Major requirements

Mission: Students pursuing a humanities major get right to the heart of how we think about ourselves, each other, and the world in order to be better citizens of that world in which we find ourselves. 

Vision: The humanities major allows students to take a broad range of courses in the humanities in order to structure their curriculum around a single set of major questions that are of chief interest to the student for their vocation towards the world. The humanities major is designed for the student who wants to get the most from a broad liberal arts education while honing critical and creative thinking and communication skills in order to engage deeply on a specific problem with solutions that serve the broader community in which the student lives.

Students desiring a broader range of courses than is found in a single discipline may choose a divisional major. The following provisions govern this program:

Students interested in this major should meet with the dean of humanities who, in consultation with the student, will select an advisor or advisors. The student and advisor(s) will structure a proposal and major program according to the following rules:

• The major program will consist of 60 credits in the humanities division chosen by the student in consultation with the advisor.
• Twenty-four of these credits must be at an advanced (300 or above) level.
• HUMA 100 Introduction to Humanities must be included in the early years of the major program.
• HUMA 489 must be taken during the student’s final semester.
• Student proposals must include a rationale, a statement of academic and career goals, courses to be included, and a semester completion plan including core curriculum. Proposed courses must have a certain relevance to the student’s explicit purposes and the overall program should exhibit reasonable integrity.
• A student pursuing a humanities divisional major may not pursue a second major or a minor in a discipline in the division of humanities.