Humanities

The Bachelor of Science in Humanities (Course 21) offers students seven interdisciplinary areas of study from which to choose:

• African and African Diaspora Studies
• American Studies
• Ancient and Medieval Studies
• Asian and Asian Diaspora Studies
• Latin American and Latino/a Studies
• Russian and Eurasian Studies
• Women's and Gender Studies

All options for this major are by special arrangement and must be approved by the Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Students must file a proposal that identifies all the subjects to be taken in the chosen program. Contact information for each program is included in its description.

African and African Diaspora Studies

The African and African Diaspora Studies program is designed for students interested in the contributions, cultures, and experiences of peoples of African descent on the African continent and across the diaspora. The goal of the program is to emphasize the importance of Africa and people of African descent in the world's cultural, economic, and social developments, and to provide a balance between language, humanistic, historical, and contemporary study. Building on MIT's strengths in understanding science and technology, the program provides students the opportunity to study interactions of people of African descent with contemporary technology sectors, such as digital media, artificial intelligence, aerospace, genetics, and climate change mitigation. It also includes study of economic and political systems as they reflect the African continent and areas of the African diaspora, and the histories, languages, and literatures of Africans and peoples of African descent elsewhere.

All of Africa falls within the program's geographical scope; a student may concentrate on a particular region or on any of the broad groupings of African cultures, regions, or languages. Equally, a student choosing to focus on the African diaspora may concentrate on any group of African-descended populations in the Americas and beyond. Students focusing on either principal area (Africa or the African diaspora) must also take at least one subject that deals with the other area or with interactions between them.

As noted in the degree chart, the program consists of at least eight subjects beyond the introductory subject (24.912[J] Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies), pre-thesis tutorial (21.THT), and thesis (21.THU). The eight subjects—at least five of which must be MIT subjects—should be arranged in four areas of study; students should select two subjects that contribute to language training, and six subjects that together draw from Areas II, III, and IV:

• Area I: Language
• Area II: Humanities and the Arts
• Area III: Social Sciences
• Area IV: Historical Studies

The list of subjects for the program will build on the list currently approved for the minor. Subjects about Africa and the African diaspora, as well as subjects in indigenous African languages, are also available from Harvard University and Wellesley College through cross-registration. Students must receive permission from the program advisor prior to registering for a class at another institution.

The list of restricted electives below is not exhaustive. Additional information can be obtained from the program advisor, Professor Danielle Wood, Room E14-574N, 617-253-1631, or from the SHASS Dean's Office, Room 4-240, 617-253-3450.

American Studies

American Studies at MIT offers students the opportunity to organize subjects from various fields (e.g., history, anthropology, literature, political science, music, art, architecture, and urban planning) into personally constructed interdisciplinary programs as a way of gaining an integrated understanding of American society and culture. Students can focus on any of several areas of interest, such as American literature; folklore and popular culture; black history and culture; women's studies; American history, politics, or law; the history of science and technology; and American art, architecture, or music. Thus, a program in American Studies is ideal for preparing students for further work not only in the various humanistic fields, but also in law, urban planning, management, architecture, engineering, medicine, teaching, and the media.

The program has three primary objectives:

• To understand the underlying system of beliefs that informs every aspect of American culture—its myths, institutions, politics and literature, its characteristic dreams and rituals.
• To understand the uses and limits of different methods and intellectual disciplines as tools for exploring the complexities of a culture.
• To understand the American present in relation to the American past.

As noted in the degree chart, the program includes a pre-thesis tutorial (21.THT), a thesis (21.THU), and a minimum of nine restricted electives (108 units) selected from at least two of the following three disciplinary areas:

• Area I: Humanities and the Arts
• Area II: Social Sciences; Science, Technology, and Society
• Area III: Historical Studies

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. No more than one subject that counts toward the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may also be counted toward American Studies requirements. In addition, at least eight of the subjects required for the program cannot count toward any other major or minor.

The list of restrictive electives below is not exhaustive. Additional information can be obtained from the American Studies advisor, Professor Christopher Capozzola, E51-284, 617-452-4960, or from the SHASS Dean's Office, 4-240, 617-253-3450.

