Program in Humanistic Studies

Academic Unit

Program Information

The Program in Humanistic Studies, under the auspices of the Council of the Humanities, sponsors two kinds of offerings. HUM courses explore interrelated events, ideas, texts, and artifacts of Western and Asian cultures. Students in these courses may work toward a certificate in interdisciplinary studies in the humanities.

Humanistic Studies

Humanistic Studies courses offer broad interdisciplinary exploration to students in all fields. Those who wish to pursue this approach beyond their first two years may design a curriculum reflecting their specific interests. The interdisciplinary Program in Humanistic Studies is appropriate for students who are concentrating in a humanities or related social science department and who wish to reflect on the frontiers of disciplines, the bridges that connect them, and the insights that can be gained from approaching one field with the questions and methods of another. In addition to acquiring a strong base in their home departments, students in the program create links to one or more fields that can illuminate their work.

Informal pathways include Medical Humanities, Urban Humanities and Digital Humanities.

Information and Departmental Plan of Study

Prerequisites for the certificate in Humanistic Studies

Candidates for the program must complete two interdisciplinary courses during their first two years. These might be: (1) HUM 216-217 or 218-219, Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture; or (2) HUM 233-234, East Asian Humanities; or (3) two other, equivalent courses that provide a rigorous interdisciplinary approach to the arts and culture over a span of historical time. (Applicants who seek to fulfill the prerequisites through this third option must submit syllabi of the two courses for which they are requesting approval.) Students are admitted to the program during the second semester of their sophomore year.

Plan of Study

In addition to the two prerequisites, students complete six additional courses, which may also be used to fulfill departmental requirements. Four of these six courses must be explicitly interdisciplinary in their approach and/or subject matter. The remaining two are chosen in consultation with the program adviser to coordinate with the student's individual plan of study. In these courses, students are expected to forge their own interdisciplinary connections and pursue them in their written work. One of the six courses is an interdisciplinary capstone seminar created specifically for certificate students. Students in the program must also complete either a senior thesis in their home departments with an interdisciplinary focus or an interdisciplinary research paper written specifically for the program.

Applicants to the program are encouraged to reflect on the meaningful connections they wish to forge and to propose a curriculum for their junior and senior years that combines the requirements of their home departments with the pursuits that best complement their interests. These individual paths are likely to group into five major trajectories:

1. Bridges among the humanities and arts

Students on this path deepen their study of one particular partnership among the possible combinations of religion, philosophy, history, literature, and the arts.

2. Bridges between the humanities and related social sciences

Students on this path focus on the intersections between a specific branch of the humanities and a neighboring field of anthropology, sociology, or politics.

3. Intercultural studies

Students might illuminate their study of Western culture with comparative approaches to other areas of the world, for example, or study one or more regions through different methodologies. In this pursuit, they might benefit from participating in global seminars or other opportunities for study abroad.

4. Bridges between the humanities and the sciences

These students, while concentrating in the humanities or social sciences, might explore links to cognitive science or other sciences.

5. Digital approaches to the humanities

Students in this group might create new kinds of knowledge by examining some area with the resources and insights of computer science.

Capstone Seminar

HUM 470 Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

This team-taught seminar examines texts, objects, periods, and themes from an interdisciplinary perspective. The specific topic varies each year depending on the focus of the faculty team.

Courses

HUM 205 The Classical Roots of Western Literature (See COM 205)

HUM 206 Masterworks of European Literature (See COM 206)

HUM 207 The Bible as Literature (See ENG 390)

HUM 209 Thinking Translation: Language Transfer and Cultural Communication (See TRA 200)

HUM 212 Classical Mythology (See CLA 212)

HUM 213 The Lucid Black and Proud Musicology of Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka (See LCA 213)

