Program Purpose

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The term humanities refers to the study of human intellectual and artistic creativity and the record of human experience as seen in the arts and letters. The Interdisciplinary Humanities major is, therefore, a major drawing from literature, foreign languages, history, philosophy, visual art, and music, and a discipline in its own right with a methodology for the study of cultural and intellectual history and, to a lesser extent, aesthetics. The Interdisciplinary Humanities undergraduate curriculum emphasizes the development of skills in reasoning, critical thinking, language, writing, and library use but serves students who seek more latitude than single-discipline programs offer in developing a broad and full program in the liberal arts that is not confined to one art form or national tradition. The curriculum approaches questions of human values and expression important to all cultures - the nature of the beautiful, the meaning of human existence, the search for the divine, the nature of historical epochs, etc. - through comparative studies. A major in Interdisciplinary Humanities prepares the student for further graduate work in the humanistic disciplines and in professional schools, for teaching in public and private schools, or for employment in business, government, technology, tourism, and civil or foreign service.

Curricular Structure

• Complete the following:
• IHUM 250 : Introduction to Interdisciplinary Humanities.
  IHUM 280R : Sophomore Seminar in Interdisciplinary Humanities.
• Complete the following historical foundation courses:
• IHUM 201 : Western Humanities 1: Antiquity to Renaissance.
  andIHUM 202 : Western Humanities 2: Renaissance to the Present.
• CL CV 110 : Introduction to Greek and Roman Literature.
  orCL CV 241 : Greek and Roman Mythology.
• IHUM 240 : Introduction to the Humanities of Asia.
  orIHUM 242 : Introduction to the Humanities of the Islamic World.
• And two courses from the following:IHUM 260 : Humanities of Latin America.
  IHUM 261 : Introduction to American Humanities 1: Colonial Era Through 1876.
  IHUM 262 : Introduction to American Humanities 2: 1877 to the Present.
• Complete one upper-division foreign language course selected from the approved course list available from the advisement center. Majors are strongly encouraged to take a literature course in which works are read in the foreign language. Conversation courses, ASL, and music courses do not meet this requirement. The requirement may be met with European, Asian, or Middle-Eastern languages that have a written literary tradition and that are a language of scholarship. French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese are especially recommended, as are classical Greek and Latin.
• Complete the following:IHUM 350 : Interpretation of Literature and the Arts.
  IHUM 370 : Contemporary Issues in the Humanities.
• Complete the following:IHUM 390R : Junior Seminar in the Interdisciplinary Humanities: Movements, Periods, and Areas.
• Complete the following or an equivalent type of experiential learning opportunity such as Academic Internship (IHUM 399R), Study Abroad, field studies, ORCA fellowship, or Honors thesis.
• Note: Students taking IHum 399R will work with the IHum internship coordinator and a mentoring professor; students choosing one of the other alternatives must gain approval from the section head.
• Complete a core of 12 hours from the following tracks: English, history, art history, foreign literature, media arts (film), philosophy, environmental humanities, or theatre (n.b. philosophy or foreign literature courses taken to meet requirement 6 above may not count toward the tracks in those disciplines). Faculty advisors must approve the student's track. Courses in the tracks are to be selected from the approved course list available from the advisement center. Exceptions must be cleared by the IHUM section head. At least 6 of the 12 hours must be in upper-division courses.
• Complete six hours of the following capstone course (take twice):IHUM 490R : Seminar in the Humanities.
• (Prerequisite: IHum 250, 350. Recommended: IHum 370.)

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Catalog Information
Department Information
Major Academic Plan English Emphasis

Learning Outcomes

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Cultural and Intellectual History

Demonstrate broad interdisciplinary knowledge of cultural and intellectual history, including proficiency in a foreign language.

 

Proficiency in Interdisciplinary Approaches to Humanities

Demonstrate proficiency in interdisciplinary approaches to the humanistic tradition as well as concentrated coursework in a chosen track.

