Last update: 10/22/96
College of Humanities
College Administrative Offices Office Extension*
Dean of the College Nancy G. McDermid HUM 484 1541
Associate Dean and College
Graduate Coordinator Edwin T. Williams HUM 484 1109
College Directory
Department/Program Chair/Director Office Extension*
American Studies Rodger Birt HUM 410 1220
Classics Barbara McLauchlin HUM 377 2068
Creative Writing Frances Mayes HUM 380 1891
English Language and Literature Stephen E. Arkin HUM 289 2264
Ethical Issues in Science
and Technology Michael Gregory HUM 415 1302
Foreign Languages and Literatures Julian Randolph HUM 475 1421
Global Peace Studies Anatole Anton HUM 359 7436
JoAnn Aviel HSS 384 1448
Humanities Ruth Knier HUM 410 1830
Intercultural Skills James Kohn HUM 521 2827
Jewish Studies HUM 416 6075
Journalism Erna R. Smith HUM 305 1689
Museum Studies Linda Ellis HUM 528 1612
NEXA Michael Gregory HUM 415 1301
Philosophy Donald Provence HUM 388 1596
Religious Studies Donald Provence HUM 388 1596
Speech and Communication Studies Patrick Hunt (Acting) HUM 282 1597
Technical and Professional Writing Louise Rehling HUM 414 7025
Women Studies Susan Shimanoff (Acting)HUM 315 1388
World and Comparative Literature Barbara McLauchlin HUM 377 2068
Center/Institute Coordinator Office Extension*
American Language Institute H. Douglas Brown HUM 101 1438
Center for Humanistic Studies HUM 484 1109
Center for Integration and Improvement of
Journalism Ivan Roman HUM 307 2083
Center for Modern Greek Studies HUM 577 1892
Community Involvement Center Steven Cochrane T-A 1486
English Tutoring Center Elizabeth Sommers HUM 291 1821
Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives HUM 511 7434
*For calls from off-campus, dial the prefix 338, then the four-digit extension number.
College of Humanities
The College of Humanities offers undergraduate degrees 1 in the following disciplines:
Bachelor of Arts
- Chinese 11071
- Classics 15041
- Comparative Literature 15031
- English 15011
- Concentrations in:
Creative Writing 15071
Literature 15021
Language Studies 15012
Individual Major 15011
- French 11021
- German 11031
- Humanities 15991
- Italian 11041
- Japanese 11081
- Journalism 06021
- Philosophy 15091
- Philosophy and Religion 15992
- Russian 11061
- Spanish 11051
- Speech Communication 15061
- Concentrations in:
Individual Major in Communication Studies
Intercultural Communication
Organizational Communication
- Technical and Professional Writing 15997
- Women Studies 49991
Undergraduate Certificate
- Technical and Professional Writing
The College of Humanities offers the following graduate degrees: 1
Master of Arts
- Chinese 11071
- Classics 15041
- Comparative Literature 15031
- English
- Concentrations in:
Composition 15013
Creative Writing 15071
English as a Foreign/Second Language 15081
Linguistics 15012
Literature 15021
- French 11021
- German 11031
- Humanities 15991
- Italian 11041
- Japanese 11081
- Museum Studies 49036
- Philosophy 15091
- Russian 11061
- Spanish 11051
- Speech Communication 15061
- Women Studies 49991
Master of Fine Arts
- Creative Writing 15071
Graduate Certificate Programs
- Teaching of Composition (English Department)
- Teaching Critical Thinking (Philosophy Department)
- Teaching Post-Secondary Reading (English Department)
Mission/Goals
The humanities explore the identities, ethics, aspirations, arguments, and imaginations of individuals and societies through myth, literature, language, philosophy, religion, public and private discourse, cultural artifacts, and the symbolic systems by which ideas and feelings are communicated. Disciplines in the humanities ask and address fundamental questions of existence, value, aesthetics, and expression. What is an ethical human being? How can we balance individual freedom and civic responsibility? How do different cultures define beauty, morality, truth, and other concepts? How do human beings use language and other symbolic forms to communicate and celebrate thoughts, emotions, endeavors? The humanities are dedicated to exploring multiple answers to these questions, to engaging the imagination and creativity, to increasing civic and global responsibility, to cultivating moral action, and to equipping people with the communication skills needed to express the best of what it means to be human. Today's life is complex, constantly challenging. The times need women and men who can think, reason, and communicate clearly; who understand moral and ethical distinctions; and who have a sense of both the continuity and the changing values of the human community.
The College of Humanities consists of the departments of Classics, Creative Writing, English, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Humanities, Journalism, Philosophy, Speech and Communication Studies, Women Studies, and World and Comparative Literature; and individual programs in Global Peace Studies, Intercultural Skills, Jewish Studies, Museum Studies, NEXA, Religious Studies, and Technical and Professional Writing. It jointly offers the American Studies program with the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. The college also houses a number of special centers, institutes, and facilities.
As the student examines this Bulletin, s/he will discover that a number of courses not only relate to one another but also cut across departmental lines. S/he can choose a major within one department; or by inquiring in the Advising Center (ADM 212), s/he can devise an individual cross-disciplinary program of study based on individual special interests.
Pre-Law Program
No specific major is required for admission to a school of law. A usual requirement for admission is that the student must have been granted a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Some law schools, however, have alternative plans. The student should consult the catalogs of the schools of law to which s/he expects to apply for admission. Since law schools generally expect their students to have a broad foundation in the humanities and social sciences, selection of a major in these areas is recommended. The College of Humanities provides an advising service for pre-legal students majoring in one of the Humanities. Pre-law students may upon advisement construct an individual interdisciplinary pre-law major in the Humanities. The Department of Political Science provides a similar advising service for students majoring in one of the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Pre-legal students not majoring in either of these colleges may consult either advising service.
Pre-Teaching Programs
Many students decide at some point during their undergraduate major that they would like to consider
teaching in the public schools. In most cases, the requirements for the major must be adjusted to accommodate an Approved Single Subject Matter Preparation Program, those courses in a single subject which are required for entrance into teaching credential programs at this and other universities. A list of the courses required for teacher preparation in various subjects is available in department offices, as well as in the Credential Bulletin published by the College of Education. Students who are considering teaching as a career are urged to contact the department's credential adviser early in their planning, in order to identify the specific courses that satisfy requirements for both the major and the Subject Matter Preparation Program, and to arrange for assessment of subject matter competency. The credential adviser also informs them about other pre-teaching requirements they may wish to fulfill before graduation.