Humanities (Course 21)
Bachelor of Science in Humanities
All options in this major are by special arrangement, requiring approval by the Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS). The approval process requires students to designate two communication-intensive (CI-M) subjects in their proposed program of study at the time they submit their proposal for review. The proposed CI-M subjects will be reviewed by the SHASS Academic Administrator and the Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement (SOCR) before the program proposal is submitted to the Dean of SHASS. In most cases, CI-M subjects are selected from among advanced subjects serving as CI-M subjects for related programs. For example, a student proposing a program in American Studies may want to include a subject that serves as a CI-M subject in the history major (Course 21H). Up to six subjects (72 units) may be used for both the major and the GIRs, but the units from those subjects may not count toward the 180 units required beyond the GIRs. In addition, no more than one subject that counts toward the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may also be counted toward the requirements of any program for this major. At least eight of the subjects required for the chosen program cannot also count toward another major or a minor.
General Institute Requirements (GIRs)
The General Institute Requirements include a Communication Requirement that is integrated into both the HASS Requirement and the requirements of each major; see details below.
| Summary of Subject Requirements | Subjects |
|---|---|
| Science Requirement | 6 |
| Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) Requirement [between three and six subjects can be from the Departmental Program. Only one subject being used to meet the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may be counted toward the degree program.]; at least two of these subjects must be designated as communication-intensive (CI-H) to fulfill the Communication Requirement. | 8 |
| Restricted Electives in Science and Technology (REST) Requirement | 2 |
| Laboratory Requirement (12 units) | 1 |
| Total GIR Subjects Required for SB Degree | 17 |
| Physical Education Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Swimming requirement, plus four physical education courses for eight points. |
Departmental Program
Choose at least two subjects in the major that are designated as communication-intensive (CI-M) to fulfill the Communication Requirement.
| Required Subjects 1 | Units | |
| 21.THT | Humanities Pre-Thesis Tutorial | 6 |
| 21.THU | Undergraduate Thesis in Humanities | 12 |
| Restricted Electives | ||
| The restricted electives for each option are determined in consultation with the faculty advisor in the chosen field. | ||
| African and African Diaspora Studies 2 | 105-108 | |
| Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies | ||
A minimum of eight subjects (93-96 units) beyond the introductory course, pre-thesis, and thesis. Remaining subjects include two language subjects in Area I (or equivalent proficiency), and six subjects selected from at least two of the three disciplinary areas (Areas II-IV). | ||
| American Studies 3 | 108 | |
A minimum of nine subjects (108 units) beyond the pre-thesis and thesis. Subjects selected from at least two of the three disciplinary areas. | ||
| Ancient and Medieval Studies 4 | 108 | |
A minimum of nine subjects (108 units) beyond the pre-thesis and thesis, including one language subject in Area I (or equivalent proficiency); the eight remaining subjects must be selected from at least two of the three other disciplinary areas (Areas II-IV), with at least one subject in both Ancient and Medieval periods. | ||
| Asian and Asian Diaspora Studies 5 | 108 | |
A minimum of nine subjects (108 units) beyond the pre-thesis and thesis, including two language subjects in Area I (or equivalent proficiency), and seven other subjects selected from at least two of the three disciplinary areas (Areas II-IV). | ||
| Latin American and Latino/a Studies 6 | 108 | |
| Introduction to Latin American Studies | ||
A minimum of eight subjects (96 units) beyond the introductory course, pre-thesis, and thesis. Subjects include two language subjects in Area I (or equivalent proficiency), and six subjects selected from at least two of the three disciplinary areas (Areas II-IV). | ||
| Russian and Eurasian Studies 7 | 108 | |
A minimum of nine subjects (108 units) beyond the pre-thesis and thesis, two of which must satisfy the language requirement, and at least six of which must be MIT subjects or subjects taken at Harvard or Wellesley under cross-registration. 8 | ||
| Women's and Gender Studies 9 | 108 | |
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Feminist Thought | ||
A minimum of seven subjects (84 units) beyond the introductory course, advanced feminist theory course, pre-thesis, and thesis. In consultation with the director, the pre-thesis and thesis may be replaced by two additional WGS courses. | ||
| Units in Major | 126 | |
| Unrestricted Electives 10 | 54-126 | |
| Units in Major That Also Satisfy the GIRs | (36-72) | |
| Total Units Beyond the GIRs Required for SB Degree | 180 | |
The units for any subject that counts as one of the 17 GIR subjects cannot also be counted as units required beyond the GIRs.
| 1 | With the consent of the faculty advisor in the chosen field, a student may substitute two subjects for the pre-thesis and thesis requirement. |
| 2 | See the Interdisciplinary Programs section for more detailed information about African and African Diaspora Studies. |
| 3 | See the Interdisciplinary Programs section for more detailed information about American Studies. |
| 4 | See the Interdisciplinary Programs section for more detailed information about Ancient and Medieval Studies. |
| 5 | See the Interdisciplinary programs section for more detailed information about Asian and Asian Diaspora Studies. |
| 6 | See the Interdisciplinary Programs section for more detailed information about Latin American and Latino/a Studies. |
| 7 | See the Interdisciplinary Programs section for more detailed information about Russian and Eurasian Studies. |
| 8 | Students majoring in Russian and Eurasian Studies may substitute two subjects for the pre-thesis tutorial and thesis. |
| 9 | See the Interdisciplinary Programs section for more detailed information about Women's and Gender Studies. |
| 10 | This chart has been calculated based on an overlap of 36 units (three subjects) between the HASS General Institute Requirement and the departmental requirements. Students who develop a program of study with more overlap will be able to select more unrestricted electives to meet the number of total units beyond the GIRs required for an SB degree. |
