Humanities
The major in humanities offers a broad-based program in which students explore the manifestations of the human imagination and the human intellect. Students gain a background in the areas of human history, cultural development, and social relations; they also examine a range of expressive forms through coursework in literature and the arts. Major requirements include courses in art history, communication, English, history, music, philosophy, and languages; through major electives, students focus on areas of interest. During the senior year, students complete a capstone research project and apply coursework to professional experience as they complete an internship. Students majoring in humanities also complete three service-learning credits through service-learning courses and/or linked credits. A major in humanities will prepare a student for a career that draws on written and oral communication skills or a profession involving arts or language applications; in addition, students in this major may prepare to be teachers at the elementary level. Students interested in this option should consult the program plans for Humanities with Elementary Education Concentration, to ensure that they meet requirements for licensure. Graduates receive a Bachelors of Arts in Humanities.
The following goals and associated learning outcomes delineate what we strive for students to achieve when they complete the major program of study in Humanities:
Goal 1: Canons and conventions:
Upon completion of the major program of study in Humanities, students will be able to
- articulate why qualitative approaches have special significance for scholars who work in the humanities areas (e.g., literary studies, composition, history, cultural studies, art, music, philosophy, and languages), although quantitative approaches make good complements
- demonstrate a familiarity with the ethical and moral questions that attend the human condition and the human experience
- demonstrate an openness to and an appreciation of the richness and diversity of the human condition and experience
Goal 2: Interpretive and critical thinking
Upon completion of the major program of study in Humanities, students will be able to
- research topics, themes, and questions
- summarize content in materials from the various fields of the humanities
- interpret humanities texts critically through close reading
- create a valid argument, while differentiating between argument and opinion
Goal 3: Discourse and dialogue
Upon completion of the major program of study in Humanities, students will be able to
- write in a professional manner
- speak in a professional manner
Goal 4: Professionalism
Upon completion of the major program of study in Humanities, students will be able to
- adapt to professional culture
- manifest good work etiquette
- explore career options
Choose seven additional courses from the following areas*: 21 credits
Art History
Communication
English
History
Music
Philosophy
Studio Arts
* At least three different areas must be represented, and at least two courses must be at the 300 level
Service Learning: 3 credits
Additional Requirements: 12-27 credits
Social Science Electives AI (PS): 6-7 credits
Science Electives AI (S): 6-8 credits
Foreign Language**: 0-12 credits
** The Foreign Language Proficiency requirement is detailed in the Academic Information section.
General Education Core Requirements and remaining Unrestricted Electives***: 28-43 credits
*** Students who plan to go to graduate school should plan to take the Math 201: Introduction to Statistics.
Minimum credits required for graduation: 120
Courses listed below fulfill Area of Inquiry requirements:Aesthetic
ARTH 103 or 104: Art History I or Art History II
Historical
HIST 103: World Civilization I
HIST 104: World Civilization II
HIST 123: American Civilization I
HIST 124: American Civilization II
Multicultural
HIST 208: Sub-Saharan Africa After 1800
HIST 209: China from 1600 to Present
HIST 210: Latin America from Colonial Period to Present
HIST 211: Middle East and Islamic World Since 1800
Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
HUM103 | Invitation to the Humanities | 3 |
HUM399 | Humanities Internship Seminar | 1 |
HUM400 | Humanities Field Experience | 4 |
