Cultural studies program set for fall

      With technology compacting the world into a global communication village, Simon Gottschalk says learning the world's cultures is more vital than ever.
      "We must move from tolerance to respect," he said.
      As director of the cultural studies program -- to be added in the Fall 1998 semester to the College of Liberal Arts interdisciplinary studies bachelor of arts degree program -- Gottschalk, born in Belgium and raised in Israel, says the new cultural studies major fills a void.
      "It will help students develop a critical thinking mind toward culture," said the professor, hired at UNLV in 1992. "Cultural studies is more than just studying culture. It involves critically approaching culture and examining all its aspects. Culture is not just norms, beliefs or values. It's architecture, the way people spend their free time, habits, quirks and more. It's everything that makes a people a people."
      Cultural studies is the seventh major in the interdisciplinary studies program, joining Asian, Latin American, linguistic, multidisciplinary and social science studies and comparative literature.
      Split into three categories, the major will include everything from study on Shakespeare and Chicano literature to probing the daily life in sub-Saharan Africa and Hollywood's influence on society to examining science and the effects of pop music.
      Gottschalk said the first category, core courses, includes methods and theory. The second tier, or "B" courses, will address things like history, philosophy, anthropology and language. The third level, known as "C" courses, will delve into things endemic to certain cultures and cultural make-up.
      All cultural studies majors must complete a minimum of 36 hours in approved courses in addition to university general education core requirements and College of Liberal Arts requirements. A student needs 21 credits for a cultural studies minor.
      Adding the cultural studies major puts UNLV in line with top national universities, Gottschalk says, and latches the school onto a growing worldwide trend.
      "Many of the world's universities are implementing these types of programs," he said. "Universities in Australia, Great Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Israel and elsewhere recognize the importance of cultural studies and know that through these programs their students can learn tolerance and foster respect for other cultures."
      Backdropped against Las Vegas - a city Gottschalk says "is unlike any other American city" - the program has a unique opportunity to flourish.
      "Las Vegas attracts tourists from the world over and it's an increasingly diverse city," he said. "And since it's a place where trends (in gaming and entertainment) in contemporary America get expressed a lot, it provides a perfect place to study the effects of culture."
      Much can be learned about the city's culture through its architecture and about the image it wants to project, Gottschalk contends. Where else, he said, could you find a replica of New York downwind from an Egyptian pyramid.