Humanities

Study of the history of architecture focusing on interiors, furniture and decorative arts from ancient times through the 18th century. Emphasis on how the classical world influenced the major periods following it, including Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo.

Study of the history of architecture focusing on interiors, furniture and decorative arts from the mid-18th century through the present. Covers the evolution of modernism throughout Europe and the United States.

Prerequisite: HUM170

Offers students the opportunity to use drawing as a means of exploring creativity. Students will learn techniques to portray objects, landscapes, figures, as well as personal interests. Course performance is assessed on growth not talent.

Provides students with a comprehensive survey of new directions in the visual arts. Topics include key artists who helped shape perceptions of the world and themes and multiple forms of art, such as traditional studio art, video installations, and digital art.

Introduction to film analysis and criticism. Focus on the techniques filmmakers use to form meaning and shape perceptions. Students view a variety of films with the goal of building a critical vocabulary to enhance their ability to analyze what they see with increased understanding and skill.

Prerequisite: ENG106

An introduction to American literature with a focus on the evolution and transformation of the American literary voice. Students read and analyze short stories, novels, drama, and poetry from colonial writing to works by contemporary writers and develop an understanding of American culture, national identity, and ethnicity.

Prerequisite: ENG106

A survey of world literature that offers insight into the world of ideas. Students read and analyze essays, short stories, novels, poetry, and drama in order to develop the skills of deduction and comparison. Students identify, consider, and discuss universally relevant themes as they relate to literature.

Prerequisite: ENG106

Introduction to the study of philosophy. Topics include its historical development, the major figures within that historical development, and the areas and problems of philosophical inquiry. Students are exposed to the historical development of reason, which will help develop the student’s own capacity for critical reasoning.

Introduction to the study of ethics and moral philosophy, including its historical development, the major figures within that history, and some of the ethical and moral issues that face us today. Introduces students to the ideas of great thinkers throughout history and encourages students’ own thinking on various ethical and moral issues.

An exploration of historical, mysterious and in some cases scandalous events that reflected political, social, cultural and economic developments in America throughout the 20th century.  Analyzes the significance of such major news stories as the prohibition of alcohol, the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the refusal of Rosa Parks to give up her bus seat, the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK, and the burglary at the Watergate Complex.

A history of civilization to 1650. Students develop an understanding of what lies at the roots of our contemporary culture and society. Topics include the roots of Western ideas, technology, and the arts; and the evolution of human rights, democracy, and liberty.

A history of civilization from 1650. Topics include an examination of the birth of the modern age, the evolution of new political and social systems, the rise of modern nationalism and national conflicts, and colonialism and its aftermath.

An introduction to the various methods and technologies afforded by diverse media (print, film, video, sound, digital, and cybernetics) to access and evaluate a range of cultural phenomena (literature, film, visual arts, performance arts, nonfiction) more traditionally studied in print.

Prerequisite: ENG106

An introduction to the literature of the British Isles from the medieval period to the present.  Students will read and discuss the works of authors who best represent the major historical periods and aesthetic movements and will gain an appreciation for the power, permanence, and worldwide influence of British literature.

Prerequisite: ENG106

Traces the development of American popular music from the mid-19th century up to the 1990s. Particular emphasis will be given to the impact of African American culture on jazz, blues, rock and reggae.  Concludes with an analysis of hip-hop’s globalization and its impact on society.   

Involves readings and discussions organized around selected topics in the humanities. Topics vary each quarter.

An introduction to poetry and its many forms, from the measured rhymes of Chaucer to modern free verse. Emphasizes the interpretation of poetic language, including the concepts of imagery, metaphor, and symbolism. Students gain a deeper understanding of the power and resonance of the poetic voice.

Prerequisite: ENG106

An introduction to dramatic works from various cultures and historical periods. Students read and interpret works from the ancient Greeks to contemporary playwrights. Emphasizes the elements of drama as a distinct genre.

Prerequisite: ENG106

Emphasizes the role of persuasion in society, theories of persuasion, and the development of analytical and speaking techniques necessary for success in formal and informal presentations.

Prerequisite: ENG115

An introduction to a wide range of techniques in writing fiction, poetry, drama, and literary nonfiction. Students will generate original material, as well as study texts by published authors. Emphasis is placed on workshops in which students review one another’s work.

Prerequisite: ENG106

An introduction to the major political, social, economic, and technological trends that have shaped the United States since World War II. Students will learn about pivotal events and multi-decade trends, such as the Civil Rights movement, the shift in economies, the Cold War, and the position of the United States as a world power.

An introduction to the writings of contemporary feminist theorists that explores issues of gender identity, reproduction, ethnicity, and acculturation. Students analyze works at the theoretical level and their application to contemporary concerns, such as the role of women in the family, community, workforce, and political arena.

Students gain a comprehensive historical view of the visual arts in the Americas and the ideas and forces affecting them. Students explore the variety and richness of art, including work by Native Americans, African Americans, and Latinos.

An introduction to the study of narrative fiction. Students read and discuss works that represent a broad range of cultural perspectives and historical eras and gain interpretive skills by developing a critical vocabulary and exploring the literature using a variety of analytical methods and philosophies.

Prerequisite: ENG106

By exploring debates from the court rooms of ancient Athens to the streets of present-day America and the world, students will study philosophical ways of questioning how we live together and consider the practical significance and frequent resistance to new and revolutionary ideas.

Examines the treatment of legal themes in literature, music, film and other visual arts as part of a broader consideration of the relationship between the humanities and the law. Students will explore the ways that the humanities utilize different perspectives and aesthetic styles in the discussion of such legal themes as morality, justice, equality and authority.

Focuses in depth on a particular period in history with a detailed study of the social, economic, political, and religious aspects that influenced the designer in that period. Periods studied include: Classical, Florentine Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Victorian, and the 20th century.

Prerequisite: HUM171

Special topics in literature, the arts, or philosophy are studied in depth at an advanced level.

Prerequisite: any 200-level course in the Humanities