HUM419 | Seminar in Hum: Readings & Research | 3 |
HUM420 | Seminar in Humanities | 3 |
PHIL101 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
Choose 1 from the following: | ||
COM101 | Understanding Mass Media | 3 |
COM103 | Human Communication | 3 |
Choose 1 from the following: | ||
ENG210 | Survey of American Literature | 3 |
ENG218 | British Literature | 3 |
Choose 1 from the following: | ||
ENG304 | Stories of Origin | 3 |
ENG312 | Literature of Postcolonial World | 3 |
ENG313 | American Multiethnic Literature | 3 |
ENG340 | Classics of World Literature | 3 |
Choose 2 from the following: | ||
HIST103 | World Civilization I | 3 |
HIST104 | World Civilization II | 3 |
HIST123 | American Civilization I | 3 |
HIST124 | American Civilization II | 3 |
Choose 1 from the following: | ||
HIST208 | Sub-Saharan Africa after 1800 | 3 |
HIST209 | China from 1600 to Present | 3 |
HIST210 | Latin Amer Colonial Period to Present | 3 |
HIST211 | Middle East & Islamic World Since 1800 | 3 |
Choose 1 from the following: | ||
ARTH103 | Art History I | 3 |
ARTH104 | Art History II | 3 |
Choose 1 from the following: | ||
MUS101 | Music Appreciation I | 3 |
MUS102 | Music Appreciation II | 3 |
Social Science | ||
ANTH101 | Principles of Anthropology | 3 |
CJ101 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
ECON101 | Principles of Econ-Micro | 3 |
ECON103 | Economics of Social Issues | 3 |
ENV101 | Introduction to Environmental Studies | 3 |
LS101 | Foundations of American Legal System | 3 |
POLS101 | American Government | 3 |
POLS201 | State & Local Government | 3 |
POLS202 | Issues in Contemporary Political Thought | 3 |
PSYC101 | Psychological Perspectives | 3 |
SMGT101 | Sport & Society | 3 |
SOC101 | Sociological Imagination | 3 |
SOC102 | Introduction to Women's Studies | 3 |
Scientific | ||
ANTH103 | Human Origins | 3 |
ENV211 | Environmental Science | 3 |
ENV220 | World Geography | 3 |
Choose seven additional courses from the following areas*: 21 credits
Art History
Communication
English
History
Music
Philosophy
Studio Arts
* At least three different areas must be represented, and at least two courses must be at the 300 level
Service Learning: 3 credits
Additional Requirements: 12-27 credits
Social Science Electives AI (PS): 6-7 credits
Science Electives AI (S): 6-8 credits
Foreign Language**: 0-12 credits
** The Foreign Language Proficiency requirement is detailed in the Academic Information section.
General Education Core Requirements and remaining Unrestricted Electives***: 28-43 credits
*** Students who plan to go to graduate school should plan to take the Math 201: Introduction to Statistics.
Minimum credits required for graduation: 120
Courses listed below fulfill Area of Inquiry requirements:
Aesthetic
ARTH 103 or 104: Art History I or Art History II
Historical
HIST 103: World Civilization I
HIST 104: World Civilization II
HIST 123: American Civilization I
HIST 124: American Civilization II
Multicultural
HIST 208: Sub-Saharan Africa After 1800
HIST 209: China from 1600 to Present
HIST 210: Latin America from Colonial Period to Present
HIST 211: Middle East and Islamic World Since 1800
ECON101 - Principles of Econ-Micro
This course is an introduction to the principles of the economic behavior of individuals, firms, and industries in the mixed economic system. Topics include consumer demand; elasticity; supply and costs of production; the allocation of economic resources; international trade; and the role of government in promoting economic welfare. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in MATH 103 or placement in any math course above MATH 103.
ECON103 - Economics of Social Issues
This course examines a broad range of social issues from an economics perspective. Designed for non-business majors, the course provides an introduction to economic reasoning and to some basic economic concepts which are then used to analyze a variety of social problems. Possible topics include poverty, unemployment, agriculture, discrimination, crime, pollution, education, health care, social security, and third world development. Prerequisite: A grade of C or above in Math 103 or placement in any math course above Math 103.
HIST203 - The History of Women in U.S.
