Humanities Program

• Coordinator: Elizabeth Adams
• Sierra Tower 408
• (818) 677-3467
• (818) 677-5797
• www.csun.edu/humanities/

Program Committee

• Ric Alviso (Music)
• Scott Andrews (English); Jose Benavides (Journalism)
• Douglas Carranza (Central American Studies)
• Ranita Chatterjee (English)
• Ramon Garcia (Chicana/o Studies)
• Akiko Hirota (Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures)
• Ah-Jeong Kim (Theatre)
• Breny Mendoza (Women's Studies)
• Adam Swenson (Philosophy)
• Rick Talbott (Religious Studies)

Interdisciplinary Programs

Undergraduate

• B.A., Humanities Interdisciplinary Studies
• Minor in Humanities Interdisciplinary Studies

The Major

The B.A. program in the Humanities offers students the opportunity to study diverse strands of human thought and culture. In devising their own plan of study, humanities majors, working in close consultation with faculty advisors, can prepare for graduate studies in the humanities, in specific humanities-related disciplines or cultural studies, train for a career where a broad humanistic understanding is appropriate and/or desirable, or acquire self cultivation through interdisciplinary study.

Mission Statement

The Humanities Interdisciplinary Program offers an individualized, interdisciplinary, and integrated course of study that prepares students to become engaged global citizens. The Humanities Interdisciplinary Program enables students to develop a critical understanding of cultural studies as the articulation between culture, political economy, discourse, and representation.

Careers

“Humanities graduates are much less likely to be victims of technological unemployment than someone who has learned only specific skills” (Northrop Frye). A humanities graduate is a college-educated individual who can analyze and solve problems, write and speak well, learn new information quickly and work well with others on a team. Employers value graduates with critical thinking skills, and those who have learned not what to think, but how to think.

The flexibility to adapt in the constantly evolving career marketplace and to work successfully in a multicultural environment is valued in a wide range of career fields, including advertising, banking, education, foreign service, insurance, international commerce, journalism, labor relations and social service fields, law, library science, literature, lobbying, public relations, publishing and editing, radio and TV journalism, sales, teaching, technical writing, tourism, and translation and interpretation. A humanities education also provides excellent preparation for graduate study in fields such as area studies, law, library science, literature, cultural studies, or journalism.

Academic Advisement

Humanities Majors are urged to consult with an advisor each semester. Please contact Shelly Thompson at (818) 677-4784 or Elizabeth Adams, Program Coordinator at (818) 677-3300.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Undergraduate Program

At the end of their program of study, students should have achieved high levels of competence in the following areas:

1. knowledge of the diversity of world cultures;
2. ability to draw on the insights of various Humanities and Humanities-related disciplines;
3. knowledge of and ability to apply cultural theory;
4. ability to write effective analysis of multiple forms of cultural expression and creativity;
5. ability to define a precise research project, choose an appropriate methodology, articulate clear analytical goals, and achieve those goals.

Requirements for the B.A. in Humanities

In the first semester of students’ junior year, they will draw up a proposed course of study. This document, prepared in consultation with an advisor and kept on file in the program office, will describe a student's goals in the program and planned avenues for achieving them. This document will also represent the initial step toward the generation of a thesis proposal, which will be required during the first semester of the senior year. All humanities majors must write an interdisciplinary thesis or develop a senior project as part of their course of study, usually in their final semester before graduation.

1. Lower Division Required Courses (15 Units)

• HUM 101 Forms and Ideas in Humanities (3)
• HUM 105 Cultural Eras in Humanities I (3)
• HUM 106 Cultural Eras in Humanities II (3)
• MUS 105 Music Appreciation (3)
• ART 112 Survey of Non-Western Arts (3)

2. Upper Division Required Courses (9 Units)

• HUM 391 Junior Seminar in Humanities (3)
• HUM 491 Senior Seminar in Humanities (3)
• HUM 497 Interdisciplinary Thesis (3)

3. Upper Division Electives (21 Units)

History, Theory, and Methodologies Courses (6 Units)

Choose at least 2 of the following courses in intellectual history, cultural theory, and critical methodologies. (Check your catalog for prerequisites):

