College of Humanities


College Administrative Offices Office Telephone
Dean of the College Paul Sherwin HUM 484 338-1541
Associate Dean Susan Shimanoff HUM 484 338-1541
College Graduate Coordinator Susan Shimanoff HUM 484 338-1109
College Directory
Department/Program Chair/Director Office Telephone
American Studies Christina Ruotolo HUM 336 338-3127
Classics David Leitão HUM 377 338-2068
Communication Studies Gerianne Merrigan HUM 282 338-1597
Comparative and World Literature David Leitão HUM 377 338-2068
Creative Writing Maxine Chernoff HUM 380 338-1891
English Language and Literature Beverly Voloshin HUM 289 338-2264
Foreign Languages and Literatures Elisabetta Nelsen HUM 475 338-1421
Humanities Saul Steier HUM 410 338-1830
Jewish Studies Fred Astren HUM 415 338-6075
Journalism Venise Wagner HUM 305 338-1689
Museum Studies Linda Ellis HUM 528 338-1612
Philosophy Anita Silvers HUM 388 338-1596
Religious Studies Michael Sudduth HUM 388 338-1596
Technical and Professional Writing Louise Rehling HUM 414 338-7025
Women and Gender Studies Nan Alamilla Boyd HUM 314 338-3065
Center/Institute Coordinator Office Telephone
American Language Institute Katharine Sherak HUM 101 338-1438
Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism Cristina Azocar HUM 307 338-7434
Center for Modern Greek Studies Martha Klironomos HUM 542 338-1074
Community Involvement Center Steven Cochrane HUM 136 338-1486
English Tutoring Center James Boyd HUM 291 338-1821
Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives Steve Dickison HUM 511 338-3401

College of Humanities

The College of Humanities offers undergraduate degrees in the following disciplines:

Bachelor of Arts

American Studies 03131

Chinese 11071

Classics 15041

Communication Studies 06011

Comparative Literature 15031

English 15011

Concentrations in:
Creative Writing 15071
English Education 15011
Literature 15021
Linguistics 15051
Individual Major 15011

French 11021

German 11031

Humanities 15991

Italian 11041

Japanese 11081

Journalism 06021

Concentrations in:
Photojournalism
Print and Online Journalism

Modern Jewish Studies 15102

Philosophy 15091

Philosophy and Religion 15992

Spanish 11051

Technical and Professional Writing 15997

Women and Gender Studies 29990

Undergraduate Certificates

Conflict Resolution
Technical and Professional Writing

The College of Humanities offers the following graduate degrees:

Master of Arts

Chinese 11071

Classics 15041

Communication Studies 06011

Comparative Literature 15031

English

Concentrations in:
Composition 15013
Creative Writing 15071
Linguistics 15051
Literature 15021
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages 15081

French 11021

German 11031

Humanities 15991

Italian 11041

Japanese 11081

Museum Studies 49036

Philosophy 15091

Spanish 11051

Women and Gender Studies 29990

Master of Fine Arts

Creative Writing 15071

Graduate Certificates

Immigrant Literacies (English Department)
Jewish Community Studies (Jewish Studies Program)
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, Communication Studies, Comparative and World Literature, Creative Writing, English, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Humanities, Journalism, Philosophy, and Women and Gender Studies; and individual programs in Ethical Issues in Science and Technology, Jewish Studies, Museum Studies, Religious Studies, and Technical and Professional Writing. It jointly offers the American Studies program, Global Peace Studies, and a Certificate in Conflict Resolution 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, 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 he/she 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; please contact Professor Larry Medcalf, Communications Studies Department; Professor Joe Tuman, Communications Studies Department; Assistant Professor Carlos Montemayor, Philosophy Department; or Professor M. Shelley Wilcox, Philosophy Department. Pre-law students may pursue the Philosophy and Law emphasis in the Philosophy Department or 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-law 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 that 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 will also inform them about other pre-teaching requirements that they may wish to fulfill before graduation.