Humanities (HUMA)
- #
Course numbers with the # symbol included (e.g. #400) have not been taught in the last 3 years.
HUMA 401 - Introduction to the Humanities
Credits: 4
Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of the humanities. Taking as its entry point a significant work, the course is organized by topics related to that work, selected and arranged to invoke lively intellectual debate among faculty and students alike. Group lectures by the four core humanities faculty members. The instructors teaching the course will provide material for smaller weekly discussion sections led by each of those faculty members. Requirements include lively discussions, papers, and examinations. Not repeatable.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Equivalent(s): HUMA 401W
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 401W - Introduction to Humanities
Credits: 4
Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of the humanities. Taking as its entry point a significant work, the course is organized by topics related to that work, selected and arranged to invoke lively intellectual debate among faculty and students alike. Group lectures by the three core humanities faculty members. The instructors teaching the course will provide material for smaller weekly discussion sections led by each of those faculty members. Requirements include lively discussions, papers, and examinations.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 401
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 411 - Humanities I
Credits: 4
Introduction to the humanities and Western culture through literature, history, philosophy, music, art, and architecture. Examination of selected historical periods from classical Greece through the Renaissance through readings, films, slides, and field trips.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
HUMA 412 - Humanities II
Credits: 4
Introduction to the humanities and Western culture through literature, history, philosophy, music, art, and architecture. Examination of selected historical periods from the Enlightenment to the present through the use of readings, films, slides, and field trips.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 413 - Dramatic Art and Social Reality: The Many Meanings of Performance
Credits: 4
This course illuminates connections between the performed stories of drama and real aspects of our lives. It considers performances on stages, screen, and in everyday life—like social rituals, “scripted” because performers are expected to follow certain social roles. It examines those rituals, investigating how they were authored and whether participants have been appropriately cast. No credit if student has taken HUMA 412: Humanities II: Dramatic Art & Social Reality: The Many Meanings of Performance.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 440A - Honors/Hooked: Narratives of Addiction, Recovery, and Redemption
Credits: 4
This course explores literature about addiction through both literary an psychological lenses. It focuses on the redemption narrative that structures the understanding of addiction for writers and readers alike. Readings include stories of religious redemption, short fiction, memoirs, self-help texts, and narrative and psychological theory. This course is part of the Honors Symposium "Engaging Addiction". The courses in the Symposium join several times during the semester for common meetings where perspectives can be compared and explored.
Attributes: Honors course; Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 440B - Honors/That Belongs in a Museum! Museums and the Ownership of Antiquities
Credits: 4
Suppose you stumbled upon an artifact from an Indigenous Native American people in your backyard. Do you own it? Or do the heirs of those who produced it? Or does it belong in a museum for all to see? In a series of controversial case studies we will examine what it means to “own” the past, how it should be protected and preserved, and what role museums have had–-and should have—in safeguarding that past.
Attributes: Honors course; Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 444D - Plague/Literary Histories of Epidemics
Credits: 4
Explores the meanings of epidemics as represented in literature. Topics include mysterious ancient disasters, the Black Death, AIDS, and hypothetical diseases used as thought experiments, as well as current controversies about the spread and prevention of disease. How do disease and its control shape state and social structures? How have the meanings of disease, health, medicine, and the body changed over time? What kind of art does disease give rise to?.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 444E - What is a Criminal?
