Humanities and Arts Requirement

Recent Changes in This Requirement

Effective with the class entering in the fall of 2007 the requirements in the Humanities and Arts have changed. The set of requirements previously referred to as the “Sufficiency” has been modified, and this new set of requirements will no longer be referred to as the Sufficiency. Students entering prior to A term of 2007 may elect to follow either the previous (“Sufficiency”) or new Humanities and Arts Requirements. Students entering for A term, 2007 or later must follow the new requirements. In this catalog, the term “Sufficiency” will still appear as the transition to the new requirements proceeds.

Overview

The Humanities and Arts Requirement empowers students to meet the broad educational goals of WPI. The balance between technological and humanistic education and the emphasis on inquiry-based approaches to student learning have been and remain hallmarks of a WPI education. In concert with WPI’s other degree requirements, the humanities and arts requirement embodies the institute’s definition of an educated person. The humanities and arts requirement engages students with theory and practice - Lehr und Kunst - through the following educational goals.

Goals of the Humanities and Arts Requirement

to introduce students to the breadth, diversity, and creativity of human experience as expressed in the humanities and arts;
to develop students’ ability to think critically and independently about the world;
to enhance students’ ability to communicate effectively with others in a spirit of openness and cooperation;
to enrich students’ understanding of themselves;
to deepen students’ ability to apply concepts and skills in a focused thematic area through sustained critical inquiry;
to encourage students to reflect on their responsibilities to others in local, national and global communities;
to kindle in students a life-long interest in the humanities and arts.

Meeting the Requirement

Students fulfill the humanities and arts degree requirement by completing two units of work consisting of six student-selected courses. In selecting these courses, students complete breadth and depth components of the requirement. To ensure breadth, students select at least one course each from two of three different intellectual clusters. To ensure depth, students complete one unit of thematically-related work which must include at least one course at the 2000-level or above and culminate in an inquiry seminar or practicum (HU3900 or equivalent). Students may take six courses in a foreign language as an exception to the breadth component, but their sequence of foreign language courses must culminate in a seminar or practicum. At the end of the seminar or practicum, every student will submit documentation to certify completion of the requirement.

Breadth Component:

To ensure intellectual breadth, students must select at least one course from at least two of the following three intellectual clusters:

art/art history, drama/theatre, and music (AR, MU, TH);
languages, literature, and writing/rhetoric (EN, WR, RH, SP, GN);
history, philosophy and religion (HI, HU, PY, RE).

WPI offers a flexible curriculum to entrust students with a significant amount of choice and responsibility for planning their own course of study. At the same time, WPI requires students to take at least one course each in at least two of three intellectual clusters to provide exposure to the creativity of the fine and performing arts, modes of communication in languages and literature, and the cultural analysis of the past and present. Students are encouraged to experiment and to take courses beyond the minimum requirement of one course in two different areas. By providing exposure to multiple areas, the breadth component encourages students to appreciate the fundamental unity of knowledge and the interconnections between and among diverse disciplinary fields.

The one exception to this breadth requirement is that students may take all six courses in a foreign language. Development of proficiency in a foreign language necessitates sustained engagement in the language beyond the elementary and intermediate level. Foreign language instruction is broadly interdisciplinary and includes elements of the history, literature, and culture of a particular language area. A student in foreign languages must still meet the depth component of the requirement through completion of a practicum or seminar in the language. A student who begins foreign language study is not compelled to remain in that subject, but could choose to switch to another subject of study and complete the depth component in another thematic area.

Depth Component:

To ensure depth, students complete at least one unit (three courses) in a focused thematic area that includes and culminates with an inquiry seminar or practicum. At least one of the two thematically-related courses that precede the seminar or practicum must be at the 2000-level or above.

