Undergraduate Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities

College of Arts and Sciences

Program Director: Martin Kavka; Undergraduate Advisors: Stoddard, Tucker

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Humanities offers a broad interdisciplinary education in the thought, literature, art history, and music of Western and Eastern cultures. The interdepartmental undergraduate major is offered as a preparation for graduate work in the Humanities and as a basic cultural background for a variety of professional fields, such as teaching, research, journalism, law, medical school, librarianship, foreign service, the religious professions, music, arts administration, and government service. For questions and academic advising, please contact Shannon Tucker in the Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities at (850) 644-9121.

Course Overlap with CoreFSU Curriculum and/or Other Majors: A maximum of three hours may overlap between the Humanities major and CoreFSU Curriculum requirements. A maximum of six hours may overlap between Humanities and another major. No courses taken toward the Minor in Humanities can overlap with any other requirements (exclusive of writing and Diversity “d” classes).

Digital Literacy Requirement

Students must complete at least one course designated as meeting the Digital Literacy Requirement with a grade of “C–” or higher. Courses fulfilling the Digital Literacy Requirement must accomplish at least three of the following outcomes:

Evaluate and interpret the accuracy, credibility, and relevance of digital information
Evaluate and interpret digital data and their implications
Discuss the ways in which society and/or culture interact with digital technology
Discuss digital technology trends and their professional implications
Demonstrate the ability to use digital technology effectively
Demonstrate the knowledge to use digital technology safely and ethically

Each academic major has determined the courses that fulfill the Digital Literacy requirement for that major. Students should contact their major department(s) to determine which courses will fulfill their Digital Literacy requirement.

Undergraduate majors in Humanities satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of “C–” or higher in CGS 2060, CGS 2100, MUS 2360, or another officially designated Computer Fluency class from one of the student's Humanities major concentrations.

Oral Communication Competency

All undergraduates at Florida State University must demonstrate oral communication competency prior to graduation. Undergraduate majors in Humanities satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of “C–” or higher in SPC 1017, SPC 2067, SPC 2608, COM 2080, or another officially designated Oral Communication class from one of the student's Humanities major concentrations.

Upper Division Writing

All undergraduates at Florida State University must demonstrate advanced writing skills competency prior to graduation. Undergraduate majors in Humanities satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of “C–” or higher in HUM 3218 or another Upper Division Writing class from one of the student's Humanities major concentrations.

Requirements for a Major in Interdisciplinary Humanities

Please review all college-wide degree requirements in the “College of Arts and Sciences” chapter of this General Bulletin. All Humanities majors must meet the language requirement for students seeking the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. For alternatives to satisfy this requirement, refer to ‘World Language' in the “College of Arts and Sciences” chapter of this General Bulletin. If a student chooses to double major, only six semester hours may be applied to both majors. For general policies pertinent to a double major, refer to ‘Second Majors and Academic Regulations' in the “Academic Regulations and Procedures” chapter of this General Bulletin.

The major and minor combination comprises a minimum of forty-two semester hours beyond the CoreFSU Curriculum requirements and numbered above 1999. All coursework counted toward the Humanities major must be completed with a “C–” or higher. Humanities majors must take two Diversity courses (“d”) or their equivalents, before graduation. If these courses have not been taken to fulfill the CoreFSU Curriculum requirement, they may be taken as University electives or in the concentration of the major with the approval of Humanities advisor. The courses to be counted towards the Humanities major will be distributed as follows:

Required Core Humanities Course: Three hours in one of the following courses: HUM 2210, HUM 2235, or HUM 2250.

Primary Concentration: Fifteen semester hours in one of the following Humanities departments:

African-American Studies
Anthropology
Art History
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Classical Studies
Communication
Digital Humanities
English
Film Studies
History
History and Philosophy of Science
Humanities
Modern Languages & Linguistics
Philosophy
Religion
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Secondary Concentration: Twelve semester hours in one of the departments listed above. The secondary department cannot be the same as the primary department.

Tertiary Concentration: Twelve semester hours in one of the departments listed above. The tertiary department must be different from both the secondary and primary departments.