Credits: 4
Criminals are people who break the law -- In theory. How do people become criminals (with regard to biological, cultural, and economic influences)? What happens to them in the criminal justice system, and how does the system shape the definition of "criminal"? We will also discuss "criminals of conscience" from Thoreau and Gandhi to Edward Snowden. The course will emphasize reading but will also engage with other media, including films, podcasts, and visual art.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 444F - Travelers in the Premodern World
Credits: 4
Travel is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. This course explores the human experience of travel using materials originating from across premodern world. Students investigate materials ranging from maps and pilgrimage accounts, to poetry and stories to understand what has compelled people to undertake the often perilous road. In the process, they consider the role of travel in cultural contact, communication, exchange, and the generation an spread of knowledge.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 500 - Critical Methods in the Humanities
Credits: 4
Critical analysis of works in the humanities. Focuses on major texts, evaluation of secondary literature, research writing, criticism. Required of all HUMA majors.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): ECS 550
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 505 - Introduction to Religion
Credits: 4
This course provides an introduction to religion, exploring the various ways that this phenomenon has been understood, approached, practiced, and studied across human history. The course will examine the different ways that religion can be defined, drawing from a variety of humanities and other disciplines. Foundational theories explaining the origins, persistence, and continued relevance of religion will be compared and applied to different traditions. Topics include concepts of divinity, rituals, myth, mysticism and spirituality, pilgrimage, death and the afterlife, and ultimate reality.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Equivalent(s): RS 505
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 510A - Ancient Humanities: Cultures and Empires
Credits: 4
Humans are social animals and, from an early period, they organized into cities and empires. How did peoples like the ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Chinese, or Romans view themselves? How did they conceive of the world? Why was power distributed to some and not others? This co-taught course examines art, philosophy, history, and cultures from the ancient world to offer an introduction to the human experience from approximately 3000 BCE to 700 CE.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 510B, HUMA 510C, HUMA 510D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 510B - Ancient Humanities: Cultures and Empires
Credits: 4
Humans are social animals and, from an early period, they organized into cities and empires. How did peoples like the ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Chinese, or Romans view themselves? How did they conceive of the world? Why was power distributed to some and not others? This co-taught course examines art, philosophy, history, and cultures from the ancient world to offer an introduction to the human experience from approximately 3000 BCE to 700 CE.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 510A, HUMA 510C, HUMA 510D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 510C - Ancient Humanities: Cultures and Empires
Credits: 4
Humans are social animals and, from an early period, they organized into cities and empires. How did peoples like the ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Chinese, or Romans view themselves? How did they conceive of the world? Why was power distributed to some and not others? This co-taught course examines art, philosophy, history, and cultures from the ancient world to offer an introduction to the human experience from approximately 3000 BCE to 700 CE.
Attributes: Historical Perspectives(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 510A, HUMA 510B, HUMA 510D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 510D - Ancient Humanities: Cultures and Empires
Credits: 4
Humans are social animals and, from an early period, they organized into cities and empires. How did peoples like the ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Chinese, or Romans view themselves? How did they conceive of the world? Why was power distributed to some and not others? This co-taught course examines art, philosophy, history, and cultures from the ancient world to offer an introduction to the human experience from approximately 3000 BCE to 700 CE.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 510A, HUMA 510B, HUMA 510C
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 511A - Medieval Humanities: Rise of Global Empires
Credits: 4
The medieval period saw a dynamic explosion in cultural connections. From the Islamic caliphates to the Mongols to the European empires in the Americas and Asia, the origins of global interconnectivity can be found in the period between 700 and 1700 CE. In this co-taught course, we explore the art, philosophy, history, and cultures of the medieval world to see how global connectivity shaped the human experience.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 511B, HUMA 511C, HUMA 511D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 511B - Medieval Humanities: Rise of Global Empires
Credits: 4
The medieval period saw a dynamic explosion in cultural connections. From the Islamic caliphates to the Mongols to the European empires in the Americas and Asia, the origins of global interconnectivity can be found in the period between 700 and 1700 CE. In this co-taught course, we explore the art, philosophy, history, and cultures of the medieval world to see how global connectivity shaped the human experience.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 511A, HUMA 511C, HUMA 511D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 511C - Medieval Humanities: Rise of Global Empires
Credits: 4
The medieval period saw a dynamic explosion in cultural connections. From the Islamic caliphates to the Mongols to the European empires in the Americas and Asia, the origins of global interconnectivity can be found in the period between 700 and 1700 CE. In this co-taught course, we explore the art, philosophy, history, and cultures of the medieval world to see how global connectivity shaped the human experience.