The WPI Plan calls for students to develop a meaningful grasp of a thematic area of the humanities and arts. After taking courses in at least two different areas of the humanities and arts, students pursue deeper study by choosing at least two courses in a focused thematic area that leads to an inquiry seminar or practicum. Students are strongly encouraged to take 2000-level courses and one 3000-level course in a focused thematic area prior to a culminating activity. To ensure that students develop a program of increasing complexity, the depth component requires that students take at least one course at the 2000-level or above before the seminar or practicum. The structure of the requirement remains flexible so that students will become intentional learners as they select their own sequence of thematically-related courses.

In most areas, students complete the depth component of the requirement by taking an Inquiry Seminar. In areas such as drama/theatre, music, the visual arts, or foreign languages, it may be appropriate for students to complete the depth component of the requirement with a Practicum. In either format, the combination of courses and seminar or practicum provides a deeper engagement with sustained critical inquiry and the integration of theory and practice in an area of the humanities and arts.

The Humanities and Arts department defines specific materials that each student submits at the end of the seminar or practicum to document completion of the breadth and depth components of the requirement. For example, a Humanities and Arts Requirement Portfolio could include a list of the courses taken to fulfill the breadth and depth components and a selection of each student’s individual work from the culminating seminar or practicum. Such a portfolio would not include material from all courses, nor would it include all material from the culminating seminar or practicum. Rather, a portfolio would enable each student to demonstrate that they have met the goals of the Humanities and Arts Requirement and to reflect on their progress toward achieving the overall learning outcomes of WPI.

It is expected that in most cases the final grade of the seminar or practicum will be used as the overall evaluation for the Completion of Degree Requirement (CDR) for the Humanities and Arts Requirement.

Inquiry Seminar or Practicum

The culmination of the depth component of the humanities and arts requirement is an inquiry seminar or practicum. The educational goals for the seminar or practicum are the same regardless of the format.

Goals of the Inquiry Seminar or Practicum:

Critical inquiry: to develop each student’s ability to apply concepts and skills learned in the humanities and arts, the seminar/practicum offers opportunities to engage in sustained critical inquiry, analysis, or problem-solving in a focused thematic area.
Research and investigation: to engage students in research, discovery, creativity, or investigation, the seminar/practicum provides opportunities for students actively and critically to seek and evaluate new information and insights using multiple sources. These opportunities need not necessarily be research papers.
Communication and writing: to develop each student’s ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, the seminar/practicum includes discussion of appropriate communications skills and provides opportunities to revise written work after receiving feedback from the instructor.
Intellectual independence: to foster independence of thought, the seminar/practicum offers significant opportunities for individual, self-directed work.
Conversation and dialogue: to promote individual reflection and the appreciation of diverse perspectives, the seminar/ practicum consists of classroom activities other than traditional lecture to encourage discussion and collaborative learning in a spirit of openness, cooperation, and dialogue with peers. The thematic focus, structure, and assignments for each seminar or practicum are to be determined by each individual instructor to achieve these goals.

Inquiry Seminar

The Inquiry Seminar, usually taken in the sophomore year, represents the culmination of the Humanities and Arts Requirement. The Seminar provides an opportunity for students to explore a particular topic or theme in the humanities in greater depth. The Seminar has two primary goals. The first is to foster independence of student thought, typically through some form of self-directed activity. The second is to encourage a cooperative, dialogic approach to inquiry, through open exchanges with peers in a small, intensive classroom setting (typically 12 students or fewer). Students learn how to frame questions in the context of a particular discipline or field of study, and to explore or investigate problems using methods appropriate to work in the humanities and arts.

As the student’s capstone experience in the humanities and arts, the Inquiry Seminar is intended to help students take their knowledge of the humanities to a higher level. The purpose of the Inquiry Seminar, therefore, is not to provide a broad survey or general introduction to a given discipline, but to provide a structured forum in which students might approach a specific humanities-related problem or theme at a deeper, more sustained level of intellectual engagement than would normally be possible within a traditional course setting. The pedagogical idea behind the Inquiry Seminar is that work in the humanities and arts is at once an intensely personal enterprise, in which the individual freely draws on her or his own particular interests, abilities, passions, and commitments, and at the same time a form of ethical community in which the practitioner is always in conversation with and accountable to others.