This course explores the social history of women in the United States, beginning in the colonial period and ending with an examination of twentieth century issues. Emphasis is on the image of women held during these periods, in contrast to actual conditions. Contributions of women to social change and the growth of women’s movements are also analyzed. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST204 - Recent American History
This course focuses on the presidencies beginning with Kennedy to the present. Work is divided roughly into three areas: foreign affairs; domestic politics; economic, social, and cultural needs. Topics range from the Vietnam War to the Iraq War, the weakening of Congress and the expansion of the presidency, the women's movement, changes in popular culture, and domestic economic developments. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST207 - African American History
This course explores the history of African Americans in the United States from their African beginnings to the present. It traces the lives and status of African Americans, enslaved and emancipated, as they confronted the barriers of legal, institutional, and cultural prejudices; examines the socioeconomic and political experiences of blacks in America; and investigates strategies of accommodation, resistance, and protest in the struggle of African Americans to gain human and first-class citizenship rights. This is a writing-intensive course. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST208 - Sub-Saharan Africa after 1800
This survey of sub-Saharan African history explores the ongoing story of African political, social, and economic developments from the post trans-Atlantic slave trade period to the present. The course includes treatment of the impact of European merchants, missionaries, and adventurers on Africa from the time immediately preceding imperialism and colonialism up through the emergence of nationalism and decolonization and liberation movements. The new nation-states, their post-colonial economies, and their developing systems of justice, education, and rule are investigated. Finally, topics such as soil erosion, disease, conservation, famine, and Africa’s relationships with the wider world are discussed. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST209 - China from 1600 to Present
This course is a survey of modern Chinese history from the founding of the Qing Dynasty in the seventeenth century to Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms of the 1990s. Special attention will be paid to modernization, Western and Japanese imperialism in China, and the rise of Communism under Mao Zedong. In addition to learning about important milestones in Chinese history, students will also be introduced to aspects of Chinese art, culture, and women's issues through primary sources translated into English. This is a writing-intensive course. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST210 - Latin Amer Colonial Period to Present
This survey looks at Latin American history from pre-Columbian to contemporary times. Emphasis is on native cultures, the “discovery” of the New World, European presence, colonialism, imperialism, the creation of the peasantry, wars of independence, the formation of nation-states, the role of the military, slavery and racism, development and underdevelopment, the Catholic Church, liberation theology, poverty, and revolution. Major emphasis in South America is on Argentina, Columbia, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, and the Portuguese speaking nation of Brazil. The course also includes examination of foreign intervention and inner instability in Mexico, including struggles for democracy, economic rights, and social justice. In the Hispanic Caribbean and Central America, especially, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama, land and labor systems, gender relations, race and ethnicity, and varied forms of rule are discussed. This is a writing intensive course. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST211 - Middle East & Islamic World Since 1800
This course looks at the Middle East and its relations with the wider world, from the appearance of Napoleon to the present. Topics include attempts at reform and modernization in the Ottoman Empire; the impact of Western imperialism on the region as a whole; and twentieth-century developments in the area, including nationalism, pan-Arabism, pan-Islamism, the cult of the personality, coup, revolution, Zionism, and the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation. The economic and social impact of oil, the influence of fundamentalism, and the Great Power rivalry down through the position of the United States toward the area are investigated. The efforts of Iran to gain acceptance in/by the contemporary world is examined, as is the shifting attitude of Egypt toward modernity. Finally, connections between the region and the rest of the Islamic world are explored. This is a writing-intensive course. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST212 - Mod Japan: Culture & History
This course is a survey of Japan's modernization from the fall of the "warring states" period to the economic bubble of the 1980s. Special attention will be paid to the contributions of the "early modern" Tokugawa Shogunate, the Meiji period of cultural borrowing from the West, and the cultural nationalism of the Japanese empire until 1945. In addition to learning about important milestones in Japanese history, students will be introduced to aspects of Japanese art and culture through a variety of primary and secondary sources and film clips. This is a presentation-intensive course. Prerequisite: a 100 level history course or ENG 102.
HIST330 - Europe & The World/ Age of Expansion
This course examines political, economic, social, scientific, and religious developments that contributed to European desire for land and power, and also to fantasies and phobias directed by European conquerors toward those whom they subdued and subjected to Western rule. The reaction toward the white Westerners on the part of those exploited is also explored. The period covered is from the mid-fifteenth century through the eighteenth century. Prerequisite: a 200 level history course or permission of instructor.
PSYC221 - Child Development
This course examines the physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional development of the child from birth to adolescence. The contributions of social and cultural experiences as well as the role of biological factors in development are examined as are major theories of development. Students are introduced to the research approaches used to study human development and may be required to carry out observations in various settings. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
PSYC223 - Adolescent Psychology
This course provides a survey of contemporary knowledge of the human brain, examining normal developmental brain processes and common brain functions. The course also covers common disorders and emphasizes understanding the impact of atypical brain development and the consequences of brain trauma. Intervention strategies and treatment are included. Prerequisite: PSYC101
Stephanie Athey
Professor of Cultural Studies, Director of the Honors Program
Office: Winslow
Email: sathey@lasell.edu
Dennis Frey Jr
Dean of Curricular Integration, Director of Rosemary B Fuss Teaching and Learning Center, Professor of History
Office: Winslow
Email: dfrey@lasell.edu
Jose Guzman
Professor of Humanities, Coordinator of World Language Program
Office: Winslow
Email: JoGuzman@lasell.edu
Lizbeth Piel
Chair of Humanities; Associate Professor of Humanities
Office: Winslow
Email: lpiel@lasell.edu