What are the Humanities?
The Humanities are a constellation of disciplines that bring unique approaches to the same fundamental concern: how human beings try to make sense of themselves and their worlds. Students who choose to major or minor in Humanities at Midwestern State University will thus develop a broad and deep literacy in humanistic studies—including literature, religion, classics, philosophy, history, and the fine arts. The Humanities Program at Midwestern State University is a small, dynamic program that combines traditional education in arts and literature with a contemporary study of human thought, culture, and artistic expression. Not only will students utilize this breadth to comprehend widely diverse cultural expressions that extend throughout history and across nations; they will also study how great books, global cultural practices, world religions, and the history of ideas strengthen an understanding of our own contemporary social and political climate.
Who Studies the Humanities?
The Humanities Program at MSU takes an interdisciplinary approach to major philosophical, cultural, religious, and artistic questions about human beings as a “meaning-making” species. Because our programming focuses intensively on textual interpretation and cultural analysis, our students learn the relationships between ideas, artistic expression, and are prepared to make informed contributions to a complex global community. A major or minor in Humanities is ideally suited for students pursuing careers that will require strong skills in reading, writing, analysis, and articulate communication of complex ideas. For information about what career paths are available to Humanities majors, please visit our Career FAQ page or stop by the Humanities Program offices.
How does the Humanities Program work at MSU?
Midwestern State University is the only public liberal arts university in Texas, which means that a study of the Humanities is central to MSU’s mission. The Humanities Program houses three degree programs in which students can engage with the history of ideas, culture, and art: a Major in Humanities, a Minor in Humanities, and a Minor in Great Books.
Requirements for the Humanities Major: please visit the course catalog.
Requirements for the Humanities Minor. please visit the course catalog.
Requirements for the Great Books Minor. Students who are interested in humanistic study but who wish to direct the entirety of their attention to the reading, interpretation, and analysis of primary texts can minor in Great Books. The minor includes a selection of 18 credit hours pulled from English, Humanities, and Philosophy courses. For a full list of the degree requirements, please visit the Course Catalog or speak to your Humanities advisor.
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