The Bachelor of Arts in Humanities

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Major Academic Plans page or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum (Executive Memorandum 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog for more details on the four courses.  The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

• Any upper-division Writing (W) course.

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (Executive Order 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Course Requirements for the Major: 40-42 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.

Some courses appear under more than one area heading, but each course may be used to fulfill requirements in only one area.

Major Core Program: 16 units

6 courses required:

Language Requirement: 6-8 units

2 semesters of language, or pass an oral and written proficiency exam, or equivalent proficiency (on request).

2 courses selected from:

Romance and Germanic Languages:

Courses must be selected from the third and fourth semester levels:

OR (the following course may be substituted for the above)

OR (the following course may be substituted for the above)

Classical, non-Romance, and non-Germanic Languages:

Courses may be selected from the first and second semester levels of a single language:

Note: ARAB 199 must be taken for 3 units.

Note: HBRW 199 must be taken for 3 units.

Period/Area Studies: 9 units

3 courses selected from:

Choose one course from each of the 3 groups:

English:

History:

Art History:

Electives: 9 units

3 courses selected from:

Select 3 courses from the disciplines below or any of the courses above in Period/Area Studies.

Art and Art History

Cultural Anthropology

English

International Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

   Or up to 3 literature courses in a foreign language:

History

Honors

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
HNRS 201W	Beauty (W)		3.0	FA	GE  W
Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors Program. In this course we investigate and discuss the concept of beauty. What does it mean to say that something is beautiful, or to say that one finds something beautiful? We investigate the concept of beauty, and related concepts, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Philosophy, art, history, biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other academic fields all have important things to say about what beauty is, what it has been taken to be, and the roles that beauty plays and has played in human life. 1.5 hours lecture, 1.5 hours seminar. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021401)
HNRS 203W	Justice (W)		3.0	SP	GE  W
Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors Program. This seminar explores the concept of justice from the perspective of a variety of historical, literary, and philosophical traditions. Students examine the history of the concept of justice and the connections between understandings of justice/fairness and social arrangements. Examples from the arts--including novels, poetry, painting, and/or film--illuminate the changing notions of basic social structure, identity politics, feminism, just war theory, and cosmopolitanism. 1.5 hours lecture, 1.5 hours seminar. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021398)
HNRS 310W	Agents of Change (W)		3.0	FA	GE  W
Prerequisite: Active standing in Honors Program . In Agents of Change we consider the nature of global citizenship and how to create a civically engaged life defined by personal and collective acts in service to the public good. Understanding how to increase the impact and quality of these acts using disciplinary expertise, interdisciplinary scholarship, and collaboration is also emphasized. Readings covered in the course encourage students' personal discernment of values, ethics, and commitments towards contributing to the public good in meaningful ways. We learn how to affect small and large scale social change and how a connected life is grounded in communities of civic practice. Students develop their personal theory of change informed by their discipline and study best practices in civic engagement, social movement, and organizational change efforts. We also learn how to overcome common obstacles to affecting change (personal, political, economic, social) and work with community leaders, departments, and disciplinary advisory boards to create a civic engagement infrastructure for the campus. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021400)
HNRS 340W	Men, Women & the Land: Myths & Realities (W)		3.0	SP	GE  USD  W
This course is team taught across several disciplines: biology, ecology, political economy, sustainability, intellectual history, and literary and cultural studies. Examines the ways people have thought about their relationship to the world, particularly in North America and the American West. Examines how ideas are shaped by environment, and the ways in which different cultures have affected the environment. This course evaluates the sustainability of past and current relationships to the land, and also considers a number of future possibilities for positive change. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (020913)

Music

Philosophy

Religious Studies

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
RELS 300W	Religions of East Asia (W)		3.0	FA	W
This discussion-centered, project-directed course is a complement to RELS 200 (Religion in South Asia). It introduces elementary concepts of comparative religion and the basics of East Asian history. Afterward, it provides basic knowledge of major traditions and important 3 hours discussion. This is an approved Writing Course. (021568)
RELS 306	Roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam		3.0	FA
This course introduces students to the formation and early history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with a a special focus on the scriptural traditions of those three religions. 3 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (021561)
RELS 308	Judaism, Christianity, and Islam since the Crusades		3.0	SP
Prerequisite: RELS 306 for RELS majors only. This course explores the development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the crusades to the modern era. Major topics include the teachings of each tradition on war, peace, and conflict; religious diversity among the three traditions, especially in response to modernity and globalization; and the role of ritual in the three traditions. 3 hours lecture. (021416)
RELS 323	Religion and Nature		3.0	SP
What is the place of human beings in the natural world? Do humans have a responsibility to other species? Are human beings primarily of nature or above or apart from nature? Is the proper role of humans to manipulate and control the natural world or to harmonize and conform their lives to the ways of nature? How have different beliefs about the existence or non-existence of divine or supernatural beings influenced human attitudes and behaviors toward the natural environment? What are some of the ways in which religions have shaped attitudes towards nature in specific historical and cultural contexts? What kinds of ritual practices do different cultures engage in concerning the natural world? This course considers a variety of religious and secular perspectives on these questions as well as responses to contemporary environmental issues, such as pollution and climate change. Special attention is given to the perspectives and practices of indigenous cultures. 3 hours seminar. (021621)
RELS 480	Theories and Criticisms of Religion		3.0	FA
A study of the history, theories, and methods of religious studies as a scholarly and academic discipline, with emphasis on the biographical and historical contexts of significant contributors to the discipline and their classic works. Topics include secular vs. religious approaches to the study of religion and the contrast between religious insiders' and outsiders' perspectives; alternative theories of the origins and functions of religion; and debates over whether religion is a positive or negative influence in the lives of individuals and social groups. 3 hours seminar. (008191)

Theatre Arts

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major:

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:

• You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
• You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
• Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
• Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.

To be eligible for Honors in the Humanities Program, students must have completed at least 30 units of course work in the major with grades that place them in the top 5% of Humanities majors. Students will enroll for 6 units of credit in HUMN 499H.

Humanities and Art History Double Major

Students may elect a Humanities and Art History double major. Up to 9 units of appropriate upper-division Art History (ARTH) courses may be applied to the Humanities major. Prior approval by a department advisor and the chair is required.