Upper-Level Course Requirement

A minimum of twenty-four hours of coursework taken for the major must be numbered above 2999.

All Interdisciplinary Humanities majors are required to schedule regular advising appointments each semester. Humanities majors are required to schedule a graduation check with the college and with the University Registrar upon completion of ninety semester hours. The student must also apply for graduation with the Registrar during the first two weeks of the semester in which the student expects to graduate. Failure to meet regularly with an advisor or to follow the specified procedures will delay progress toward completion of the degree.

Internships, Honors Classes, and Directed Individual Study (DIS)

The maximum combined credit that will be applied toward the major for upper-level Honors courses, internships, or Directed Individual Studies in Humanities areas is six semester hours. All DIS classes used for credit towards the major must be approved by the Undergraduate Advisor.

Requirements for a Minor in Humanities

No courses taken toward the Minor in Humanities can overlap with any other requirements (exclusive of writing or Diversity “d” classes). The undergraduate minor may be accomplished in one of the two following ways:

Fifteen semester hours, of which nine must be taken in one of the Humanities departments listed above, and six from one other Humanities department from the same list. Six hours must be numbered above 2999.
Twelve semester hours in courses offered by the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program.

Definition of Prefix

HUM—Humanities

IDH—Interdisciplinary Honors

IDS—Interdisciplinary Studies

WST—Women's Studies

Undergraduate Courses

HUM 1041r. Presidential Scholars First-Year Salon (0). (S/U grade only.) This course involves the selection of a Public Service Initiative (PSI) area, determined through group consensus following an exploration of the existing peer-reviewed literature and community services options. Students explore the research, creative, and service opportunities of a modern research university and engage in their personal and professional development through the assignment of common readings, discussions, guest speakers, and group presentations.

HUM 1920. Freshman Interest Group (1). (S/U grade only.) This course is a seminar-structured class designed to provide a set of experiences that introduces the student to the academic culture at FSU. Taught Fall term only. Topics vary.

HUM 1921r. Learning Community Colloquium (1). (S/U grade only.) This course provides students with the opportunity to explore and discover the diversity of academic majors offered at FSU. This course is intended to provide students with an assessment of their own strengths and interests. Students can then use this knowledge to make an informed decision on which academic major to declare. May be repeated to a maximum of two credit hours.

HUM 2020. The Art of Being Human: Examining the Human Condition Through Literature, Art, and Film (3). In this course, students gain an overview of the development of Western culture from Antiquity to the present as it is expressed through the arts (painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, film and the performing arts), and especially through literature. The course examines the human condition through culture and the arts to better understand how the humanities are interconnected.

HUM 2042r. Presidential Scholars Second-Year Salon (0). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisite: HUM 1041. This course involves broad and introductory training on research skills and program evaluation tools students learn about archival research, literature review construction, interviewing skills, surveying techniques, and other qualitative and quantitative approaches. Lectures provide a step by step approach to working towards crafting a comprehensive programmatic evaluation tool.

HUM 2210. Humanities: Pre-history to Late Antiquity (3). This course offers an introduction to the thought, literature, and arts of Western culture from pre-historic times to about 400 A.D.

HUM 2235. Humanities: From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment (3). This course offers an introduction to the thought, literature, and arts of Western culture from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.

HUM 2250. Humanities: 18th-Century Romanticism to Postmodernism (3). This course offers an introduction to the thought, literature, and arts of Western culture from 18th-century Romanticism to the Postmodern period.

HUM 2831. Digital Literacy in the Humanities (3). This course introduces students to the inner workings of digital technologies that organize and define our current digitally-experienced world, with a view to the implications of such technology, both as consumers and as producers of digital data.

HUM 2937r. Humanities Honors Seminar (3). May be repeated to a maximum of nine credit hours as topics vary.

HUM 2944r. University Honors Colloquium (1). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisite: Admission to the honors program. This course allows faculty from across the academic and creative arts spectrum to explore “Art and Inquiry in the Modern University” with entering honors students each Fall. Discussions follow each weekly presentation. Students are required to write responses totaling two thousand words. May be repeated to a maximum of two semester hours.

