Humanities

OFFICE: Arts and Letters 662
TELEPHONE: 619-594-5186 / FAX: 619-594-1004

E-MAIL: classics.humanities@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://classicsandhumanities.sdsu.edu

The Major

Humanities takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of culture with attention to history, language, literature, media, philosophy, visual arts, and economic, political, social, and spiritual institutions. Humanities does not seek to establish objective truths but rather to think about the diversity of aesthetic trends, historical narratives, ideological systems, and lived experiences that comprise societies past and present, local and global. It does so through engagement not only with dominant cultural narratives, expressions, and institutions, but also with the perspectives of non-dominant individuals, communities, and cultures.

Through humanistic inquiry, we gain insights into other cultural heritages and develop skills that are vital in the global society we inhabit: the abilities to engage critically and effectively with perspectives other than our own, communicate and collaborate across cultural boundaries, and address complex problems with attention to how they affect diverse populations.

Humanities graduates are prepared to enter into a broad range of professions or may go on to pursue a graduate degree in a specific humanities discipline or in business, law, or medicine.

Advising

All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major.

Faculty

Interim Chair: Stramondo, Joseph A., Associate Professor of Philosophy (B.A., M.A., Trinity College, Hartford; Ph.D., Michigan State University)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:

Smith, Joseph, Associate Professor of Classics (B.A., University of Rochester; Ph.D., University of Southern California)

Anson, April, Assistant Professor of Humanities (M.Ed Portland State, M.A. Portland State, M.A. University of Oregon; Ph.D., University of Oregon)

Lecturer:

Caldwell, Michael, Ph.D.

Emeritus Faculty:

Eisner, Robert E., Ph.D., 1970-2003, Professor of Classics and Humanities

Genovese, E. Nicholas, Ph.D., 1970-2003, Professor of Classics and Humanities

Hamilton, Charles D., Ph.D., 1974-2001, Professor of History and Classics

Warren, Edward W., Ph.D., 1963-1990, Professor of Philosophy and Classics