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Wheelock's Humanities major is a multidisciplinary program that encompasses history, literature, philosophy, and art history. If you love to read, travel, or learn about other cultures, this major will deepen your knowledge and enhance your understanding of the world. You will engage in critical reflection, learn to analyze books and other materials, and develop excellent verbal and writing skills. The humanities include the histories, literatures, religions, stories, arts, and philosophical reflections of people in the present and past. By studying and writing about these creations, students learn how to organize material, think logically, and generate ideas.

Program Options

As a Humanities major, you may choose one of three focus areas:

• History deepens your understanding of the past and the analytical distinctions between events and how those events are recorded.
• Literature develops reading, analytical, writing, and critical skills through access to the human experience.
• Philosophy engages you in the ongoing conversation about reality, knowledge, and value, with the goal of developing a critically informed worldview.

The Humanities is an arts and sciences major that may be combined with a professional major in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Special Education, or Social Work.  The Humanities is also available as a minor. In addition, you may also choose the Humanities for your undergraduate major as part of Wheelock's  dual degree program leading to a master's in Child Life.

• See a full Course List for the Humanities major.
• Meet the Humanities faculty members.

Sample Courses

• The Age of Discovery
• African American Literature
• Contemporary Moral Issues
• The Holocaust
• The Novels of Jane Austen
• Philosophies of Social Justice
• Shakespeare
• The Sixties
• The Witch in History
• World Religions

Skills You'll Learn

• Critical thinking
• Analytical reading of texts
• Examine world views
• Thoughtful and engaging writing
• Identify hidden assumptions
• Public speaking and debate

Potential Careers

The Humanities provides knowledge and skills valuable in a number of professions,
such as:

• Editor
• Elementary or secondary teacher
• Government aide
• Higher education administrator
• Journalist
• Lawyer
• Museum curator
• Research assistant

Graduate Study

The Humanities will give you the academic foundation and research skills necessary for many fields of graduate study, such as:

• Comparative religion
• Creative writing
• English literature
• History
• Journalism
• Law
• Philosophy
• Secondary education