HUM 216 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture I: Literature and the Arts Fall LA This course, taken simultaneously with 217, forms the first part of an intensive, four-course (216-219) interdisciplinary introduction to Western culture. Part I extends from antiquity to the Middle Ages. These courses bring together students and several faculty members to discuss key texts, events, and artifacts of European civilization. Readings and discussions are complemented by films, concerts, museum visits, guest lectures, and other special events. Students enroll in both 216 and 217. Three lectures, two discussion sessions. E. Rentzou, D. Heller-Roazen, Y. Baraz

HUM 217 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture I: History, Philosophy, and Religion Fall HA In combination with 216, this is the first part of a year-long interdisciplinary sequence exploring Western culture. Students enroll in both 216 and 217. All meetings are listed under 216. B. Kitzinger, M. Larsen, B. Morison

HUM 218 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture II: Literature and the Arts Spring LA This course, taken simultaneously with 219, forms the second part of an intensive, four-course (216-219) interdisciplinary introduction to Western culture. Part II extends from the Renaissance to the modern period. These courses bring together students and several faculty members to discuss key texts, events, and artifacts of European civilization. Readings and discussions are complemented by films, concerts, museum visits, and other special events. Students enroll in both 218 and 219. Prerequisites: 216-217 or instructor J. Dolven, J. Billings, S. Eich

HUM 219 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture II: History, Philosophy, and Religion Spring EC In combination with 218, this is the second half of a year-long interdisciplinary sequence exploring Western culture from the 15th to the 20th centuries. Prerequisite: 216-217 or instructor's permission. All meetings are listed under 218. K. Emmerich, J. Müller, E. Rentzou

HUM 222 Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion (See REL 222)

HUM 226 Introduction to Irish Studies (See ENG 228)

HUM 227 The World of the Middle Ages (See MED 227)

HUM 229 Great Books in Buddhism (See REL 229)

HUM 233 East Asian Humanities I: The Classical Foundations (also

EAS 233

COM 233

) Fall EM An introduction to the literature, art, religion, and philosophy of China, Japan, and Korea from antiquity to ca. 1400. Readings are focused on primary texts in translation and complemented by museum visits, films, and other materials from the visual arts. The lecturers include faculty members from East Asian studies, comparative literature, art and archaeology, and religion. Students are encouraged to enroll in HUM 234 in the spring, which continues the course from ca. 1400 into the 20th century. A. Shields

HUM 234 East Asian Humanities II: Traditions and Transformations (also

EAS 234

COM 234

) Spring EM An introduction to the literary, philosophical, religious, and artistic traditions of East Asia. Readings are focused on primary texts in translation. Lectures and discussions are accompanied by films, concerts, and museum visits. Lecturers include faculty members from East Asian studies, comparative literature, art and archaeology, and religion. Staff

HUM 242 Greek Tragedy from Ancient Athens to Ferguson (See CLA 242)

HUM 275 La Serenissima: Music, Culture, and Society in Early Modern Venice (See MUS 275)

HUM 290 Jesus and Buddha (also

REL 282

) Fall EM This course introduces the study of religion by juxtaposing the narratives, teachings, careers and legacies of the founders of Christianity and Buddhism. While respecting each tradition's unique and distinctive texts, rituals, philosophies, and histories, the course invites us to deepen our understanding of each tradition by looking through the lens of the other. Course readings will include accounts of the lives of Jesus and Buddha, what each taught about how to live and create society, and how each understood the meaning of life and death, suffering and salvation. J. Gold, E. Pagels

HUM 297 Transformative Questions in Biology (See STC 297)

HUM 300 Urban Studies Research Seminar (See URB 300)

HUM 301 Topics in German Drama and Theater (See GER 301)

HUM 304 Plato's Republic (See PHI 305)

HUM 306 Creating the Universe: Buddhist Science, Ritual, and Art (See REL 306)

HUM 307 The Irish Oral Tradition (See MUS 307)

HUM 309 Political Philosophy (See PHI 309)

HUM 316 Social Philosophy (See PHI 316)

HUM 317 Dance in Education: Dance/Theater Pedagogy (See DAN 316)

