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Humanities

Humanities (HUMN)

Interdisciplinary courses in the humanities have been created to foster the growth of a general, liberal education outside the confines of particular disciplines or departments. These courses, which cut across conventional disciplinary boundaries, are taught by faculty from different departments, and are designed to introduce students to major writers, thinkers, and artists of various cultural traditions. Classes are limited in size so that students may share through discussion their reactions to the works studied, relate them to their own lives, and attempt to judge their relevance to the contemporary world.

Comparative Humanities Major

Program Director: Slava I. Yastremski

Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Chair in Comparative Humanities: John C. Hunter

Coordinating Committee: Maria Antonaccio, Julian Bourg, Greg Clingham, Katherine M. Faull, Susan L. Fischer, Jay Goodale, Peter Groff, John C. Hunter, Amy McCready, John Rickard, Roger Rothman, Harold Schweizer, Alfred Siewers, Carol W. White, Slava I. Yastremski

Professor: Katherine M. Faull

Associate Professors: John C. Hunter, Slava I. Yastremski

Assistant Professor: Douglas Greenfield (visiting)

The program in comparative humanities approaches Western traditions of ideas, history, literature, and art in an interdisciplinary fashion. Designed to reflect contemporary trends in humanistic scholarship, it examines issues and perspectives that conventional undergraduate disciplinary boundaries often preclude. These include the various ways in which the  "Western tradition" has been constructed and represented, and the historical shifts in the way knowledge has been classified. Inasmuch as language and culture are central to this interdisciplinary project, students who declare a major in the comparative humanities are required to satisfy a language requirement.

The major consists of eight courses plus a demonstration of reading proficiency in a foreign language. The courses include:

• three period courses in humanities (HUMN 98 or 128, 150, and 250), which ground students in the broad outlines of the Western intellectual tradition.

• two interdisciplinary humanities seminars at the 300- or 400-level which encourage comparative studies across cultural, historical, and formal boundaries.

• two courses in related humanities disciplines (approved by the student’s major adviser or program director), one of which is in a non-European tradition. The following courses are strongly recommended.

ART 204 Castle, Cathedral, Cloister
ART 213 History of Western Architecture

CLAS 131 Greek Civilization
CLAS 132 Roman Civilization
CLAS 141 Ancient Cities
CLAS 215 Classical Myth
CLAS 221 Heroic Epic
CLAS 224 Poetry of Passion in Greece and Rome
CLAS 231 Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean
CLAS 233 The Age of Alexander the Great
CLAS 236 The Age of Augustus
CLAS 237 Ethnicity, Gender and Identity in Antiquity
CLAS 247 Ancient Technology
CLAS 332 Classical Athens

EAST 212 Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
EAST 245 Consumption and Material Culture
EAST 251 Buddhism
EAST 256 Contemporary Japanese History
EAST 262 Sources of Asian Tradition
EAST 277 Social Darwinism: East and West

ENGL 226 Irish Studies
ENGL 240 Medieval English Literature to 1485
ENGL 258 Studies in Shakespeare (and Film)
ENGL 261 Studies in Restoration and 18th-century Literature
ENGL 270 Romantic Literature
ENGL 332 Film and Technology

FREN 336 Francophone Africa

HIST 227 American Intellectual History I
HIST 228 American Intellectual History II
HIST 231 Social History Early Modern Europe
HIST 248 Topics in Russian History
HIST 267 European Intellectual History I
HIST 268 European Intellectual History II
HIST 290 European Imperialism and Colonialism
HIST 330 European History: Reformations

LAMS 295 Topics: Retrospect 20th-century: Literature, Film, Culture

LING 220 Historical Linguistics

MUSC 204 History and Literature of Music

PHIL 206 Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 212 Philosophy of Art
PHIL 219 Problem of False Consciousness
PHIL 220 Philosophy of Science
PHIL 223 Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 230 Feminism and Philosophy
PHIL 265 Topics in Aesthetics
PHIL 266 Chinese Philosophy
PHIL 267 Islamic Philosophy
PHIL 269 Indian Philosophy

RELI 110 Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
RELI 115 Introduction to Asian Religions
RELI 200 Buddhism
RELI 201 Islam
RELI 202 Hinduism
RELI 214 God, Nature, Knowledge
RELI 216 Philosophy of Religion
RELI 220 Comparative Ethics
RELI 221 God and Morality
RELI 243 Religions of South Asia
RELI 245 Religions of China
RELI 246 Religions of Japan

RUSS 250 Nineteenth-century Russian Literature in Translation

SPAN 222 Spanish American Literature
SPAN 285 Latino/Latina Literature in the US
SPAN 424 Goya and the Drama of His Times
SPAN 462 Don Juan through the Ages

WMST 220 Introduction to Feminist Thought

• a thesis workshop or independent study for a senior thesis (HUMN 350 or HUMN 351), which gives students a chance to pursue focused research on a subject of particular interest to them. Discussion of the thesis topic must begin in the spring of the student’s junior year and the topic must have attained final approval by the faculty adviser by the end of September of the senior year. The thesis project may be submitted to the Honors Council for consideration as an honors thesis but this is not required in order to complete the major.

