Graduate students in this program acquire an ability to interpret several kinds of "texts" (both literary and non-literary works); investigate them using standard reference tools; situate them aesthetically, critically, and socially; and write about them in scholarly and sophisticated ways. They learn to relate works from different genres to one another, to a pertinent critical or theoretical perspective, or to a significant issue. With the assistance of their adviser, students are expected to create their own programs of study, focusing on the analysis of at least two different academic disciplines and learning to make connections between them. The program culminates in an interdisciplinary scholarly or creative project.
Fields of Study
Because the Humanities graduate program is interdisciplinary, it offers graduate-level studies in a wide variety of areas. With guidance from faculty advisers, students shape their own programs of study, focusing on the analysis of at least two different disciplines and learning to make connections between them. The following program strengths have been particularly attractive to recent students:
- Creative Writing
- Literature and History
- The Visual Arts and History
- Philosophy and Aesthetics
- Writing Pedagogy