All students at CCA are required to complete Cultural History as a part of their Humanities & Sciences requirement. A menu of courses will be offered each year and students may choose from these courses to fulfill the Cultural History requirement. The courses offered to complete the requirement will be historical in nature, will have a substantial non-Western component, and will introduce students to an historical awareness of cultural diversity. Objectives include an introduction to historical and critical thinking, to research methods and uses of evidence and primary sources, and to provide historical context for contemporary citizenship.

This course will examine the history of shamanism from its archeological evidence during the Paleolithic times, diffusion to Asia and the Americas, its adaptation to colonization and nation-states, and its contemporary practices. It will also examine the impact of the concept of shamanism in the West, from the writings of missionaries and explorers in the creation of theories of art and culture, to its contemporary impact among New Age practitioners.