Attributes: Historical Perspectives(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 511A, HUMA 511B, HUMA 511D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 512A - Modern Humanities: Colonies, Constitutions, and Capital
Credits: 4
The world we know took shape since the 1600s as European empires conquered much of the world; industrialization and capitalism expanded and redistributed power and wealth; and science opened new ways of viewing and changing the world. Humans forged new ideas to justify or challenge these changes. This co-taught course explores the art, philosophy, history, and cultures of the modern world to understand how it came to be.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 512B, HUMA 512C, HUMA #512D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 512B - Modern Humanities: Colonies, Constitutions, and Capital
Credits: 4
The world we know took shape since the 1600s as European empires conquered much of the world; industrialization and capitalism expanded and redistributed power and wealth; and science opened new ways of viewing and changing the world. Humans forged new ideas to justify or challenge these changes. This co-taught course explores the art, philosophy, history, and cultures of the modern world to understand how it came to be.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 512A, HUMA 512C, HUMA #512D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 512C - Modern Humanities: Colonies, Constitutions, and Capital
Credits: 4
The world we know took shape since the 1600s as European empires conquered much of the world; industrialization and capitalism expanded and redistributed power and wealth; and science opened new ways of viewing and changing the world. Humans forged new ideas to justify or challenge these changes. This co-taught course explores the art, philosophy, history, and cultures of the modern world to understand how it came to be.
Attributes: Historical Perspectives(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 512A, HUMA 512B, HUMA #512D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA #512D - Modern Humanities: Colonies, Constitutions, and Capital
Credits: 4
The world we know took shape since the 1600s as European empires conquered much of the world; industrialization and capitalism expanded and redistributed power and wealth; and science opened new ways of viewing and changing the world. Humans forged new ideas to justify or challenge these changes. This co-taught course explores the art, philosophy, history, and cultures of the modern world to understand how it came to be.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 512A, HUMA 512B, HUMA 512C
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 513A - Global Humanities
Credits: 4
In this co-taught topics course, students will study art, philosophy, history, and cultures of a particular region of the globe, most often one underrepresented in the traditional study of Western Humanities. Students will consider internal diversity, change over time, and interactions with other regions. Topics may include Africa, the Indian Ocean, Latin America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South or East Asia, or associated diasporas. May be repeated if specific topic is different.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Equivalent(s): HUMA 513B, HUMA 513C, HUMA #513D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 513B - Global Humanities
Credits: 4
In this co-taught topics course, students will study art, philosophy, history, and cultures of a particular region of the globe, most often one underrepresented in the traditional study of Western Humanities. Students will consider internal diversity, change over time, and interactions with other regions. Topics may include Africa, the Indian Ocean, Latin America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South or East Asia, or associated diasporas. May be repeated if specific topic is different.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Equivalent(s): HUMA 513A, HUMA 513C, HUMA #513D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 513C - Global Humanities
Credits: 4
In this co-taught topics course, students will study art, philosophy, history, and cultures of a particular region of the globe, most often one underrepresented in the traditional study of Western Humanities. Students will consider internal diversity, change over time, and interactions with other regions. Topics may include Africa, the Indian Ocean, Latin America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South or East Asia, or associated diasporas. May be repeated if specific topic is different.
Attributes: Historical Perspectives(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Equivalent(s): HUMA 513A, HUMA 513B, HUMA #513D
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA #513D - Global Humanities
Credits: 4
In this co-taught topics course, students will study art, philosophy, history, and cultures of a particular region of the globe, most often one underrepresented in the traditional study of Western Humanities. Students will consider internal diversity, change over time, and interactions with other regions. Topics may include Africa, the Indian Ocean, Latin America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South or East Asia, or associated diasporas. May be repeated if specific topic is different.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Equivalent(s): HUMA 513A, HUMA 513B, HUMA 513C
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 514A - Space, Place, & the Environment
Credits: 4
In this co-taught topics course, students will explore the relationship between people and the spaces they inhabit. How do ideas shape environments, and how do environments shape ideas? How does "place" differ from "space"? Studied through an interdisciplinary lens, topics may include sustainability, environmental humanities, the built environment, and urbanism. Topics may also cover how communities shape and interact with their environments. May be repeated if specific topic is different.
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 514B - Space, Place, & the Environment
Credits: 4
In this co-taught topics course, students will explore the relationship between people and the spaces they inhabit. How do ideas shape environments, and how do environments shape ideas? How does "place" differ from "space"? Studied through an interdisciplinary lens, topics may include sustainability, environmental humanities, the built environment, and urbanism. Topics may also cover how communities shape and interact with their environments. May be repeated if specific topic is different.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 514C - Space, Place, & the Environment
Credits: 4
In this co-taught topics course, students will explore the relationship between people and the spaces they inhabit. How do ideas shape environments, and how do environments shape ideas? How does "place" differ from "space"? Studied through an interdisciplinary lens, topics may include sustainability, environmental humanities, the built environment, and urbanism. Topics may also cover how communities shape and interact with their environments. May be repeated if specific topic is different.
