• Humanities at WPI
• Humanities & Arts Requirement
• Majors & Minors
• Course Descriptions
• Faculty & Staff
• Student Resources
• About WPI
• Related Sites
  • Drama/Theatre
  • Foreign Languages
  • Interactive Media & Game Development
  • Music
  • Center for Communication Across the Curriculum

Humanities at WPI

While the 21st century may be defined by the advancement of science and engineering, it seems only natural that we ask ourselves how all the new discoveries and technological changes of our age will affect the essence of what it means to be human. And how can we be sure that the architects of our brave new world will not lose sight of the importance of democratic values, individual pursuits, artistic freedoms and cultural diversity?

The need to inquire into the ramifications of these types of questions was recognized by the initiators of WPI's unique approach to education; hence, the importance of the humanities and arts in the educational process of our students. Through their course work and an in-depth encounter with humanistic inquiry or artistic project by means of the required humanities and arts project, all WPI students come to appreciate the values attained through the study of music, history, foreign languages, literature, theatre, art and architecture, rhetoric, philosophy, religion, or their attendant disciplines. For example, they learn that

• studying history makes us aware of the events and key philosophical refinements that created today's world.
• through the study of foreign languages and cultures, we celebrate the richness of diversity.
• theatre and music lift us outside ourselves, nurture an appreciation of the sublime, and help us empathize with the plight of others.
• like theatre and music, literature and art teach us about our humanness, heighten our awareness, and entertain our minds.

Our commitment in the Humanities and Arts Department is to assure that all WPI graduates appreciate the richness of their cultural heritage. We also hope to foster in students an ability to question the world they inhabit, to communicate their ideas and visions clearly and concisely, to appreciate the nature of creativity, and to welcome the fine arts into their conception of the world. We also stress the necessity for exercising analytical thought when making decisions and for re-enforcing the value of an open and co-operative society.

With the opportunities we make available to students, we are confident that they will confront the complexities of an ever-changing technological world with their humanistic values never far from the surface.

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: August 16, 2006 08:50:04