Ancient and Medieval Studies

Through a wide variety of subjects drawn from a number of disciplines, this program provides a curricular framework for exploring topics in ancient and medieval studies which range from the history of ideas and institutions to that of material artifacts, literature and certain of the original languages. The chronological span of the program includes some 6,500 years between 5000 BC and 1500 AD.

The goal of this program is to develop knowledge and understanding of the more distant past both for itself, in its uniqueness, and as an object of specifically modern questions and methods of inquiry. We are interested in the structure of institutions and social systems, and in relationships between the social order and learned traditions, values, ideologies and ideas. Ancient and medieval studies derive a special claim to our interest from the fact that the record is so full and multiform and that much of it is of exceptionally high quality at once in substance and form.

The program in Ancient and Medieval Studies is designed for students who are seeking a fuller understanding of the forces which shaped the ancient and medieval world. The geographical and chronological scope of the program is broadly conceived and is intended to be comparative. Subjects range in content from Classical Greece and Rome, and the ancient societies of Asia and South America, to medieval Europe and Japan. Students will be required to demonstrate intermediate level language proficiency in either Greek, Latin or a medieval vernacular, but they need not concentrate their other subjects on the area associated with that language. Students are also expected to have some distribution across the ancient and medieval time periods. We expect that students will consult closely with the program advisor in order to devise a coherent program of study.

As noted in the degree chart, the program includes a minimum of nine subjects (108 units) beyond the pre-thesis tutorial (21.THT) and thesis (21.THU). The nine subjects must include 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. To satisfy the communication-intensive (CI-M) component of the program, students may select two subjects from among 3.990 Seminar in Archaeological Method and Theory, 21H.331 Julius Caesar and the Fall of the Roman Republic, 21H.240 The World of Charlemagne, 21H.390 Theories and Methods in the Study of History, or any Literature seminar with an ancient or medieval focus.

• Area I: Languages
• Area II: Arts and Architecture
• Area III: Literary Studies
• Area IV: Material and Historical Studies

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. No more than one subject that counts toward the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may also be counted toward the requirements of the Ancient and Medieval Studies program. In addition, at least eight of the subjects required for the program cannot count toward any other major or minor. 

The list of restricted electives below is not exhaustive. Additional information can be obtained from the advisors for the program, Professor Eric Goldberg, E51-290, 617-324-2420, and Professor Arthur Bahr, 14N-424, 617-253-3616, or from the History Office, E51-255, 617-324-5134.

Asian and Asian Diaspora Studies

This program is designed for students interested in serious intensive research on the languages, history, politics, and cultures of Asia and/or the Asian diasporas. The geographic region of Asia includes countries such as Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. In consultation with the program advisor, students may focus their coursework on a sub-region of Asia, on one of the Asian diasporas, or design their program to offer a comparative study across different regions and/or cultural groups. The goal of the program is to provide balanced coverage of language, humanistic, and social science offerings on the region and to expose students to some comparative perspectives within the region. The MIT Departments of Global Languages, History, and Political Science offer a substantial number of subjects related to Asia and the Asian diasporas.

As noted in the degree chart, the program includes a minimum of nine subjects (108 units) beyond the pre-thesis tutorial (21.THT) and thesis (21.THU). The nine subjects must include two language subjects in Area I (or equivalent proficiency); the seven remaining subjects must be selected from at least two of the three other disciplinary areas (Areas II–IV).

• Area I: Language
• Area II: Humanities and the Arts
• Area III: Social Sciences
• Area IV: Historical Studies

For the thesis requirement, students choose a topic in consultation with an MIT faculty member whose specialty falls within Asian Studies; the thesis research may include knowledge of an Asian language.

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. No more than one subject that counts toward the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may also be counted toward the requirements of the Asian and Asian Diaspora Studies program. In addition, at least eight of the subjects required for the program cannot count toward any other major or minor.

