOCI 225. The Sociology of Sex and Gender
- SOCI 245. Families in Transition
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- FREN/ENGL 250. Trans before Trans
- MDST 271. Women Filmmakers
- SPAN 251/English 250. Crossing Borders in Medieval & Early Modern Spanish and English Literature
3. Sex and gender in media and performances (at least one unit):
- PART 288. Performing Gender
- SOCI 267. Race, Class, and Gender in Film
- Relevant topics courses such as:
- GLAM 200/ENGL 250. Ancient Drama
- ENGL 254. Jane Austen: Fiction & Film
- MDST 271. Depictions of Drag in TV and Film