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Updated February 20, 2015

Humanities

 

College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Dean: Andrew Harris

 

School of Humanities and Liberal Studies

HUM 410
Phone: 415-338-1830

Director: Cristina Ruotolo
Graduate Coordinator: Mary Scott

 

Faculty

Professors: Leonard, Luft, Ruotolo, Scott
Associate Professors: Bertram, Garcia-Moreno, Steier

 

Programs

B.A. in Humanities

B.A. in Liberal Studies

Minor in Humanities

M.A. in Humanities

 

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Program Scope

The B.A., minor, and M.A. in Humanities offer students a chance to explore the big questions animating world cultures from an interdisciplinary perspective. Undergraduate and graduate courses bring together diverse forms of human expression—including images, literature, philosophy, music, performing arts, and built environments—examine how they give voice to the ideas, problems, conflicts, and values that constitute human communities.

 

The program’s broadly comparative and integrative approach to world cultures helps prepare students for a number of careers in today’s increasingly connected, global society. Our undergraduate students go on to work in government, K - 12 education, arts administration, business, and tech industries. Some find it useful to pair a major or minor in humanities with practical training in a specific professional field (journalism, museum work, TESOL). Our M.A. program serves a variety of personal and career objectives, including preparation for and enrichment of K - 12 and community college level teaching and preparation for advanced study in a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary degree programs.

 

For the B.A. in Humanities, students must complete a core of five courses (including a GWAR and senior seminar) in basic methods of understanding arts and culture, and then choose combinations of courses in and across specific geographic areas. Up to three appropriate courses in related departments such as ethnic studies, history, English, art, and music may be included in the major with an advisor's approval.

 

Students minoring in humanities must complete three core courses and four additional courses in one or more of the culture-study areas.

 

M.A. students take two core courses, choose electives from courses organized by geographic area, by disciplinary focus, and by integrative topics, and complete a culminating experience that can be either a written thesis or a comprehensive exam.

 

Complementary Studies

Twelve units of complementary studies are required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities. These units must come from courses bearing a prefix other than HUM and not cross-listed with HUM. Humanities majors will be offered several pathways toward completing this requirement, each of which is designed to facilitate graduation in a timely manner. Humanities majors may, with the approval of a Humanities department advisor, elect to apply 12 units in a single foreign language of their choosing, courses taken in an approved study abroad program (e.g., CSU Study Abroad), courses taken as partial completion of a second major, a minor or a certificate, or courses in a related discipline. Related disciplines typically include: African American Studies, American Indian Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Asian American Studies, Broadcast and Electronic Communication, Cinema, Classics, Comparative World Literature, Creative Writing, English, Foreign Languages, History, International Relations, Jewish Studies, Journalism, Liberal Studies, Middle East and Islamic Studies , Modern Greek Studies, Music , Philosophy, Political Science, Race and Resistance Studies , Theatre Arts, and Women and Gender Studies.

 

These courses should either have a direct bearing on the study of the humanities, or they should be shown to deepen and enrich the study of humanities in particular and articulable ways. Up to 9 units of Complementary Studies can count toward the major, leaving 3 other units to be met by another course in consultation with an advisor in the School. Advisors may use a slightly higher standard for complementarity for the 9 units that count for the Major than for the 3 units that do not.

 

Bachelor of Arts in Humanities

The School's lower division General Education courses (HUM 220, HUM 225) or other lower division courses concerned with ideas, social conditions, and art forms are recommended for students planning to major or minor in humanities. Study or practical experience toward mastery of a foreign language is strongly recommended along with the major or minor.

 

Humanities majors who successfully complete HUM 300 GW in spring 2010 or thereafter will have satisfied the University Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).

 

Humanities (B.A.) — 42 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

Note: Up to 9 units of electives may be substituted from a related program with advisor approval; only 3 units of electives may be lower division (100 - 299). Core courses must be taken for a letter grade. No more than one elective course (3 units) may be taken CR/NC.

 

Minor in Humanities

Humanities, Minor — 21 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

 

Master of Arts in Humanities

Admission to the Program

Applications for admission should include a statement of the applicant's purpose in applying to the program, a writing sample, and two letters of recommendation. Applicants whose native language is not English and whose B.A. is from a university in which English is not the medium of instruction, must have a minimum TOEFL score of 570 (computer-based TOEFL 230). The GRE is not required.

 

Admission to classified standing in the program is given on evaluation of several factors in an applicant's education and experience. Of considerable importance are the subjects and range of undergraduate study; emphasis is given to courses in literature, history, languages, philosophy, the arts, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary humanities, but studies in the sciences or social sciences may also be valuable. Other factors bearing on admission may include work experience, personal interests, and proficiency in one of the arts.

 

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One (entry):
The School admissions committee will evaluate Level One written English proficiency on the basis of the applicant’s 500-word statement of purpose, and an eight to ten page writing sample on a humanities-related topic. Taken together these should show that the applicant understands the nature of the program, has thought carefully about her/his reasons for applying and can articulate them effectively, and can express clearly and thoughtfully in writing on ideas and materials appropriate to the program.

The admissions committee will evaluate the quality of these materials as either insufficient for admission, satisfactory for conditionally classified admission, or satisfactory for admission to classified status. This classification is based on (1) fluency and precision of expression, (2) clear organization and persuasive argument, and (3) appropriateness of the applicant’s interests and academic experience to the program.

Those who are admitted conditionally must receive a B or better in HUM 700 or 721 in their first semester in order to be advanced to classified status.

Level Two:
Level Two written English proficiency is demonstrated by the quality of the student’s work in HUM 898 (Master’s Thesis) or HUM 896 (Written Comprehensive Examination.) The criteria are the same for both:

• Ability to articulate a critical framework that encompasses several kinds of primary texts.
• Ability to express one’s own perspective in relation to the most significant secondary scholarship on those primary texts.
• Ability to articulate and support an argument of substantial length and complexity.

 

Advancement to Candidacy

Besides meeting general requirements of the program, students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in order to qualify for advancement to candidacy for the master's degree. Official advancement to candidacy comes about with acceptance of an Advancement to Candidacy by the Graduate Division.

 

With the graduate advisor's approval, most upper division humanities courses may be used to satisfy a portion of the Master of Arts requirements.

 

Humanities (M.A.) — Minimum 30 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

Culminating Experience. The candidate must present a proposal for his/her culminating project in writing to a Humanities faculty member to initiate it. In the semester preceding a student’s enrollment in HUM 898, he or she must enroll in HUM 899, Independent Study, with the faculty member who will chair the thesis committee, in order to develop an appropriate thesis topic and bibliography. The chosen culminating experience (896 or 898) should be integral with the candidate's larger M.A. plan and with his/her longer career objective. It will be carried out in the final semester of work for the degree, with the aid of a graduate faculty member acting as chair and first reader; at least one other faculty member will serve with the first reader on the student's M.A. committee and will join as second reader in evaluation of the culminating experience. Both HUM 896 and HUM 898 require an oral defense of the thesis.

 

Second Language. Reading proficiency in a second language is required. Under exceptional circumstances a candidate may petition to substitute demonstrable proficiency in an auxiliary skill that has a clear relationship to his/her M.A. program.