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HU 200 Imagination and Wisdom (3)
The course introduces the student to study in central humanities disciplines: literature, fine arts, history, and philosophy or theology. The approach begins with an introduction to each discipline as a distinct area and proceeds to explore their interdependence and integration. Through a thematic approach the course argues that the unique aspect of studies in the humanities is that these disciplines address “wisdom questions” (i.e. questions about the ultimate purpose, meaning, and end of human experience) and the imagination.
HU 201 The Western Tradition I (3)
This is the first half of an interdisciplinary humanities survey. It will focus on the seminal works (literary and artistic), figures, and ideas of Western Civilization, from its beginnings in the Middle East, through classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, to the Renaissance.
HU 202 The Western Tradition II (3)
This is the second half of an interdisciplinary humanities survey. It will focus on the seminal works (literary and artistic), figures, and ideas of Western Civilization, from the Reformation to the end of the Cold War.
  Seminars
HU 501 Classical World View (3)
Examines the emergence of rationalism and humanism in the Hebraic and Hellenic traditions and the tensions within these traditions. Special attention is directed to the problem of evil and the quest for justice in the ancient world.
HU 502 Medieval World View (3)
Explores the roots of some of the most important ideas and images that have shaped Western consciousness, and considers the relation between reason and faith and between divine and human love. Classical and Biblical attitudes are traced through medieval literature and philosophy.
HU 505 Cultural Transitions: 15th-18th Centuries (3)
Surveys the creative forces unleashed by the Italian Renaissance, Protestant and Catholic Reformations, Scientific Revolution, and Enlightenment. Examines the resulting transformation of European society and values that occurred between the 15th and 18th centuries. Important texts from writers such as Machiavelli, Castiglione, Calvin, Loyola, Galileo, Descartes, Hobbes, and Voltaire.
HU 508 Proponents of Culture in the 19th and 20th Centuries (3)
Working from a standpoint established by Matthew Arnold and Lionel Trilling, this course examines works by six authors. Goethe, Melville, and Joyce demonstrate the synthesizing activity of the creative imagination faithful to myth and literary tradition. Marx, Freud, and Wittgenstein demonstrate the analytical activity of the rational mind bent on changing society, the psyche, or language.
HU 526 Concepts of Gender in the Modern World (3)
This course explores how gender concepts and relationships affect the individual’s self-concept in modern culture.
  Focus Courses
HU 520 Freedom of the Artist in the Modern World (3)
A study of the role of society in the making of the 20th-century artist. Focuses on the freedom of style and content in painting as a modern phenomenon with its complex interplay of personality and social processes.
HU 522 Out of the '30s (3)
The years of the Great Depression saw the rise of a new generation of writers who confidently attempted to combine literature and social advocacy. This course examines two groups of writers one predominantly Northern, urban, and progressive; the other predominantly Southern, agrarian, and conservative.
HU 524 Myth, Symbol, and Language (3)
An investigation of the various interpretations of myth as representative of the struggle toward conceptual thought; the interpretation of myth and symbolic form is explored. The latter part of the course focuses on Noam Chomsky’s work Language and the Mind.
HU 528 Visions of Freedom in the Modern World (3)
Examines the diverse concepts of “freedom” that bear upon the individual in the 20th century. By contrasting literary and philosophic figures who worked in relative awareness of each other but who arrived at opposing stands on freedom, the elusive character of the concept is revealed. Selected texts from writers such as Dickens, Mill, James, Eliot, Joyce, Woolf, and Sartre.
HU 530 Social Upheaval and Dramatic Structure (3)
The Vietnam War, violence in the streets, and the unrest on college campuses in America in the late ’60s worked profound changes in the fabric of American life, reflected in the plays of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. This course traces these changes from a background examination of major works by O’Neill, Hellman, Miller, and Williams.
HU 538 Ethics and Business (3)
Focuses upon the current moral climate of business and the relevant ethical theories of philosophy. Moral choices related to such topics as discrimination, hiring and discharge, organizational influences, employee responsibility, and consumerism will be analyzed and evaluated. No previous study of philosophical ethics is required.
HU 540 Death and Dying in Western Culture (3)
This course is concerned with death and dying as a dimension of Western culture from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and utilizes materials from history, art, literature, and medicine. Themes include death as it relates to religion, social class and community, childhood, and cultural expression.
HU 542 Art and Society in Florence (3)
Investigates the relationship of visual arts and social history in the “New Athens” of the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. An examination of the patrons and their influence on style and content, along with a study of the social psychology evidenced in the works of the period. Florentine works will be compared with Siennese works of the same period.
HU 544 Baroque Art (3)
Examines the influences that created and sustained Baroque art in the 16th and 17th centuries. Religious mysticism is examined in light of the political, social, and cultural world and the consequence upon style and iconography.
HU 560 Dante’s Florence and The Divine Comedy (3)
Links The Divine Comedy to specific intellectual and cultural issues in Dante’s world. It also explores the Comedy’s overall design, themes, and linguistic richness.
HU 561 Canterbury Tales and the Late Medieval World (3)
Explores the historical and cultural factors that influenced the ways in which Chaucer invites his audience to enter into dialogue on the era’s central issues. It also studies the Tales’ overall design.
HU 562 Shakespeare: Text and Performance (3)
An intensive study of several Shakespearean plays as both text and performance
HU 580 Independent Study (3)
An investigation of interdisciplinary topics under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Topics must be approved by the Humanities program director. Students should refer to the Guidelines for Independent Study issued by the School of Arts and Sciences.
HU 582 Workshops and Colloquia (3)
Students may periodically register for credit in workshops and colloquia sponsored by the University. Special workshops or colloquia opportunities will be announced by the School of Arts and Sciences one semester in advance.
HU 590 Master's Project (3)
A special independent interdisciplinary project arranged through the Humanities program director and advisory committees. Students should refer to the Guidelines for the Humanities Master’s Project issued by the School of Arts and Sciences.