Objectives
The Humanities major is designed to meet the needs of a student who has a broad interest in liberal arts but whose interest would not be served by a major program within a single department. The Humanities major is an interdisciplinary program that draws on courses taught in several departments in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (History, English, Classics, Philosophy, Theological Studies, Modern Languages and Literatures) and the College of Communication and Fine Arts (Art History). In the first two years the student acquires a broad background in the arts, history, and literature. Language study through the intermediate level is also required. In the second two years, the student concentrates in a particular area of interest. The concentration consists of four (4) upper-division courses taken from departmental offerings in Archaeology, Art History, Classics, English, French, German, Greek, History, Italian, Latin, Philosophy, Spanish, Theological Studies, or various area studies, including African American Studies, Asian and Pacific Studies, Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. The concentration is then supported by three (3) upper-division courses from one or two supporting fields selected in consultation with the Humanities advisor. All Humanities majors are required to complete, in their final semester, a Capstone Project (HMNT 4997 ), which marks the culmination of the student’s interdisciplinary course of study.
The program provides students with the motivation, knowledge, and skills necessary to read, write, and think critically about the issues that have occupied the writings of humanists for centuries, as well as to examine, question, and challenge their own moment in cultural history in light of the values associated with humanism.
The program is a fine preparation for students interested in professional courses in law, business, or education. Also, the program is designed to allow students to complete a major in a disciplinary area that would qualify them for graduate studies.
Humanities Model Four-Year Plan
The normal course load is 16 semester hours (4 classes). By following the model below, a student will complete all lower-division core requirements by the end of the sophomore year as well as most major prerequisites. Note that core areas are suggested to provide a distribution of various disciplines every semester. Please be flexible implementing these suggestions, given your own interests and course availability. In four years, this plan meets all common graduation requirements.