Attributes: Historical Perspectives(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 519 - Classical Greece
Credits: 4
Examination of the culture of classical Greece through the history, drama, philosophy, and art of the period. Open to all students. Recommended for students in the humanities major.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 525 - Humanities and the Law
Credits: 4
This multidisciplinary course examines the nature of justice, legal systems and law in various historical contexts, including how these have been conceived, how they originated and the role of the professional judiciary, as well as the relationship between law and ethics. Consideration of how legal ideas have changed over time and built upon each other. May be repeated once if specific topic is different.
Attributes: Historical Perspectives(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 526 - Humanities and Science
Credits: 4
In this interdisciplinary course, students examine the ways in which scientific and technological understanding affects the development of cultural expression. Scientific, technological and environmental factors are sometimes discussed as if they are separate from human beings, but in this course we will consider the myriad direct, complex, and surprising ways that they drive cultural shifts and are then understood in evolving ways by cultures. Topics vary with instructor. May be repeated once if topics is different.
Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): HUMA 651
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 527 - Humanities and Religion
Credits: 4
This course examines the role of religion, religious ideas and religious practice in world cultures using a combination of methodologies drawn from different humanities disciplines, with a particular emphasis on comparative approaches and investigating how religion is used to create and express cultural identity around the globe.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery); Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 550 - Budapest Spring Semester: Special Studies in Comparative Ideas
Credits: 4
This course involves periodic offerings in literature, art, history, philosophy and political science designed to stimulate reflection on ideas and issues in Hungarian and Central European history and culture in a larger global context. Topics vary depending upon the expertise of the resident faculty.
Co-requisite: INCO 588
Attributes: Humanities(Disc)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
HUMA 551 - Budapest Spring Semester: Field Studies in Art and Culture
Credits: 6
This course is designed to provide students with first-hand experience of art, history, culture, folklore, and traditions of Hungary and Central Europe. The course combines preparatory readings with guided field trips to museums, historical sites, and culturally significant events and locations. Students maintain a weekly blog reflecting on field trip experiences.
Co-requisite: INCO 588
Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 563 - Introduction to Russian Culture and Civilization
Credits: 4
Interdisciplinary course on the development of Russian culture from its origins through the end of the 19th century. Historical documents, literary works, ethnographic materials, films, slides of Russian art, and music.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery)
Equivalent(s): HIST 563
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA #592 - Special Topics in the Humanities
Credits: 2-8
Special topics; offered occasionally.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits.
Equivalent(s): HUMA 592W
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 698 - Independent Study
Credits: 4
Independent study open only to highly qualified juniors and seniors who have completed at least four humanities courses above the 400 level. Requires original research and substantial writing projects under the direction of a member of the core faculty of the humanities.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 700 - Seminar
Credits: 4
Provides an opportunity for in-depth reading, viewing, and/or listening to texts and artifacts. Emphasis on the multiple perspectives and methodologies that can be brought to bear upon these works from several humanistic disciplines.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 730 - Special Studies
Credits: 4
Selected topics not covered by existing courses, with subjects to vary.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Equivalent(s): HIST 679, HUMA 690, HUMA 695, JUST 695
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 795 - Study of Creativity
Credits: 4
A study of human creativity through representative lives and works of such figures as daVinci, Einstein, Kathe Kollwitz, Bach, Dickens, and Freud. Lectures, class discussions, films, and slides supplemented by gallery tours plays, and concerts. Open to students with a background in humanities or by permission of the instructor. (Normally offered every other year.)
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Equivalent(s): HUMA 690, HUMA 695
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
HUMA 796 - Study of Contemporary Issues
Credits: 4
Current social and political issues with focus on recent developments in public policy, science, and business, and their impact of social values.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 798 - Research Seminar
Credits: 1-2
Provides a context within which students may discuss and receive direction in the course of completing a major research paper. At the end of the seminar, students present their research to the faculty and their fellow students.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): HUMA 500 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
HUMA 799 - Research Seminar
Credits: 3-4
Provides a context within which students may discuss and receive direction in the course of completing a major research paper. At the end of the seminar, students present their research to the faculty and their fellow students.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): HUMA 500 with a minimum grade of D- and HUMA 798 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading