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Humanities (M.A.)

"While affirming the importance of each academic discipline, we encourage students to create connections between them. Each student in consultation with an advisor, will develop a plan of study for the six elective courses. An example would be an English teacher in a secondary education classroom may wish to concentrate on "The American Intellectual Tradition"; or a writer with an interest in historical narrative may wish to concentrate on "The Ancient World and its Legacies."
Dr. Mark Sandona, Professor of English

Program of Study

The Master of Arts in the Humanities is a graduate program with courses in the fields of art, history, literature, music, philosophy, and religion. This interdisciplinary degree is intended for students—primarily those with background in the humanities but also those from areas outside of the humanities—who would like to integrate their particular expertise with corollary fields in the humanities. We envision candidates from all stages of life—from recent graduates to retirees, including secondary education teachers in the local school systems.

Requirements and Concentrations

The 30-credit program is designed primarily for individuals with a baccalaureate in one of the following disciplines: art, history, literature, music, philosophy, and religion, or in a related field. Individuals with baccalaureate degrees in the social and human sciences may also find the program attractive.

The curriculum rests on a three-stage structure: Foundation pro-seminars; the Concentration; and the Capstone.

First, two foundational seminars—required of all students in the program—introduce students to the idea of interdisciplinary inquiry. These four- credit-hour courses—HUM 501, Humanities and the Western Tradition, Part I, and HUM 502, Humanities and the Western Tradition, Part II—offer both a survey structure of Western civilization and a core theme.

The core of the program is the Concentration, which comprises eighteen-credit hours. Each student, in consultation with an advisor, develops a plan of study for a cohesive concentration of no fewer than twelve-credit hours, or four courses. The Concentration can be historical, topical, or thematic.

The final stage of the program is the Capstone Project (HUM 595), a four-credit experience involving extended independent work, usually in the form of research and writing. The student works with a faculty advisor to develop a topic and complete the project. Click here for more information. Click here to download the Humanities Program Handbook (PDF, 283k).

Humanities Faculty

Full-time faculty members in Hood's departments of Art, English and Communication Arts, Foreign Languages, History and Political Science, Music, and Philosophy and Religion are active scholars and excellent teachers. Their areas of expertise range from prehistoric archeology to modern music.
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