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The program in Humanities and Social Sciences is one of the distinctive and defining aspects of Harvey Mudd College. From its inception, the college has regarded a strong grounding in these areas as an essential part of the education of scientists, mathematicians and engineers, who need to be mindful of the richness and complexities of the human experience as well as the social contexts and consequences of their own endeavors. In addition to the two Common Core courses, students must complete ten full semester courses in a coherent program planned with the approval of their humanities and social sciences advisor. This program must include courses in different disciplines that satisfy the distribution requirement, a concentration of courses in a single discipline or with a common focus, and a seminar or an approved senior experience. To foster the growth of an intellectual community, students must take five upper-division courses from departmental faculty members. Students may select their remaining courses from a large number available at Harvey Mudd and the other Claremont Colleges.

First-Year Requirements

Each student takes Introduction to Humanities and Social Sciences during each semester of the first year (Hum 1 and Hum 2). The Registrar assigns students to sections on the basis of their preferences, and students typically receive one of their top choices. These courses are writing-intensive and are designed to probide students with a foundation in critical reading and thinking skills.

Fall 2005 Hum 1 Topics and Course Descriptions

Upper-Division Requirements

Fall 2005 Course Descriptions

Distribution

Each student must take two courses in different disciplines in each of the following areas:

  • Arts and Literature - art, dance, drama, film, literature (in any language), foreign languages, music
  • Humanities - classics, history, history of ideas, philosophy, religion
  • Social Sciences - anthropology, economics, politics, internation relations, psychology, sociology

Concentration

Each student must complete a concentration of at least four courses that are thematically related or within a single discipline.

Examples of thematically related concentrations include the following:

  • Media Studies
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Women's Studies

Examples of area studies-related concentrations include the following:

  • American Studies
  • Asia Studies

Examples of ethnic studies-related concentrations include the following:

  • African American
  • Chicano
  • Jewish American
  • Asian American

Seminar

Students must take an approved seminar course during their junior or senior year, or they must complete a comparable senior project or experience during their senior year. The Department encourages students to consider a range of options to achieve the most meaningful capstone to their work in the humanities and social sciences.

  • Seminar Courses - These courses have a limited enrollment, intensive discussion based a close reading of texts, student presentations, and a major paper or research project.
  • Senior Projects and Experiences - These options build on previous course work, and they must be taken under the supervision of a faculty member in the HSS department:Internships (service in education the community, or a nonprofit organization)
    • Recitals, Performances, and Artistic Productions
    • Independent Research Projects
    • Senior Tutorials (student complete a reading course in the fall, which prepares them to co-teach a half-course in the spring with an HSS faculty sponsor)

Last updated on 8/29/05.
Contact Cathy Corder at 909-621-8022.