Humanities
Thinking Critically and Creatively
The required courses in the Humanities Department will build your skills in reading, writing, critical thinking, and communication; aesthetic and cultural awareness; and humanistic inquiry.
What Will You Study?
You'll first take a composition course that focuses on the skills necessary for logical presentation of thoughts and ideas. In your second semester, you will take a literature course where you will read, analyze, and interpret fiction, poetry, and drama for meaning, technique, cultural and historical context, and significance as literary art. After taking these two courses as a base, you'll take two additional courses from the Humanities department.
Learning Outcomes
Communication Competences
Students should be able to read, write, speak, and listen effectively and be able to express and process ideas clearly and succinctly. They should demonstrate academic integrity in written and oral communication.
Higher Order Thinking
Students should be able to perform higher order thinking skills to include both critical and creative thinking. They should be able to apply the elements of reasoning and be able to use criteria and intellectual standards in order to make decisions, analyze arguments, solve problems, and create original ideas.
Multicultural Perspective
Students should be able to defend and or apply the principle that people should be valued as individuals regardless of heritage, race, or gender. They should also identify and appreciate the similarities and differences amongst people from various nations and cultures.
Artistic Appreciation
Students should demonstrate a knowledge of and sensitivity toward a variety of different art forms including the fine arts, the performing arts, and literature.
Contextual Awareness
Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of various social, historical, and cultural contexts in order to anticipate, promote, and adjust to change in socially complex professional and personal roles.
Writing Proficiency Exam
The Writing Proficiency Exam is administered at the end of English Composition (in your first semester). The importance of this exam is to gauge your academic and professional writing skills as you progress to courses in your major and into graduate school or the workplace. Depending on your score, you may be required to then take Applied Writing (HU-6062) to ensure your writing success.
Additional resources on the Writing Proficiency Exam
Preparing for Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) Fall 2024 Workshop Schedule & Sign Up
Publications through our Humanities Department
Turning Tides
Turning Tides is the Academy's literature and arts journal. Current students, staff, and faculty are invited to submit pieces for publication each year. Submissions are selected for publication by the student editorial staff.
Recent Issues