Academic Catalog

Humanities

Program Description

The Humanities degree provides students with interdisciplinary perspectives on the existential questions of who we are as human beings, where we come from, and where we are headed. This degree emphasizes the principles and concepts in interdisciplinary thinking and problem solving that will transfer across disciplines and enrich professional careers in areas as varied as lawyers, Public Relations managers, journalists, educators, systems analysts, and Foreign Service employees. A Humanities degree enables students to better see the interconnectedness of all areas of knowledge, develop a global perspective as a result of having studied the ideas and cultural products of cultures throughout the world, clarify one's values by comparing and contrasting them to what others have thought, and deepen one's sources of wisdom by learning how others have dealt with failures, success, adversities, and triumphs.

Learn more about the program on the Humanities website

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to synthesize their critical thinking, imaginative, cooperative, and emphatic abilities as whole persons in order to:

  • contextualize knowledge
  • interpret and communicate meaning in both written and oral form
  • cultivate their capacity for personal as well as social change

Award Type(s)

  • AA = Associate in Arts Degree
  • CA = Certificate of Achievement

Units Required

  • Major: 28
  • Certificate(s): 20

Additional Information

Note: Courses used to meet major requirements cannot be used to satisfy any general education requirements.

Associate Degree Requirements

English Proficiency
Select one of the following:
ENGL 1ACOMPOSITION & READING5
ENGL 1AHHONORS COMPOSITION & READING5
ESLL 26ADVANCED COMPOSITION & READING5
or equivalent
Mathematics Proficiency
College-level math course at or above the level of Intermediate Algebra

A minimum of 90 units is required1 to include: 

  • Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
  • Core courses (16 units)
  • Support courses (12 units)
1

Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree or certificate.

Core and Support Courses

Core Courses
Select 16 units from the following: 16
CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE ANCIENT WORLD
HONORS CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE ANCIENT WORLD
CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: OF EMPIRES & CONFLICT
WORLD MYTHS IN LITERATURE ARTS & FILM
HONORS WORLD MYTHS IN LITERATURE ARTS & FILM
TRAUMA & THE ARTS
HONORS TRAUMA & THE ARTS
CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE MODERN WORLD
HONORS CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE MODERN WORLD
THE SHOCK OF THE NEW: FROM THE MODERN TO THE CONTEMPORARY
GLOBAL RELIGIONS: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES & PERSPECTIVES
HONORS GLOBAL RELIGIONS: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES & PERSPECTIVES
EX MACHINA: THE PARADOX OF BEING HUMAN IN THE DIGITAL AGE
ONCE UPON A TIME? THE IMMORTAL LURE OF FAIRY TALES
ON THE MOVE: THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE IN LITERATURE, FILM & MULTIMEDIA
INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
HONORS INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
HONORS INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
POPULAR CULTURE & UNITED STATES HISTORY
POPULAR CULTURE & UNITED STATES HISTORY
VIDEO GAMES & POPULAR CULTURE
VIDEO GAMES & POPULAR CULTURE
THE ART OF PEACE: NARRATIVE REPRESENTATIONS OF PACIFISM
Support Courses
Select at least 12 units within one of the following concentrations:12
Visual Arts
A HISTORY OF WOMEN IN ART
INTRODUCTION TO ASIAN ART
AMERICAN ART
HISTORY OF MODERN ART FROM POST-IMPRESSIONISM TO THE PRESENT
PHOTOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN CULTURES
HONORS PHOTOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN CULTURES
HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
HONORS HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN PHOTOGRAPHY
HONORS CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Film/Theatre
INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES
HONORS INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES
HISTORY OF FILM 1895-1945
HISTORY OF FILM 1945-CURRENT
CURRENT TRENDS IN FILM, TV & THE INTERNET
INTRODUCTION TO THEATRE
HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE: CLASSICAL TO MOLIERE
HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATRE
MULTICULTURAL THEATRE ARTS IN MODERN AMERICA
Literature
LOUD & QUEER: LITERATURE OF SEXUAL/GENDER IDENTITY
NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION TO POETRY
HONORS INTRODUCTION TO POETRY
AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
TRAVELING THE WORLD THROUGH CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION TO SHAKESPEARE
WOMEN WRITERS
LATINO/A LITERATURE
ASIAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE I: BEOWULF TO THE LATE 18TH CENTURY
HONORS SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE I: BEOWULF TO THE LATE 18TH CENTURY
SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE II: THE ROMANTIC PERIOD TO THE PRESENT
HONORS SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE II: THE ROMANTIC PERIOD TO THE PRESENT
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE I: BEGINNINGS TO 1865
HONORS SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE I: BEGINNINGS TO 1865
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE II: 1865 TO THE PRESENT
HONORS SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE II: 1865 TO THE PRESENT
Music
INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC
GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
WORLD MUSIC: ROOTS TO CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL FUSION
MUSIC OF AMERICAN CULTURES
HONORS MUSIC OF AMERICAN CULTURES
MUSIC & MEDIA: HENDRIX TO HIP-HOP
FUNK, FUSION & HIP-HOP
Philosophy
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF ART & AESTHETICS
HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY FROM SOCRATES THROUGH ST. THOMAS
HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY FROM THE RENAISSANCE THROUGH KANT
COMPARATIVE WORLD RELIGIONS: EAST
COMPARATIVE WORLD RELIGIONS: WEST
Total Units28

Certificate Requirements

Certificate of Achievement in Humanities

  • Units: 20

The certificate of achievement is awarded upon completion of 20 units from the list of courses below. General education courses are not required.

HUMN 1CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE ANCIENT WORLD4
or HUMN 1H HONORS CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE ANCIENT WORLD
HUMN 2CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: OF EMPIRES & CONFLICT4
HUMN 3WORLD MYTHS IN LITERATURE ARTS & FILM4
or HUMN 3H HONORS WORLD MYTHS IN LITERATURE ARTS & FILM
HUMN 4TRAUMA & THE ARTS4
or HUMN 4H HONORS TRAUMA & THE ARTS
HUMN 5CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE MODERN WORLD4
or HUMN 5H HONORS CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS & IDEAS: THE MODERN WORLD
HUMN 6THE SHOCK OF THE NEW: FROM THE MODERN TO THE CONTEMPORARY4
HUMN 7GLOBAL RELIGIONS: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES & PERSPECTIVES4
or HUMN 7H HONORS GLOBAL RELIGIONS: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES & PERSPECTIVES
HUMN 8EX MACHINA: THE PARADOX OF BEING HUMAN IN THE DIGITAL AGE4
HUMN 9ONCE UPON A TIME? THE IMMORTAL LURE OF FAIRY TALES4
HUMN 10ON THE MOVE: THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE IN LITERATURE, FILM & MULTIMEDIA4
HUMN 11INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE4
or HUMN 11H HONORS INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
or MDIA 11 INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
or MDIA 11H HONORS INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR CULTURE
HUMN 12POPULAR CULTURE & UNITED STATES HISTORY4
or MDIA 12 POPULAR CULTURE & UNITED STATES HISTORY
HUMN 13VIDEO GAMES & POPULAR CULTURE4
or MDIA 13 VIDEO GAMES & POPULAR CULTURE
HUMN 14THE ART OF PEACE: NARRATIVE REPRESENTATIONS OF PACIFISM4