Humanities

Professor Sackett, Director

All degree students admitted to the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences must fulfill three of the twelve hours of Humanities area requirements by taking one core Humanities course (three hours) under the departmental heading "Humanities" (HUM). Students may take a second core Humanities in order to satisfy three credit hours of the General Humanities requirement. Humanities courses are upper-level and as such presume students have senior or junior status and have completed the composition requirement.

The core Humanities courses are multi-disciplinary courses that combine the study of Literature, History, Art and Music History, and Philosophy, with an emphasis on the interaction of these fields with social, political, economic, and scientific/technological events. The class format combines lectures, group discussions, slide presentations, guest panels, dramatic performances, and musical recitals. Faculty from the various humanities-related departments join together in teaching the courses to provide students a solid overview of humanities disciplines.

The core humanities courses study the various humanities disciplines by focusing on a specific year or on a specific topic, some with a traditional and some with a non-traditional influence.

There is no guarantee that core humanities courses will be offered.

All course descriptions that appear here are "samples" of previously offered or designed courses and therefore are non-binding. Since different faculty members may teach in different semesters, they are accustomed to designing courses in light of the interests and expertise of those teaching on a given team.

Each of the "HUM" courses in any given semester’s course schedule fulfills the core humanities requirement (3 hours) of the general humanities area requirement (12 hours). Check the Schedule of Courses each semester for additional Humanities courses that may have been developed by the faculty.