 

Critical Thinking, Research, and Writing Skills

Demonstrate the skills of humanistic study, i.e. analyze, think critically and write clearly and persuasively.

Post-baccalaureate Preparation, Lifelong Learning, Service

Prepare for career or post-baccalaureate education through additional concentrated coursework specifically related to individual educational and career goals.

Evidence of Learning

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Direct Measures

For historical foundations courses:

• Examinations: constructed to measure students' mastery of factual knowledge as well as to assess their analytical skills through mandatory essay components
• Writing assignments: 12-15 pages of writing combining formal analysis, evidence of critical thinking, and construction of persuasive arguments
• Grades: passing grade (C or above) considered sufficient evidence of adequate skill set for continuation in the major

For gateway course (IHUM 250):

• Examinations: constructed to measure mastery of factual knowledge of formal elements of the various disciplines studied in interdisciplinary humanities (visual arts, literature, music, drama, film, etc.)
• Writing assignments: short papers and final writing project formulated to allow students to demonstrate acquired skills in formal analysis of cultural artifacts, critical thinking, and construction of persuasive arguments based on evidence gathered from close reading
• Grades: passing grade (C or above) considered sufficient evidence of adequate skill set for continuation in the major

For theory course (IHUM 350):

• Examinations: constructed to allow students to demonstrate understanding of current theoretical models and strategies used in the interpretation of cultural artifacts drawn from at least two categories of traditional humanistic disciplines (literature, visual arts, music, film, etc.)
• Writing assignments: short papers and final writing project formulated to allow students to demonstrate basic understanding of theoretical approaches to interpretation
• Grades: passing grade (C or above) considered sufficient evidence of the student having acquired an analytical skill set adequate for continuation in the major

For senior seminar (capstone) courses:

• Examinations: designed to demonstrate both mastery of factual knowledge relevant to the topic studied in the seminar and critical thinking
• Writing assignments: final writing project of significant length (14-20 pages) to demonstrate mastery of relevant scholarship, evidence of original thought, and construction of persuasive arguments
• Grades: passing grade (C or above) considered sufficient evidence of satisfactory acquisition of skills requisite for completion of major

Annual writing evaluation retreat:

• Team of selected faculty spend two days reading a representative sample of written work archived by students from all levels of coursework in the major in the College of Humanities digital archive
• Report submitted to the IHUM section on team's assessment of demonstrated writing skills
• Assessment report generates curricular modifications as needed

Indirect Measures

- Entrance survey: upon declaration of intended major, administered by college advisement center

- Exit survey: administered either by advisement center when intent to graduate forms are filed or by humanities faculty while student is enrolled in final senior seminar (capstone) course

- Course evaluations that ask questions directly linked to published program learning outcomes

- Alumni survey: administered by university but with specific sectional learning outcomes categories

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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Direct Measures

1. Report of writing evaluation committee is submitted annually to the IHUM section head who then shares the results with the section faculty.

2. Any problem areas noted in the report are discussed in section meetings where necessary curricular adjustments are proposed in terms of number and types of writing assignments, additional student mentoring, and/or classroom instruction.

3. Regular review of course syllabi for each level of the curriculum--with attention to uniformity across sections of course content, workload, writing assignments, exam measures, etc.--is conducted by faculty committees appointed by the IHUM section head.

4. Curriculum committees, the section head, and individual faculty all participate in formulating improvements. Additional modifications may be suggested, of course, by those bodies that conduct more formal reviews, i.e. accreditation teams, university review committees, etc. The department chair and section head supervise the implementation of these improvements. The chair, section head, and, in some cases, assigned faculty mentors also track the progress of individual faculty member's improvements

Indirect Measures:

1. As survey results become available each year, the IHUM section head will task a faculty committee with evaluating responses of seniors and alumni. The committee will draft a written report to the IHUM section.

2. The faculty committee report will address specifically those areas in which published program learning outcomes have not been achieved in the opinions of the student learners.

3. The results will help inform section discussions of curricular modifications as needed.