In keeping with the program’s goal of exposing student to different modes of thought, the program asks students to demonstrate work in a foreign language in addition to the eight courses required for the major. Such competency can be attained by passing a one-credit course at the level of the fourth course or higher in a particular language sequence. Students also are encouraged to develop language competency elsewhere, as in summer school or abroad; however, all such programs must first be approved by the comparative humanities program director. Students whose native language is not English, or who are bilingual, are exempted from the language requirement.

The program integrates parts of the Humanities Residential College and the Humanistic Scholars Program. Members of these programs may find the major in comparative humanities particularly appropriate. The major also is especially suitable for students interested in broad study of the humanities and comparative studies, e.g., individuals otherwise focusing their education in the sciences and other non-humanities disciplines or students interested in advanced study of the humanities in graduate programs and seeking a balance of disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies for this purpose.

Students interested in the major are encouraged to contact the program director listed above as soon as possible to begin the advising process.

98. Myth, Reason, Faith (I or II; 4, 0)
This course is designed to introduce students to some of the most significant works in the Western intellectual tradition. Works by major writers from Homer to Dante will be studied. Satisfies the Foundation Seminar requirement. May be crosslisted as CLAS 98, ENGL 98, and PHIL 98.

128. Myth, Reason, Faith (I; 3, 0)
This course follows the syllabus of HUMN 98, except that the course does not function as a Foundation Seminar. Primarily intended for sophomores who may have an interest in the Scholars Program and/or the comparative humanities major. Not open to students who have completed HUMN 98 or a crosslisted equivalent. Seniors by permission only.

150. Art, Nature, and Knowledge (I or II; 4, 0)
An interdisciplinary study of selected works in art, music, literature, science and philosophy from the Renaissance through the 19th century. No prerequisite. May be crosslisted as ENGL 150, PHIL 150, and RESC 150.

250. Nihilism, Modernism, Uncertainty (I; 3, 0)
Presents major texts, figures, and concepts of the 20th century with examples from painting, music, literature, philosophy, and science. Designed as the third course in the chronological and thematic sequence of HUMN 098 and HUMN 150. May be crosslisted as ENGL 230 and PHIL 250.

301. Humanistic Disciplines (I; R; 3, 0)
A seminar featuring study of subjects from two (or more) disciplinary approaches with emphasis on their points of intersection and convergence.

302. Historical Periods (II; R; 3, 0)
A seminar featuring comparative material from two distinct historical epochs.

303. Cultures and Traditions (I; R; 3, 0)
A seminar featuring materials from two distinct cultural expressions each possessing distinct political, social, and religious ideas and ideologies.

304. Narrative and Media (II; R; 3, 0)
A seminar featuring narrative in several forms and contexts of representation.

310. Dante and Milton (AI; 3, 0)
An intensive comparative study of Dante’s Comedy and Milton’s Paradise Lost as exemplars of medieval and late Renaissance understanding of human experience. May be crosslisted as ENGL 350.

319. Independent Study (I or II; R)
Individual project of study supervised by instructor. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

320. History of Sexuality (AII; 3, 0)
A cross-cultural and interdisciplinary examination of the signification of sexuality in literature, philosophy, scientific discourse, and the visual arts.  May be crosslisted as ENGL 397.

330. Studies in Autobiography (AII; 3, 0)
A critical, cross-cultural, and transhistorical examination of the "writing of the self." Readings from Augustine, Descartes, Nietzsche, Derrida, among others.

340. Introduction to Translation Studies (AI or II; 3, 0)
Introduction to history, theory, and practice of translation. Investigation of the role of translation in intercultural communication and comparative studies.

350. Senior Thesis Workshop (I and II; R; 3, 0)
A colloquium on issues arising from the writing of a scholarly thesis. Prerequisite: senior status and permission of the instructor.

351. Honors Tutorial and Senior Thesis (I and II; 3, 0)
Independent study and research leading to the writing of a thesis as approved by the Honors Council.

398. Modern Critical Theory (AI; 3, 0)
Introduction to critical theory in the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. Major movements in critical theory exemplify its origins, historical trajectory, and future prospects. Crosslisted with ENGL 398.

450. Reality, Identity, Postmodernity (I and II; 3, 0)
A Capstone seminar that examines contemporary culture through a variety of artistic, socio-economic, and critical discourses. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.