University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

Humanities

Return to: College of Liberal Arts

Courses in the Humanities Program, identified by the HUMN prefix are an exciting and challenging way to satisfy all upper division humanities requirements. Whatever their major, as each student approaches the end of their college career, these dynamic courses are the ideal way to bring meaning and structure to all of the diverse subjects and experiences that make up a college career. Humanities students question the world. Through study abroad and shared inquiry of history’s great ideas and creations students evaluate our cultural and intellectual heritage, exploring such basic human questions as how we learn; the nature of the state; the rights and responsibilities of individuals in the community; concepts of human nature; the human species as victim, antagonist, or part of nature; the supernatural; esthetics; and technology. HUMN 3301, HUMN 3302, HUMN 3303, HUMN 3311, HUMN 3312, and HUMN 3313 are also offered in a totally online format. The Humanities Program is a part of the Global Humanities Program.

Minor in Humanities

The purpose of any minor is to broaden the academic and cultural skills of students to enable them to achieve greater success in both their undergraduate and graduate academic careers. A Humanities Minor, therefore, provides a gateway to careers in professions such as the law, education, business management, personnel management, government service, and many creative areas such as art, creative writing, and individual entrepreneurial options, activities such as creating an independent business. 

Students can fashion a minor concentration in the Humanities based upon their own plans and interests. All students should design a proposal for a coherent course of study. All proposals must be approved by the Director of the Humanities Program and be on file in the Humanities Office.

Complete 18 hours including:

  • 9-hours of Humanities courses, or 6-hours of Humanities courses and 3 hours of Humanities 4390
  • 9 hours of advanced-level courses to include courses from Art, Art History, Communication, Music, Literature, Religious Studies, Jewish Studies*, Theatre, Humanities, Languages and Linguistics*, History, Philosophy, Women’s Studies*, Chicano Studies*, Asian Studies*, Border and Latin American Studies*, and African American Studies*.

* Apply to Humanities Minor when topics are from the Humanities.

Marketable Skills

Students will gain the following marketable skills:

  • Confidence: Be self-assured through appreciating your own talents, abilities, skills, and qualities. The difficulty of Humanities Classes confirms student abilities.
  • Problem-solving: Find solutions to difficult or complex issues by being able to discover and evaluate diverse sets of evidence. Humanities Minors are well suited to deal with problems in many areas.
  • Social responsibility: Act ethically and responsibly for the benefit of society and the public good. Humanities Minors examine a variety of social contexts and the reactions to them.
  • Writing: Communicate using text in a clear and concise manner. Humanities classes typically contain substantial writing components to develop the expressive skills of students.

Additionally, students will develop:

  1. The ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively.
  2. The ability to identify and examine evidence applicable to a variety of problems.
  3. Skills to discover a variety of evidence applicable to a variety of problems.
  4. The ability to support ideas with relevant reasons and examples to solve a variety of problems. 

Many students that go into education as a result of the program, develop the ability to sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion and progress to a conclusion.

Degree Plan

Humanities:
Select nine hours of the following:9
Ancient Cultures
Faith and Reason
Modern Culture & Thought
Iliad Odyssey and the Bible
Paths of the Prophet
Medieval Women
Jewish Women of the Holocaust
American Cultural Studies
Protest in Art and Literature
Theories of Social Change
Media and Social Justice
Special Topics in Humanities
Electives:
Select nine hours of upper-division courses from at least two of the following areas: 19
Art
Communication
Music
Literature
Religious Studies
Jewish Studies
Theatre Arts
Humanities
Languages and Linguistics
History
Philosophy
Women's Studies
Chicano Studies
African American Studies
Total Hours18
1

All proposals must be approved by the department.

Dr. Ronald J. Weber
Associate Professor of History
rweber@utep.edu
915-747-6512

John De Frank
Lecturer for Humanities
jdefrank@utep.edu

Dr. Emily A. Durham
Asst. Professor of Instruction
eadurham@utep.edu

Chavah Schwartz
Lecturer for Humanities
cischwartz@miners.utep.edu

Dr. Leeann Westman
Lecturer for Humanities
lewestman@utep.edu

Ruby Montana
Lecturer for Chicano Studies
ramontana@utep.edu

Marla Morris
Lecturer for Humanities
mlmorris@utep.edu

Dr. Ronald Weber
Director of Global Humanities
rweber@utep.edu
915-747-6512

John De Frank
Program Manager / Adjunct Faculty
Jdefrank@utep.edu
915-747-5835