The language requirement can be satisfied by taking two intermediate (Levels III and IV) subjects in an Asian language. Students with proficiency at this level in the spoken and written language can either take two more advanced language subjects (highly recommended), or two more courses from Areas II, III and IV. Chinese and Japanese are taught at MIT. Subjects about Asia and the Asian diaspora, as well as subjects in Asian languages, are also available from Harvard University and Wellesley College through cross-registration. Students must receive permission from the advisor prior to registering for a class at another institution.

The list of restricted electives below is not exhaustive. Additional information can be obtained from the SHASS Dean's Office, 4-240, 617-253-3450.

Latin American and Latino/a Studies

This program is designed for students interested in the language, history, politics, and culture of Latin America and of Hispanics living in the US. Students are encouraged to develop a program that is both international and comparative in perspective and that takes into account the heterogeneous cultural experiences of people living in the vast territory encompassed by the term Latin America, as well as of those people living in the United States who identify themselves as Latino/a.

As noted in the degree chart, the program includes a minimum of eight subjects (96 units) beyond the introductory course (17.55[J] Introduction to Latin American Studies), the pre-thesis tutorial (21.THT), and thesis (21.THU). The eight subjects must include two language subjects in Area I (or equivalent proficiency); the six remaining subjects must be selected from at least two of the three other disciplinary areas (Areas II-IV).

• Area I: Language
• Area II: Humanities and the Arts
• Area III: Social Sciences
• Area IV: Historical Studies

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. No more than one subject that counts toward the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may also be counted toward the requirements of the Latin American and Latino/a Studies program. In addition, at least eight of the subjects required for the program cannot count toward any other major or minor.

Subjects in Latin American and Latino Studies are also available from Harvard University and Wellesley College through cross-registration. Students must receive permission from the program advisor prior to registering for a class at another institution.

The list of restricted electives below is not exhaustive. Additional information may be obtained from the advisor for the program, Professor Eden Medina, E51-180, 617-253-1943, or from the SHASS Dean's Office, 4-240, 617-253-3450.

Russian and Eurasian Studies

This program is intended for students seeking an interdisciplinary program of study centered on Russia and Eurasia. The program is regional in spirit, meaning that students can take courses in a wide range of countries of East/Central Europe, the Slavic states, and Central Asia.

As noted in the degree chart, the program includes a minimum of nine subjects (108 units) beyond the pre-thesis tutorial (21.THT) and thesis (21.THU). The nine subjects must include two language subjects in Area I (or equivalent proficiency); the seven remaining subjects must be selected from at least two of the three other disciplinary areas (Areas II–IV). At least six subjects must be MIT subjects or subjects taken at Harvard or Wellesley under cross-registration. (Students must receive permission from the program advisor prior to registering for a class at another institution.) The program includes four areas of study:

• Area I: Language
• Area II: Humanities and the Arts
• Area III: Social Sciences
• Area IV: Historical Studies

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. No more than one subject that counts toward the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may also be counted toward the requirements of the Russian and Eurasian Studies program. In addition, at least eight of the subjects required for the program cannot count toward any other major or minor. 

The list of restricted electives below is not exhaustive. Additional information may be obtained from the advisor for the program, Professor Elizabeth Wood, Room E51-282, 617-253-3255, or from the SHASS Dean's Office, Room 4-240, 617-253-3450.

Women's and Gender Studies

The Women's and Gender Studies program offers students an academic framework for the study of women, gender, and sexuality using the analytical tools and methodologies of a variety of disciplines in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. It includes a minimum of seven subjects (84 units) beyond WGS.101 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, WGS.301[J] Feminist Thought, the pre-thesis tutorial (21.THT), and thesis (21.THT). However, students may request a two-class substitution for the pre-thesis/thesis requirement for a total of 11 courses in that case.

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. No more than one subject that counts toward the distribution component of the HASS Requirement may also be counted toward the requirements of the Women's and Gender Studies program. In addition, at least eight of the subjects required for the program cannot count toward any other major or minor. 

The list of restricted electives below is not exhaustive. Students interested in this interdisciplinary program should consult with the Women's and Gender Studies program manager, Stacey Lantz, Room 14N-213, 617-253-8844, and then arrange a meeting with the current director, Professor Lerna Ekmekcioglu.