The major in Humanities critically examines the culture, ideas, and values of earlier cultures, western and non-western, both in their original time periods and as they have been appropriated and transformed by later ages. In particular, the program seeks to develop a critical awareness of how the classical past has been utilized as a symbol or an ideal by modern cultures, including American, and how western culture has developed its own particular views about itself as being distinctly different from non-western cultures.
The major is especially recommended for students who have a broad interest in the liberal arts either for their own sake or as preparation for business and the professions. The Humanities program is unique in allowing students the opportunity to select a wide spectrum of courses from a multiplicity of different disciplines (history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, art history, music history).
120 credits of coursework is required for the baccalaureate degree with a minimum 2.0 overall GPA, and a minimum 2.0 major GPA.
Program Requirements
Students must complete General Education requirements and World Languages and Cultures Requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Humanities Courses | ||
| HUMN 201 | General Humanities I (to 1400) | 3 |
| HUMN 202 | General Humanities II (from 1400) | 3 |
| HUMN 285 | Mythology | 3 |
| HUMN 499 | Senior Humanities Seminar | 4 |
| General Humanities Electives | ||
| Complete the 5 elective requirements from the lists (see below) | 24 | |
| Total Credits | 37 | |
Electives
History
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select two of the following three requirements: | 6 | |
| Earlier Western History | ||
| Select 0-3 credits from the following: | ||
| Greek Civilization | ||
or HIST 281 | ||
| Roman Civilization | ||
or HIST 282 | ||
| Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Ancient World | ||
| Special Topics in Ancient History (Greece, Rome, W. Asia, N. Africa, Europe) | ||
| Imaging Medieval and Early Modern Women | ||
| The City in Antiquity | ||
| Alexander the Great: Legend and Legacy | ||
| The Roman Republic | ||
| Cleopatra | ||
| The Roman Empire | ||
| Special Topics in Mediterranean Archaeology | ||
| Field Methods in Mediterranean Archaeology | ||
| Africa in Classical Antiquity | ||
| Introduction to Roman Law | ||
| Medieval European Civilization 450-1350 | ||
| Age of Renaissance, 1350-1517 | ||
| Later Western History | ||
| Select 0-3 credits from the following: | ||
| The Second World War | ||
| Social History of the United States | ||
| Economic History of the United States | ||
| History of United States Foreign Relations | ||
| U.S. Women’s History | ||
| History of Black Americans | ||
| Political History of the United States | ||
| Sport in History | ||
| Europe's Conquest of the Americas, 1415-1763 | ||
| Economic History of Europe | ||
| Feminist Ideas in Western Thought | ||
| Historical Geography of the United States | ||
| War in History | ||
| History of Russia to 1917 | ||
| Russia Since 1917 | ||
| Modern German History | ||
| History of France Since 1789 | ||
| Conflict in Modern Ireland | ||
| History of England to 1714 | ||
| History of England 1714-1914 | ||
| U.S. Immigration History | ||
| Cultural and Intellectual History of the United States Since 1880 | ||
| European Social History | ||
| The Reformation Era, 1500-1650 | ||
| Studies in Enlightenment History | ||
| Diplomatic History of Europe | ||
| The Nazi Third Reich | ||
| The Holocaust, 1939-1945 | ||
| American Colonial History 1607-1763 | ||
| The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 | ||
| The Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 1877-1920 | ||
| The Rise and Decline of the New Deal Order: United States Politics and Society, 1920·1980 | ||
| America in the Sixties: The Crisis of Consensus Liberalism | ||
| Urban Politics | ||
| Black Politics in America | ||
| The American Presidency | ||
| Contemporary Western European Politics | ||
| Social Structure of American Society | ||
| Non-Western History | ||
| Select 0-3 credits from the following: | ||
| Introduction to African Civilization | ||
| Introduction to Islamic Civilization | ||
| Early Latin America | ||
| History of Puerto Rico | ||
| Modern Latin America | ||
| Pre-Modern Japan: A History of Japan to the Meiji Restoration | ||
| Modern Japan: A History of Japan From the Meiji Through the Showa | ||
| Introduction to Indian Civilization | ||
| Introduction to Chinese Civilization | ||
| Modern Chinese Civilization | ||
| Communist Revolution in China | ||
| Chinese Social History Through Literature | ||
| History of Brazil | ||
| Women and Gender in the Middle East: Past and Present | ||
| Church and State in Latin America | ||
| Revolutions in Latin American History | ||
| Development of Indian Character and Culture | ||
| Development of Japanese Character and Culture | ||
| Government and Politics of Africa | ||
| Government and Politics of China and Japan | ||
| Government and Politics of the Middle East | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Philosophy/Religious Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Lucretius and Ancient Science | ||
| Rights, Liberties and American Justice | ||
| Women and the Law | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Ethics and Business | ||
| Philosophical Issues in Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Philosophical Issues in Law and Justice | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| American Philosophy | ||
| Contemporary Philosophers | ||
| Asian Philosophy | ||
| Existentialism | ||
| Philosophies of Art | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Critical Reasoning and Arguments | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Philosophy of Sport | ||
