Humanities Major in Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture Major

The Major is designed to meet the following criteria:

To furnish students with an understanding of the history of the concept of culture and of the ways in which that concept has developed in various disciplines and from different philosophical and theoretical points of view.
To allow the combination of gradual specialization and a sustained interdisciplinary approach. As students progress through the major they will be required to consider cultural phenomena from a variety of intellectual perspectives; this will entail detailed study of specific topics in different disciplines.
To facilitate the choice of an interdisciplinary topic for the senior thesis in the fourth year. The breadth of the previous years’ work is intended to allow a considered decision on the topic of the thesis as well as a wide scope within which to work.

Requirements for the Major

A major in the Humanities Major: Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture requires a minimum of 10 courses including a senior thesis.

Courses in Theory and Method (three courses)

Two HMSC Theory Courses numbered 120-139
One Method Course to be determined in consultation with the department chair

Examples of Method courses (for illustration purposes only):
ANTH 002 SC - Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
ENGL180 SC Seminar in Literary Theory
PHIL 154 SC - Philosophy of Social Sciences

Courses in Topics in the Study of Culture (four courses)

After consultation with their faculty adviser(s) in the major, students must take four courses, normally a combination of HMSC offerings in the Study of Culture and courses from different disciplines; at least three of these courses must be upper-level.

Specialized Courses (at least three courses)

Two additional upper-level courses relating to the thesis topic, normally from different disciplines, to be selected by the student after consultation with the faculty adviser in the major.
Senior Thesis

Honors Requirements

In addition to completing all the requirements of the major, a student who wishes to pursue the Honors Program in Humanities: Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture must:

receive a GPA of 3.67 in the major;
earn a grade of A or A- on the senior thesis; and
successfully defend thesis before members of the HMSC faculty and/or readers of the candidate’s senior thesis.

Students must apply in writing to the chair by the end of the junior year, outlining the cluster of courses they will take to complete the major and indicating their relevance to the senior thesis project they intend to carry out.