While the specific content and requirements of the Inquiry Seminar vary from instructor to instructor, all Inquiry Seminars incorporate self-directed learning as a significant part of the curriculum. It is the department’s expectation, therefore, that by the time they enroll in the Seminar, students should have sufficient background in the humanities and arts to be able to work independently and to pose questions of their own. Students will be asked to research and write a term paper, to assemble a portfolio of writings or exercises, or otherwise to demonstrate their ability to pose a question of relevance to humanities inquiry, and to answer it. At the same time, the Seminars are designed to foster an atmosphere of intellectual collaboration and discovery. Students are required to participate fully in seminar discussion, to share the results of their own research or activities, and to engage the ideas and interests of their peers in a constructive and collegial way.

Inquiry Practicum

Students in the performing arts have the option to complete their Humanities and Arts sequence with an Inquiry Practicum in music or drama/theatre. A practicum shares the same goals and objectives of an inquiry seminar but provides students with a production/performance experience which emphasizes the hands-on, practical application of skills and knowledge gained from previous Humanities and Arts courses. Samples of practicums in music include composing, arranging, or performing a solo recital. Drama/Theatre students may choose to act, direct, or design for a campus production. In addition to weekly meetings, students may be required to attend rehearsals and performances. The design of the final project is determined through conversations between instructors and students. Due to the unique nature of the practicum, permission of the instructor is required to enroll in a practicum.

Foreign Languages: Practicum or Seminar

Students in foreign languages may complete the Humanities and Arts Requirement in one of the following three ways:

practicum in the sixth and final course in a foreign language. The practicum will include evaluative components or exams to demonstrate overall language skills in four areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The practicum will require students to demonstrate breadth of cultural knowledge of the language area. (Examples of practicum courses: GN 3512, GN 3515; SP 3522; SP 3527)
advanced language seminar after five previous courses in the foreign language. The seminar will explore a thematic topic and provide opportunities for individual inquiry. (Seminar examples: GN 3513, GN 3514; SP 3523, SP 3524, SP 3525, SP 3526, SP 3528, SP 3529, SP 3530, SP 3531)
advanced language seminar after advanced-level language courses combined with courses from other areas of study. Students who demonstrate basic oral, written, and cultural knowledge of a foreign language in a placement test at the advanced level may combine courses from other areas for their requirement. (Seminar examples are the same as option 2.)

Option 1 and 2 require students to take six courses in a foreign language. For example, in option 1, a student without prior language training might begin with GN 1511 Elementary German I and conclude with a practicum in GN 3512 Advanced German II. In option 2, for example, a student might start with SP 2521 Intermediate Spanish I followed by five Spanish courses which culminate in one of the designated seminars. In option 3, students who demonstrate knowledge of the foreign language at the advanced level may mix courses from other areas in their course sequence. For example, a student might take two courses from history, philosophy, music, etc. along with four advanced Spanish courses which would culminate in a designated seminar. Students in all three options for foreign languages would be required to submit the same materials to demonstrate completion of the requirement as students whose culminating experience was an inquiry seminar or practicum in another area of the Humanities and Arts.

Transition in Degree Requirements

As stated above, the new degree requirement in Humanities and Arts takes effect for the class entering WPI in the fall of 2007. All current students, who have yet to complete their Sufficiency Requirement, may follow either of the following options:

Current students may complete their Humanities and Arts requirements by following the rules that were in effect at the time that they enrolled. Faculty will be available to advise individual students in ISP/Sufficiencies during the 2009- 2010 academic year, but we anticipate that most students will enroll in either inquiry seminars or practicums. Students who wish to complete their Humanities and Arts requirement by enrolling in an ISP may only do so with the consent of the instructor. Students completing foreign language Sufficiency course sequences will continue to do so by completing 6 courses in language study.