• ART 315 Perspectives in Art History (3)
• CHS 351 Survey of Mexican Philosophical Thought (3)
• ENGL 436 Major Critical Theories (3)
• ENGL 438 Critical Approaches to Literature (3)
• HIST 303 Themes in Western Civilization Before 1500 (3)
• HIST 304 Themes in Western Civilization After 1500 (3)
• JS 300 Humanities in Jewish Society (3)
• MUS 307 Music from a Global Perspective (3)
• MUS 310 Understanding World Cultures Through Music (3)
• PAS 386 African-American Philosophical Thought (3)
• PHIL 301 Moral Problems in Contemporary Society (3)
• PHIL 343 Indian Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 344 Chinese Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 345 Social Philosophy (3)
• RS 356 Contemporary Religious Thought (3)
• SPAN 307 Introduction to the Analysis of Hispanic Literature (3)
• COMS 301 Performance, Language, and Cultural Studies (3)
• COMS 356 Intercultural Communication (3)
• COMS 360 Communication and the Sexes (3)
• GWS 301 Feminist Theories and Methods (3)

Individual Course of Study (15 Units):

In fulfilling their proposed course of study and in consultation with an advisor, students must complete 15 upper division units, drawn from at least 3 of the following departments (at least 1 of which must be AAS, CHS, or PAS): Art, Asian American Studies, Chicano/a Studies, Cinema and Television Arts, English, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, History, Jewish Studies, Linguistics, Music, Pan African Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Communication Studies, Theatre, and Gender and Women's Studies; up to 6 units of credit may be earned through Independent Study. HUM 391 and 491 may be repeated once each for credit. Only 1 upper division course used in fulfilling any aspect of the major may be double-counted for GE credit.

Total Units Required for the Major: 45

Minor in Humanities

1. Lower Division Required Courses (9 Units)

• HUM 101 Forms and Ideas in Humanities (3)
• HUM 105/106 Cultural Eras in Humanities (3/3)

2. Upper Division Required Courses (6 Units)

• HUM 391 Junior Seminar in Humanities (3)
• HUM 491 Seminar in Humanities (3)

3. Upper Division Electives (9 Units)

One intellectual history, theory, and methodologies Course from the list above (3 Units). Two other courses from the departments on the list above. HUM 391 and 491 may also be repeated once each for credit (6 Units).

Total Units in the Minor: 24

Course List

HUM 101. Forms and Ideas in Humanities (3)

Prerequisite: EPT score of 151 or higher or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introductory course provides instruction in the interdisciplinary analysis and interpretation of meaning in art, music, and literature and in the understanding of philosophical ideas in their own right and as they influence styles and themes in works of art. (Available for General Education, Arts and Humanities)

HUM 105. Cultural Eras in Humanities I (3)

Prerequisite: EPT score of 151 or higher or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Interdisciplinary study of major eras of humanistic development from the Ancient World to the 15th Century through representative works of visual art, architecture, music, philosophy, religion, and oral and written literature. (Available for General Education, Arts and Humanities)

HUM 106. Cultural Eras in Humanities II (3)

Prerequisite: EPT score of 151 or higher or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Interdisciplinary study of major eras of humanistic development from the 16th Century to the 20th Century through representative works of visual art, architecture, film, music, philosophy, religion, and oral and written literature. (Available for General Education, Arts and Humanities)

HUM 296A-Z. Experimental Topics Courses in Humanities (1-3)

Upper Division

HUM 391. Cultural Theories and Methodologies (3-3)

Preparatory: HUM 105 or 106. Intensive inter-disciplinary study of an age, movement, problem, or theme, with emphasis on the practices and methodologies of interdisciplinary study. The topic of the seminar varies. (Crosslisted with HUM 391)

HUM 396A-Z. Experimental Topics Courses in Humanities (3)

HUM 491. Capstone Seminar (3)

Preparatory: HUM 391 or FLIT 391 and at least one course in intellectual history, cultural theory, and critical methodologies. Intensive interdisciplinary study of an age, movement, problem, or theme, with emphasis on the application of cultural theory in interdisciplinary study. The topic of the seminar varies. (Crosslisted with FLIT 491 and LRS 491)

HUM 496A-Z. Experimental Topics Courses in Humanities (3)

HUM 497. Humanities Thesis (3)

Prerequisite: Senior standing and permission of Humanities advisor. Writing of an interdisciplinary thesis or Senior Project, on an approved topic, under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Consult with the Humanities advisor as to form, length, and other requirements.

HUM 498. Tutorial in Humanities (3-3)

Reading and discussion in a specific field or on a specific topic in a small group. May be repeated for credit. Regular written assignments are required.

HUM 499. Independent Study (1-3)