HUM 3043r. Presidential Scholars Third-Year Salon (0). (S/U grade only.) This class involves a deeper scholarly exploration of the chosen service initiative topic through a specific text(s), drawn from recently published peer-reviewed books and/or articles. Relevant readings lead to moderated discussions with faculty from a variety of disciplines to foster clear interdisciplinary dialogue around the topics. This investigation informs the continuing work of the programmatic review with the community partner(s), which is refined and then distributed in the third year.

HUM 3123. Irish Culture: An Introduction (3). This course introduces students to the rich traditions and culture of Ireland. The course acquaints students with the cultural factors that have shaped Ireland in general and Dublin in particular.

HUM 3218. Humanism and the Humanities (3). This course traces the development of the idea of humanism from its pre-Greek form in the Ancient Near East to the present day. Students become familiar with the central works of humanistic literature and art from each period, as well as the evolution of the concept of “human rights.”

HUM 3321. Multicultural Dimensions of Film and 20th-Century Culture (3). This course examines the impact of American Cinema on social relations and on the reproduction of power. Students benefit from this course by learning a matrix of movie history, movie genres, and approaches to multiculturalism by which to judge movies, cultural representation and the cultural experiences of life. The movies provide a window into middle and late 20th century cultures, which serve as comparisons and contrasts for culture in the 21st century.

HUM 3930r. Humanities: Special Topics (1–3). May be repeated within the same term to a maximum of twelve semester hours.

HUM 4044r. Presidential Scholars Fourth-Year Capstone Salon (0). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisite: HUM 3043. This course results in the execution of a public service initiative's formative tool in collaboration with community partners. The assessment data is provided to the partnering organization(s) to utilize and to the scholars to present the findings in one or more public forums. A personal capstone presentation of the scholar's academic and personal journey is conveyed by the scholar to their peers in order to conclude the peer mentoring of the younger classes of scholars.

HUM 4906r. Directed Individual Study (3). Prerequisite: Major status. A student registered for an individual study course must schedule at least one conference a week on campus. The student should bear in mind that the DIS requirements are the same as if he or she were attending a class for three hours a week for ten weeks. The minimum length of the paper is thirty pages excluding footnotes and bibliography. This course cannot count toward major coursework. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours.

HUM 4907r. Honors in the Major Research (1–6). Prerequisite: Admission to the honors program. In this course, students accepted into the Honors in the Major program complete an original research or creative project in their major area of study. This course must be repeated at least twice to complete a minimum of six (6) credit hours total, but may be repeated up to a maximum of twelve credit hours in total.

HUM 4924. Engage 100 Peer Instruction (0-1). This course develops the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to be a Peer Instructor for an Engage 100 course. Instruction covers general information needed to support the values of this unique liberal studies educational endeavor.

HUM 4931r. Topics in the Civilization of Britain or Italy (3). May be repeated to a maximum of six semester hours.

IDH 3108. Radical Visions of Freedom (3). Prerequisite: This course is reserved for students in the FSU Honors Program. This course explores how U.S. intellectuals, artists, and activists have responded to the devaluation of marginalized lives by creating radical visions of freedom that call into question the foundations of our social, economic, and legal institutions.

IDH 3113. America Abroad (3). Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors Program. This course examines the history of U.S. presence abroad by analyzing cultural texts produced by and/or for a U.S. audience. Engaging feminist, queer, and ethnic studies insights into transnational power relations, students consider how race, gender, class, and sexuality dynamics inform how U.S. presence abroad has been represented in different time periods.

IDH 3402. Youth Subcultures (3). Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors program. This course considers the role of youth subculture in challenging and reproducing structures of inequality. Students examine how youth subcultures are embedded within their particular sociohistorical context, indexing not only intergenerational differences, but also changing race, gender, sexuality, and class relations.

IDH 3403. Feminism and Globalization (3). Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors program. This course engages feminist debates about the ethics of globalization, the challenges of transnational activism, and the potential complicities of U.S. citizens in maintaining global structures of inequality by focusing on the roles that feminized and sexualized laborers play within the global economy.