Current students may complete their Humanities and Arts requirement by completing courses in Humanities and Arts and then completing an inquiry seminar or practicum in place of the ISP. Before enrolling in the inquiry seminar or practicum, students need only complete 2 courses in the discipline of the inquiry seminar/practicum. (This is a relaxation of the five thematically related courses requirement of the past and does not impose any new requirements on current students). For clarity, students who have enrolled before the fall of 2007 will not be obligated to complete either the breadth requirement (at least one course in two of three disciplinary clusters) or the requirement that one course in the depth area be taken at the 2000 level or above. Advisors, however, should encourage students to select courses that will meet these requirements whenever possible.

Students who transfer less than six Humanities and Arts courses from another institution must complete an inquiry seminar or practicum to complete the Humanities and Arts requirement. Students who transfer six or more courses in Humanities and Arts will have the option of submitting a CDR form or engaging in additional work (or documentation of work) to earn an “A” on the CDR, in accordance with current transfer rules (see below).

All students, whether enrolled before or after the Fall of 2007, may have the option of completing their Humanities and Arts requirement while enrolled for 1 unit of coursework at an off-campus project center where one-third unit of the coursework shall include an inquiry seminar or practicum. Other than dropping the term “Sufficiency”, there is no change to the Off-campus Humanities and Arts study option (See Off-Campus Humanities and Arts Option).

Transfer Students and the Humanities and Arts Requirement

Transfer credit in the Humanities and Arts at WPI is granted on a course-for-course basis. All Transfer students entering WPI with fewer than six courses or their equivalent of transfer credit in the Humanities and Arts must complete work in the Humanities and Arts, including an Inquiry Seminar/Practicum to the extent that the overall Humanities and Arts credit totals two units.

No credit toward the Humanities and Arts requirement is given for introductory-level foreign-language courses unless the entire program is in that foreign language. Usually only one transfer course in Freshman English can be applied toward the requirement. In all cases, the professor for the Inquiry Seminar/ Practicum has the final decision on what courses are acceptable within the student’s sequence leading up to the project. Up to one unit (i.e. three courses) of transferred work in the Humanities and Arts that is not credited toward the Humanities and Arts Requirement can be credited toward the fifteen-unit graduation requirement; such courses shall receive credit under the category of EL 1000.

If a Transfer student has completed two units of acceptable college-level work in the Humanities and Arts prior to entering WPI, a Completion of Degree Requirement form will be submitted by the Humanities and Arts Department Coordinator for Transfer Students at the request of the student. The grade for such a Humanities and Arts Requirement met by transfer credit is normally a grade of “CR”. Students whose grades on transferred courses average A can engage in additional work or submit samples of their previous work and may be awarded an A for the Humanities and Arts Requirement. Alternately a transfer student may elect to undertake an Inquiry Seminar/ Practicum in an effort to achieve an A grade. These evaluation options must be exercised prior to the Department’s submission of the Completion of Degree Requirement form to the Registrar.

Decisions concerning credit toward the Humanities and Arts requirement are made by the Humanities and Arts Coordinator for Transfer Students, Professor James Hanlan. He can be contacted in room 28 of Salisbury Laboratories, or at extension 5438, or email jphanlan@wpi.edu.

Guidelines for Granting Transfer Credit to U.S. Students for Foreign Language Study