HUM 326 Philosophy of Art (See PHI 326)

HUM 330 Migration, Religion, and Literature: From Genesis to Toni Morrison (See REL 330)

HUM 332 Who Owns This Sentence? Copyright Culture from the Romantic Era to the Age of the Internet (See COM 332)

HUM 336 The Prado Museum: A Virtual Tour of Spain (See SPA 336)

HUM 341 What is Vernacular Filmmaking? - Rhetoric for Cinema Studies (See COM 341)

HUM 343 Some Contemporary Shakespearean Afterlives (See THR 343)

HUM 345 Art and Knowledge in the Nineteenth Century (See ART 345)

HUM 346 Introduction to Digital Humanities (also

AMS 348

LAS 385

COM 336

) Spring LA Have you ever wondered how to measure the complexity of a literary text? What if you could map the personal connections in a Jane Austen novel or a Shakespeare play? Have you had an intuition that you haven't been able to follow because processing the information was too intimidating? If so, the digital humanities can help you. This course will explore the large and exciting field of digital humanities. You'll learn how to read and understand texts using DH methods and will start your own DH project. C. Wills

HUM 349 The Artist at Work (See ART 349)

HUM 350 Battle Lab: The Battle of Princeton (also

ART 302

AMS 352

) Fall HA Revolution! Espionage! Alexander Hamilton! George Washington! Cannon fire on Nassau Hall! This fall, think outside of the classroom and explore the past in your own backyard: Revolutionary-era Princeton and the physical remains of the legendary battle between American and British forces on January 3, 1777. What happened on that day? Who died? Where are their bones? Why are lawyers fighting over the land? In this new, interdisciplinary course, you will undertake to answer these questions and help solve the longstanding puzzle of the Battle of Princeton. In the process, you will explore how events of the past persistently shape the present day. R. DeLue, N. Arrington

HUM 357 The Human Comedy of Anton Chekhov Off and On Stage (In English Translation) (See SLA 357)

HUM 360 The Eagle and the Dragon: Comparing Ancient Rome and Han Empire (See CLA 360)

HUM 365 Freud on the Psychological Foundations of the Mind (also

PSY 365

) Fall EC Freud is approached as a systematic thinker dedicated to discovering the basic principles of human mental life. For Freud, these basic principles concern what impels human thought and behavior. What moves us to think and act? What is it to think and act? Emphasis is placed on the close study and critical analysis of texts, with particular attention to the underlying structure of the arguments. Two 90-minute classes. S. Sugarman

HUM 368 Literature and Medicine (See SLA 368)

HUM 371 Topics in Comparative Literature (See COM 370)

HUM 372 Love and Violence through Words: Modern Chinese Literature in the Age of Revolution (See EAS 371)

HUM 374 Afterlives of the Iliad (See COM 374)

HUM 383 The Black Metropolis (See FRE 383)

HUM 385 Mapping Gentrification (See URB 385)

HUM 397 From Eros to Sin: Augustine's Transfiguration of Plato (See REL 397)

HUM 400 Translation, Migration and Culture (See TRA 400)

HUM 401 History of Neuroscience (See PSY 401)

HUM 414 Fear and France (See FRE 414)

HUM 421 Venice and the Mediterranean World (See HIS 421)

HUM 432 Art and Music in the Middle Ages (See MUS 432)

HUM 449 Making Sense of the City (See ARC 449)

HUM 456 New Orleans at 300: Invention & Reinvention in an American City (See HIS 456)

HUM 470 Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities (also

COM 434

ECS 470

) Fall/Spring LA This team-taught seminar examines texts, objects, periods and themes from an interdisciplinary perspective. Although designed to be the capstone course for students pursuing a certificate in Humanistic Studies, it is open to other students if space is available. The specific topic varies each year depending on the focus of the faculty team. Staff

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Program in Humanistic Studies

Academic Unit

Information and Departmental Plan of Study

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