Humanities

The Humanities Major is designed to build on the General Education Curriculum (see G.E.C. section), providing direction and focus for students interested in pursuing a broad-based study of the Humanities. A grade of C or higher is required for any course used to fulfill major requirements.

Like the G.E.C., the Humanities program grows out of some of the overarching traditional goals of a liberal education. The heart of the program is a Humanities Core, which is required of all Humanities students. The Humanities Core, drawing on courses from several different disciplines, is designed to strengthen (1) students' knowledge of Western cultural history, (2) their awareness of ethical judgments and social values, (3) their appreciation of cultural differences, and (4) their taste in aesthetic experiences.

In addition to the Humanities Core, students also complete 18 semester hours in one of six areas of specialization — English, Philosophy, Religion, History, Art, or Hispanic Language & Culture.

The capstone of the Humanities Major is the Writing and Research in Humanities course (HU 472). This course, taken in your senior year, builds on other courses in the Humanities Sequence. The course focuses on the development of a senior research project. Normally the project culminates in a formal essay presented to the Humanities faculty; imaginative nontraditional projects such as the preparation of a performance or an exhibit are also possible when, in the judgment of the faculty, they offer comparable challenges and benefits.