According to the cultural literacy proponent E.D. Hirsch, "The function of national literacy is to foster effective nationwide communications." As such, a course in the subject is designed to make students better able to communicate with other members of society. Cultural literacy generally comprises literacy in standard written American English, basic knowledge of the country's social and political history, including major wars and political leaders, familiarity with popular culture icons and an understanding of popularly used idioms and expressions.
While each course in cultural literacy will be different according to the preferences of the professor, there are numerous cultural literacy texts that may be covered in your syllabus or which you may want to study on your own. E.D. Hirsch's bestselling book, "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know" is the definitive book on the subject, in which Hirsch proposes that most American children are culturally illiterate, lacking sufficient knowledge of their culture to make them successful. The book also includes 5,000 facts which, Hirsch argues, every American needs to know. Other important texts include encyclopedic texts on the history and popular culture of America, such as "The Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History," "The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century Music," "Chronology of American History" and the "St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture" (see Resources).
Courses in cultural literacy may not be available at all colleges. Some colleges, such as Mount Aloysius College, will require the course as part of the general education requirements that students must fulfill early in their college career. Most colleges allow students to design their own course as an independent study, if they wish to study a subject that isn't covered in the course offerings. If you would like to study cultural literacy but your college doesn't offer it, you may be able to study it independently. In this case, you should consult with an academic counselor at your college for more information.
In studying a foreign language, particularly for credits toward a minor or major in the language, it's important to take a course that builds your literacy of the foreign culture, especially if you wish to eventually work or study in another country. Such foreign culture literacy courses can familiarize students with the social and political background, contemporary culture and art history of a given country or countries. Such courses are often required for foreign language majors and are readily available to them in the course offerings. Studying abroad is also an effective way to build cultural literacy in a foreign culture.