Comparative Cultural Studies

News and Events

Ethics and Normativity Seminar Series - Iris Murdoch’s Perfectionism

Friday, April 11th, Science Building - 120 - 3:00 – 5:00 pm

Spreading The Bible In Public Schools: How Texas's New Bluebonnet Reading Lessons Play Religious Favorites Thursday February 20th | 6:00 PM | Bates Law 240

University of Houston Caracol Archaeological Project members in Belize for the 2025 field season (from left to right): Nathan Womak, Cameron Castillo, Ruth Palla, Hannah Roark, Ryaan Ansari, Gabriela Saldana, Egor Anorov, and Dr. Arlen Chase

Discover Anthropology: Master’s Degree Information Session

Monday, February 3, 2025

2:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Our master’s degree in anthropology can help you transform your passion for understanding culture into meaningful research and career opportunities.

Reconstructing Carnap Webinar Series

The “Reconstructing Carnap” webinar series examines Rudolf Carnap’s philosophy in light of contemporary debates in epistemology, logical empiricism, and analytic metaphysics.

Congratulations! Ashlin Vance, Religious Studies major, has been admitted to Harvard Divinity School to pursue a Master of Theological Studies (MTS).

Congratulations! Dr. Nicholas De Genova awarded a fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) for 2024-25

Congratulations! Liberal Studies major Alyssa Green was awarded a Sumners Scholarship and nominated for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.

Congratulations! Anthropology MA student Kaira Mercer Jones wins Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award in the Social Sciences

Archaeological Field Trip Opportunity in Belize for Students

Congratulations! CCS Students Win 20% of Mellon Scholarships for 2023

Anthropology students publish their photography "Capturing Diversity in Houston’s Northside"

Photo by Micca Franco

Anthropology MA students Molly Blanchard and Melissa DeRemer presented their research at UT-Austin conference

Congratulations! Dr's Arlen and Diane Chase have published a new co-edited book, Ancient Mesoamerican Population History: Urbanism, Social Complexity, and Change

Congratulations! Dr. Nicholas De Genova recognized among the world’s top 2% most influential researchers

Dr. Diane Chase reflects on lessons of ancient Mayan civilization

Congratulations! Dr. Rachel Afi Quinn has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) faculty fellowship for 2023-2024.

Liberal Studies lecturer Dr. Robert Tierney interviewed for CLASS podcast "Humanity Matters Most"

Dr. Dinah Hannaford interviewed on 2 podcasts about her new book, Aid and the Help

Congratulations! Dr. Sravana Borkataky-Varma has published a new co-edited volume on Living Folk Religions

Congratulations! Dr's. Sravana Borkataky-Varma & Christian Eberhart have published a co-edited volume on Religious Responses to Pandemics and Crises

Congratulations! Dr. Christian Eberhart has published a co-edited volume on ancient religious ideas of Covenant

Congratulations! Dr. Debarati Sen's book Everyday Sustainability awarded funding for open access

Congratulations! Dr. Dinah Hannaford has published a co-edited book, Opting Out: Women Messing with Marriage around the World

Congratulations! Dr. Nicholas De Genova recognized with CLASS Distinguished Faculty Award

Ethics & Normativity Seminar: “Democracy and Poverty: Hegel on the Importance of the Welfare State”

Christian Emden, Professor of German Intellectual History & Political Thought, Rice University; Friday, Mar. 29, 1-3pm (Old Science Building, Room S102)

Ethics & Normativity Seminar: "Fichte on the Civic Duty to Work"

Political Science Professor Jeffrey Church; Friday, Feb. 23, 1:00-3:00 (Agnes Arnold, Rm. 210)

Ethics and Normativity Seminar: Hegel’s Externalist Epistemology of Empirical Knowledge

Honors College lecturer, Andrew Werner; Friday, Dec. 1, 3-5 pm (Old Science, Rm. S102)

"How Mindfulness Can Help Students Achieve Academic Excellence and Improve Well-being"

Religious Studies lecturer, Dr. Thich Hang Dat; Wednesday, October 25, 10 - 11:15 am

Ethics and Normativity Seminar: "Retribution and Dignity"

Liberal Studies lecturer, Dr. Robert Tierney; Tuesday, October 24 (3-5 pm)

CCS Symposium : The Rise of Neo-Fascism

Featured speakers: Gerald Horne, Sarasij Majumder, Alberto Toscano, and Nancy Beck Young; Friday, March 31, 2023

Congratulations! Dr. Rachel Afi Quinn awarded book prize by the Latin American Studies Association

CCS hosted Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Ph.D. (Princeton) as a Scholar-in-Residence, April 25-29, 2022

Religious Studies major Audrey Gale Hall presented her Honors Thesis research to the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies.

Welcome to Comparative Cultural Studies

The Department of Comparative Cultural Studies (CCS) at University of Houston is an interdisciplinary department offering degree programs in Anthropology (BA, BS, MA) Liberal Studies (BA, BS), Religious Studies (BA) as well as undergraduate minors in Anthropology and Religious Studies. Collaboration across these programs enhances the strengths of each and encourages cross-cultural learning and understanding.

Students in CCS explore the historical and ongoing production of cultures and the ways in which cultural differences affect the political, social, economic and aesthetic relationships that shape human communities. CCS prepares students to understand and apply a comparative approach to cultural difference and change in a globalized world. Learn more...