| Philosophy of Technology | ||
| Special Topics in Fields in Philosophy | ||
| Special Topics in Periods and Movements | ||
| Special Topics in Periods and Movements | ||
| Knowledge, Belief and Truth | ||
| Existence and Reality | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Legal Reasoning | ||
or JURI 324 | Legal Reasoning | |
| Philosophy and Death | ||
| History of Philosophy: Ancient Philosophy | ||
| History of Philosophy: Modern Philosophy | ||
| Theoretical and Applied Ethics | ||
| Nineteenth Century Philosophy | ||
| Special Topics in Fields of Philosophy | ||
| Special Topics in Periods of Movements | ||
| Special Topics in Periods of Movements | ||
| Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Ethnic Politics in America | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| American Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties | ||
| Religious Studies | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures | ||
| New Testament/Christian Scriptures | ||
| American Religious Texts | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Introduction to Greek and Roman Religion | ||
or HUMN 209 | Introduction to Greek and Roman Religion | |
| Asian Texts | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| Taoism | ||
| Death, Dying and Afterlife | ||
| Religion and Culture | ||
| Religion in the United States | ||
| Religion and Social Activism | ||
| Asian Religions | ||
| Islamic Religious Traditions | ||
| Native American Religion | ||
| Religion in Latin America | ||
| Christian History and Thought | ||
| Women and Religion | ||
| The Holocaust: Religious Perspectives | ||
| Spirituality and Mysticism | ||
| Theology | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Psychology of Religion | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Myth Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Myth and Literature | ||
| African Myth and Literature | ||
| Celtic Mythology | ||
| Viking Mythology | ||
| Mythic Traditions | ||
| Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Humanities | ||
| The Mythology of JRR Tolkien's Middle-Earth | ||
| Greek Tragedy | ||
| Seminar in Classical Humanities | ||
| Principles of Mythic Symbolism | ||
| Myth, Meaning and Self | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Literature
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative Literature | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Images of Muslim Women in Twentieth Century Literature and Culture | ||
| Art of Poetry | ||
| Art of Fiction | ||
| Art of Drama | ||
| Contemporary U.S. Literature of Immigration | ||
| Irish Literary Revival: 1890-1939 | ||
| American Indian Themes | ||
| African, Asian and Caribbean Literature in English | ||
| Victorian Popular Fiction | ||
| Contemporary African Literature | ||
| Women Prose Writers | ||
| Literary Modernism | ||
| Contemporary European Drama | ||
| Modern Drama: Ibsen to O'Neill | ||
| Modern European Novel | ||
| Speculative Fiction: Fantasy | ||
| Science Fiction | ||
| Autobiography | ||
| Seminar in Comparative Literature | ||
| Russian Culture and Civilization | ||
or RUIN 193 | Russian Culture and Civilization | |
| Reading Asian Cultures | ||
| Special Topics in Greek and Roman Literature and Culture | ||
| History of Criticism | ||
| Seminar in Classical Humanities | ||
| National Literature | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| American Drama | ||
| Black Writers in the United States: A Survey | ||
| Social Protest Literature in America | ||
| English Literature I: Beginnings to 1660 | ||
| English Literature II: 1660 to Present | ||
| Special Topics in English or American Literature | ||
| English Novel to 1900 | ||
| Vietnam War and American Culture | ||
| Women Poets | ||
| The Novels of Toni Morrison | ||
| American Poetry to 1940 | ||
| American Poetry: World War II to Present | ||
| Early American Literature | ||
| Literature of American Renaissance | ||
| American Literary Realism | ||
| Modern American Fiction | ||
| Recent American Fiction 1990 to Present | ||
| Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century | ||
| Milton | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Medieval English Literature | ||
| 19th Century English Romantic Literature | ||
| Victorian Poetry | ||
| Renaissance Literature | ||
| English Drama: Beginnings to 1642 | ||
| Shakespeare: Comedies-Histories | ||
| Shakespeare: Tragedies-Romances | ||
| Contemporary Poetry | ||
| Old English Language and Literature | ||
| 20th Century English Novel | ||
| Seminar in American Literature | ||
| Seminar in English Literature | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Art and Music History
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Special Topics in Global Art Cultures | ||
| African-American Art | ||
| Modern Philosophies of Art | ||
| History of Contemporary Art | ||
| History of Photography | ||
| History of Industrial Design | ||
| Asian Art | ||
| Theories of Looking: Critical Theory and Visual Culture | ||
| African Art: Sub-Saharan | ||
| Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic | ||
| Renaissance Art in Italy: The Fifteenth Century | ||
| Renaissance Art in Italy: The Sixteenth Century | ||
| Northern Renaissance Painting | ||
| Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Art | ||
| Art of the Nineteenth Century | ||
| Twentieth-Century Art | ||
| Modern Architecture | ||
| Special Topics in Art History | ||
| Greek Art | ||
| Roman Art | ||
| Early Medieval Art: Early Christian, Byzantine Early Medieval | ||
| Introduction to Music | ||
| Introduction to Jazz | ||
| Rap and Rock as Cultural Phenomena | ||
| The History of Broadway | ||
| Influence of Afro-American Culture on Music | ||
| Introduction to Music in World Cultures | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |