Explore how death is understood, celebrated, and politicized across cultures in New York City, Ghana, Mexico, and Indonesia. Examine how this “taboo” subject inspires art, social movements, and cultural identities while challenging American death illiteracy. Learn from deathcare workers, spiritual leaders, and grassroots organizers. Study cultural practices from Ghana’s celebrations of life to Mexico’s rituals and Indonesia’s traditional art to see how societies confront mortality and create meaning through death.

This program offers the choice to do a minor in global studies or medical humanities. The global studies minor examines the interconnectedness of people, places, and systems across the world, exploring global issues through cultural, sociological, and historical lenses. The medical humanities minor explores the human experience through interdisciplinary study in literature, history, culture, philosophy, and the arts.