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Critical Theory

Overview

Official Name of Program

Critical Theory

Plan Code

CTCP-AC

Department(s) Sponsoring Program

Critical Theory

Career

Graduate School Graduate

Degree Designation

ADVCERPB - Advanced Certificate Post Baccalaureate

HEGIS Code

4903.00

NYSED Program Code

36872 - CTCP-AC

CIP Code

30.2601

Critical Theory is the examination and critique of literature, society, ethics, and culture and has become a vital component of interdisciplinary and collaborative conversations across the humanities and social sciences, providing practitioners with a new set of techniques to enhance their approaches to textual analysis and social criticism. The certificate in Critical Theory familiarizes students not only with the history and aspects of Critical Theory but also with its practical applications. By providing rigorous training in this field, the certificate gives students the expertise to teach Critical Theory and to incorporate it into their own research.

The certificate’s interdisciplinary emphasis gives students the opportunity to engage actively with Critical Theory through the lens of many academic disciplines across the Humanities and Social Sciences. The certificate exposes students to the most prominent and influential theorists and movements by surveying a wide range of theoretical approaches including, but not limited to, deconstruction, phenomenology, post-colonialism, Marxism, hermeneutics, cultural studies, the Frankfurt School, psychoanalysis, race theory, and gender studies. Students enrolled in the certificate learn about the historical emergence, evolution, and interrelation of these various modes of critical thought and the impact they have had in shaping the most current trends in Critical Theory.

The Certificate Program in Critical Theory is open to students already enrolled in programs at The Graduate Center. Candidates for the Certificate must take a total of five courses (15 credits) in Critical Theory: one required core course and four elective courses.

The core course (CTCP 71088 Critical Theory: Foundations and Practices) is an interdisciplinary survey of the most prominent theorists and movements, emphasizing their historical emergence, evolution, and impact as well as their practical applications. A wide range of theoretical approaches are studied, including structuralism, deconstruction, phenomenology, post-colonialism, Marxism, hermeneutics, cultural studies, psychoanalysis, and gender studies. The four elective courses originate in Ph.D. programs throughout the Graduate Center.

Requirements