IDH 3405. LGBTQ Oral History Methods (3). In this course students are trained in oral history theory, method, and interpretation by examining the emergence of oral history practiced in the 20th century and oral history's specific relevance to LGBTQ communities and experiences. Course work includes reading scholarship, listening to oral histories, examining oral history projects, and conducting oral history interviews with LGBTQ people.

IDS 1000r. First-Year Connections and Success (0–1). (S/U grade only.) This course is an introduction to liberal arts education, designed to provide students a set of experiences that will aid in success in their first year at the university and beyond. This is a structured, discussion-based class designed to bolster student growth, academic performance, and purposeful engagement during college. May be repeated to one credit hour.

IDS 1107r. The Florida State Experience (0–1). (S/U grade only.) This course involves structured discussion designed to bolster student growth, persistence, and academic performance.

IDS 2166. Art as Propaganda: The Impact of Visual and Performing Arts on Western Society (3). This course analyzes how Visual Arts may sometimes be seen as merely things to hang on a wall or placed in a room to be passively viewed. However, significant works of art, particularly at the time of their creation, have the power to shape ideology, cultural trends and even politics. Students examine selected works not only for their aesthetic value but also for their impact on society, as well as their use as propaganda.

IDS 2293. Dangerous Liaisons: Rape Myths and Violence in Literature, the Arts, and Music (3). This course identifies cultural representations of rape and violence in literature, music and the arts and discusses current research in rape myth recognition to explain how these areas are interrelated.

IDS 2370. Festivals: Artisanship, Satire, and Fire (3). This course is a transatlantic view of some celebrations and festivals that currently shape society and individuals in the modern Western World. The course closely examines the historical, social, religious, and economic motives that have developed them into international tourist attractions. Supporting areas of study within the festivals are dedicated to the music, literature, performing and plastic arts that contribute to the overall scope of the festivals covered in the course.

IDS 2402. Youth Subcultures (3). Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors Program. This course considers the role of youth subculture in challenging and reproducing structures of inequality. Students examine how youth subcultures are embedded within their particular sociohistorical context, indexing not only intergenerational differences but also changing race, gender, sexuality, and class relations.

IDS 2463. Writing/s about Music (3). This course is a reading- and writing-intensive seminar based on writings about music from different cultural perspectives and in a variety of genres. Students analyze assigned readings and create their own work in a variety of forms.

IDS 2464. Crossing the Atlantic: Lorca in America, Hemingway in Spain (3). This course studies and analyzes Federico Garcia Lorca and Ernest Hemingway, two of the most internationally recognized literary and cultural figures of the 20th century. Students explore an inter-cultural journey that reaches the core of how many Spaniards view America and how many Americans view Spain to this day.

IDS 2920r. UROP Colloquium (1). (S/U grade only.) This course is a seminar-structured colloquium for The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) that provides a set of experiences to introduce students to undergraduate research at FSU. Topics vary. May be repeated to a maximum of two semester hours.

IDS 2922. Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Colloquium II (1). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisite: IDS 2920. This course is the second colloquium for the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) which provides a set of experiences to introduce students to undergraduate research at FSU. Topics may vary.

IDS 3003r. Transfer Connections and Success (0–1). (S/U grade only.) This course is an introduction to engagement opportunities and academic expectations for transfer students. This course provides students with a set of experiences and tools that will enhance and sustain success at the university and beyond. This is a structured, discussion-based class designed to bolster student growth, academic performance, and purposeful engagement during college. May be repeated up to two credit hours. May be repeated within the same term.

IDS 3458. Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Multicultural Dimensions of American Cinema (3). This course examines the impact of American cinema on social relations and the reproduction of power. Students learn a matrix of movie history, movie genres, and approaches to multiculturalism by which to judge movies, cultural representation and the cultural experiences of life.

WST 4930r. Topics in Women's Studies (3). This course explores specific topics or themes in gender/women's studies based on a feminist approach. A variety of topics from different fields of study are offered from an interdisciplinary perspective. Topics from material not covered in the regular curriculum are offered. May be repeated to a maximum of nine credit hours. May be repeated within the same term.

For listings relating to graduate coursework, consult the Graduate Bulletin.

2024-2025 UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN