Programs
History and Literature
Understanding the past as a record of human experience necessary for addressing contemporary problems.
Students in the History and Literature Program will gain an appreciation of the past as a record of human experience that brings greater depth of understanding to our efforts at addressing contemporary problems. Through the combined study of history and literature, students will explore one of two concentrated fields of study—one with an American focus and one that has a European/World focus. The historical component within each track will foster an understanding of the social, cultural and political transformations that have shaped our world and, as a consequence, ourselves.
Language as a form of communication and expression is central to the evolution of human culture and self-awareness. Thus, the literature component of the major will serve to deepen and enrich its historical component. In literature courses, and in the seminars, students will be exposed to the study and close analysis of significant writers representing a diversity of traditions and genres.
Study in both disciplines will develop skills that are vital to successful careers, responsible citizenship, and satisfying engagement with life, such as the ability to gather, weigh, and sift evidence; to form hypotheses from complex data; to respond critically to the written word, and to express oneself clearly in spoken and written communication.
