Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies
Franklin University Switzerland
Key Information
Campus location
Sorengo, Switzerland
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
CHF 25,800 / per year **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
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* regular freshman, transfer and study abroad admissions
** annual tuition fee for Swiss/EU/EEA Citizens; $45.700 annual tuition fee for US Nationals / Permanent Residents and Canadian Nationals; CHF 49,900 annual tuition fee for other nationalities
Introduction
Get an interdisciplinary look at culture in multiple contexts
“Pull a thread here and you’ll find it’s attached to the rest of the world.”
Nadeem Aslam, The Wasted Vigil
The Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies (C.L.C.S.) major at Franklin focuses on cultural phenomena and processes as they unfold under the pressure of historical, social and economic forces. Inherent in our approach is an understanding of culture as an ever-evolving entity that demands continuous acts of interpretation, negotiation, and creativity.
Our teaching is both theoretical and topic-based: for instance, we explore how collective memory is shaped in the wake of slavery or apartheid; we seek to understand the consequences of forced or voluntary mobility; we examine the cultural significance of cuisine; we investigate the multiple ways in which law shapes cultural processes; we explore the nexus of culture and nature, and we study forms of popular music as an expression of culture.
The comparative work we do explores each topic from a number of disciplinary angles and situates it in its historical context. In this context we ask how the topic is reflected in, and influenced by, literary texts, film, and visual culture; we investigate how new media contribute to our understanding of cultural processes and trace how broader systems of knowledge and power, such as law or policy, come to bear on them. In comparing these various modes of knowledge production, we use theory to help us appreciate cultural nuances and to understand the multiple challenges that confront us in today’s globalized world. Our program is both rigorous and flexible. We support our students in designing their own educational path, which culminates in a year-long senior thesis or an internship. In both cases, this final focus on an original piece of research, or in a specific professional arena, prepares our graduates for success in the job market.
So, what can you do with a C.L.C.S. degree? A lot, in fact: the range of careers open to our graduates includes any sector that values keen analytical abilities, synthetic thinking, and effective oral and written expression. Our alums over the past decade have built careers at NGOs, with governmental agencies, in development aid and human rights; in academia, law, business, psychology, marketing, and journalism; as editors, politicians, interpreters, teachers and foreign aid workers. Many have also gone on to graduate school to seek advanced degrees in fields as diverse as psychology, history, development aid, literature, art history, law, cultural studies, and environmental studies.
All of the courses required in the Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies (C.L.C.S.) major are topic-based and explore literature and culture from multiple perspectives. Four major elective courses are selected in consultation with the student’s major advisor (see description below). Students planning a major in C.L.C.S. should enroll in LC 100 or LC 110 prior to taking upper-division classes in the major.
Our Campus
Visit Franklin University Switzerland and see why so many students feel at home on our campus and in the Lugano community.
We welcome you and your friends and family to experience what it means to live and learn in our safe, international environment.
Dual Accreditation
Franklin University Switzerland is accredited in both the United States and Switzerland.
That means that your degree is truly international, with automatic validity in two countries, and that you have an advantage to pursuing an international career or furthering your study in the US or Switzerland. The doors opened by a Franklin education go far beyond these two countries, though, and most countries in the world will grant equivalence to a Franklin degree if you have your sights set elsewhere.
Franklin maintains this recognition through periodic quality assurance reviews by authorities from the US and Switzerland.
Admissions
Gallery
Career Opportunities
Where Our Graduates Go
Employers look for candidates with a reliable skill set, and Franklin students have it! Within a year of graduation, 95% of our students obtain full-time employment in a wide variety of sectors, as shown in the graphic. At Franklin, you’ll get the education you need and acquire the skills employers want.
Since we began in 1970, there are now over 7,000 alumni already making a difference in their hometowns, and in new, exciting locations around the globe. Let FUS help you get where you want to go.
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
At Franklin, we see financing your education as an investment and partnership among you, your family, and the University. About 70 percent of Franklin students receive financial aid in a variety of forms, such as need- and merit-based scholarships, government, and private aid and engagement incentives. Franklin offers scholarships, financial aid, and other initiatives, and various external programs are available based on citizenship and need assessment. Together we will create your financial aid package and carefully guide you through your financing options.