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At the University of Chicago, cultural history explores how people across time have sought to craft meaning, beauty, and emotional expression through diverse creative forms. This encompasses traditional arts like painting, literature, and symphonies, but also extends to vernacular creations - from household objects to urban designs, culinary traditions to cultivated landscapes. The 20th century saw emerging media like cinema and broadcasting join these cultural conversations. This discipline naturally intersects with art history, media studies, and music analysis while maintaining dialogue with social and political contexts that shape creative expression. Our scholarly scope spans millennia and continents, examining cultural production from ancient civilizations to modern times across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Through these investigations, we uncover both the unique character of historical periods and the forces driving profound cultural change.