Welcome

About the Program

What is the Humanities and Western Civilization Program?

The union of the Humanities and Western Civilization Programs in 1997 brought together the College's oldest interdisciplinary degree program, Humanities, and one of the oldest and most widely recognized "great books" programs in the U.S., Western Civilization. Both are centrally committed to the College's and University's goal of educating students to think critically, speak and write articulately, and display intellectual and cultural breadth – knowledge and skills vital to both working and living in the 21st century. Both also represent educational programs and values that are being reaffirmed in recent trends nationally in higher education: the interdisciplinary, individually designed major as an excellent preparation for 21st-century careers, and the study and discussion of influential writings of students' intellectual and cultural heritage as foundational to a liberal education.

The Western Civilization Program began in 1945 as an independent reading program, was mainly a reading-discussion program from 1955-1987, and then became a full lecture-discussion curriculum in 1987. Western Civilization is a two-semester interdisciplinary humanities program centering in selected influential writings of the Western world from ancient times to the present. For some years the program has been committed to including, in our readings and pedagogy, attention to the issues of gender, race, the Jewish experience in the West, and the interaction between Western and non-Western cultures. Western Civilization is a general education requirement for all B.A. and B.G.S. students and most B.S. students in the College, and for all Social Welfare and Journalism majors. In 1992 Western Civilization was officially designated a writing-intensive program, extending students' writing experience in their three required English courses. Among the other activities initiated by the Western Civilization Program have been Independent Study courses, an annual student essay contest, fall and spring semester abroad programs in Florence and Paris, the annual Seaver Lectureship, the Western Civilization Lecture Series, the film series and activities series (self-guided museum tours), and summer humanities seminars for Kansas high school teachers.

Founded in 1947, Humanities has over the years been a catalyst and a forum for faculty who want to develop innovative courses that transcend disciplinary boundaries, and an individualized interdisciplinary major for students who want to explore and integrate a variety of areas of study. Among its popular courses have been the "Masterpieces of World Literature" series, the "Interrelations of the Humanities and the Arts" course, the "Biography of a City" series, and the "Science, Technology, and Society" course. Graduates of the program have entered the fields of business and banking, law, teaching, writing and editorial work, and many have successfully completed graduate study in a variety of subject areas.

The union strengthened Humanities by enriching and diversifying its curriculum and degree program. It strengthened Western Civilization by integrating it into an established interdisciplinary degree program, building upon the Western Civilization experience with further courses and the development of a major emphasis, and enriching the context which within which Western Civilization defines itself through wider connections with other interdisciplinary and international perspectives and methods. Like the Humanities and Humanities with Literature emphases in the major, the Western Civilization emphasis is attractive to some students as a complementary second major.

Millennium year 2000 was a Regent's-mandated Program Review year for Humanities and Western Civilization. Of the College undergraduate programs reviewed in 2000, only HWC and Classics received evaluations of "exceptional" for their undergraduate programs. Naturally we're proud of that recognition of the high quality of our major, our Humanities courses and our Western Civilization program.

What is the faculty like?

Faculty members come from several departments and disciplines and include two faculty regularly appointed by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as HWC Faculty fellows, selected in a university-wide competition for a two to three year term. HWC faculty represent a variety of humanities and social science disciplines, among them African & African-American Studies, English, French, Italian, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Spanish & Portugese. They include senior, mid-career, and younger scholars and teachers, all holding the Ph.D. degree, with teaching experience ranging from eight to over 30 years. Six have won major KU teaching awards including Fink, Kemper, Mortar Board, and HOPE. The diversity of faculty, language skills, travel, and research, and their wide-ranging interests make this program particularly interesting and exciting.

How do I get into the program?

HWC has no entrance requirements. As an incoming student, you will automatically be enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, so you can begin taking courses that satisfy your major during your first year. You become a major when you fill out a major declaration form in the program office, 308 Bailey Hall. Learn more about the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Humanities by clicking here.

Where can I get more information?

For further information, write or call the University of Kansas, Humanities and Western Civilization Program, Bailey Hall, Room 308, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045-7574. Telephone: (785) 864-3011, email: hwc@ku.edu. Or you may request information online.