Credit for study on the high school level:
1. Transfer credit of 1/3 unit is given for Advanced Placement with a score of 4 or 5.
2. Students with three or more years of foreign-language study in high school, but who have not taken the Advanced Placement examination in that language, may receive 1/3 unit credit for their high school language study upon satisfactory completion of two courses in the same language on the intermediate level or above. (Note: Courses in German and Spanish in addition to those offered at WPI, as well as courses in other languages, are available at other colleges in the Consortium.)
3. In either case 1. or 2. above, in order to receive 1/3 unit credit, students must begin their WPI course sequence at the Elementary II level or above.
Credit for study at other colleges and universities:
1. Language study which is done at other universities and colleges prior to entering WPI, or done with the prior written permission of the student’s Humanities and Arts Consultant (not the Department Head) as part of an agreed-upon Humanities and Arts sequence, transfers on a course-for-course basis.
2. Language study which is done at foreign universities, language institutes, cultural institutes, etc., prior to entering WPI, or done with the prior written permission of the student’s Humanities and Arts Consultant (not the Department Head) as part of an agreed-upon Humanities and Arts sequence, is assessed by the Foreign Languages Consultant on the basis of matriculation papers and the level of work accomplished.

Other Options

Social Science Courses

Humanities and Arts advisors may allow students to include one social science course in their Humanities and Arts sequence on the basis of that course’s suitability to the development of students’ particular humanities themes.

Such a course must be more than “related to” or “in support of ” a given theme. It must be at the interface of humanities (normally history) and blend in with certain Humanities and Arts courses. A course in American government, for example, could logically be included in any number of American history sequences.

The inclusion of a social science course in the Humanities and Arts requirement of any student requires the written “advice and consent” of his or her Humanities and Arts advisor after the theme has been determined and before the student registers for the seminar.

One of the following social science courses (and no other) may be included in the Humanities and Arts sequence:

Interdisciplinary Study at the American Antiquarian Society

A unique opportunity for interdisciplinary work in the humanities and arts is offered by the American Studies Seminar sponsored each fall by the American Antiquarian Society. Organized in collaboration with Worcester’s five undergraduate colleges and universities, this seminar focuses on topics that allow students to investigate the Society’s rich holdings in early American history, literature, and culture. The Society’s unparalleled collection of documents is a short walk from the campus. Information on application deadlines and academic credit toward the Humanities and Arts requirement is available from the WPI Campus Representative to the American Antiquarian Society.

Off-Campus Humanities and Arts Option

WPI offers the option to complete the Humanities and Arts Requirement during one term of study at several Project Centers. Normally, students complete the requirement through at least six courses or independent-study projects on campus. However, the “Off-Campus” option allows students to combine at least three courses on campus with one term studying the humanities and arts at a Project Center. Since this one-term project is equivalent to three courses, students may use it to complete the requirement.

Off-campus projects are available in Germany for the study of foreign languages and in London and Morocco for other fields. These off-campus programs have a flexible format. Students devote themselves to one term studying the history, literature, language or culture at the project site with a WPI faculty advisor. The program might combine a thematic seminar in an area of the faculty advisor’s expertise with visits to museums, the theatre, musical performances, or cultural excursions.

Although themes or areas of emphasis vary from year to year, all off-campus Humanities and Arts activities culminate in a written report in an area of interest to the student.

To be eligible for this one-unit activity, students must have already completed three courses in humanities and arts before they leave campus. Students may apply to the off-campus program before they have taken all three courses. However, students may not participate in the program unless they successfully complete one unit of work in humanities and arts before the term of the project. In addition, students going to any Project Center must complete all of the forms required by the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division.

Requirements:

Students must have completed at least three courses in the Humanities and Arts at WPI, or have earned equivalent course credit approved by the Humanities and Arts Department, before the term of the off-campus activity. The Department may allow students to count transfer or advanced placement credits toward the three course minimum;
Students must be accepted into the off-campus Humanities and Arts program by the Humanities and Arts Department, and complete all forms required by the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division, in order to register for these projects.
Students might be required by the faculty advisor to complete a PQP or attend required meetings before the offcampus project;
Students must submit a written report or paper at the end of the project. Students also may be required to submit written updates at various times in the course of the project. In all cases, the faculty advisor at the project site will determine the precise form of the written requirements.
Students may be required to give an oral presentation at the end of the project;
Under normal circumstances, students must complete the project within one term in order to receive the full unit of credit;
Only members of the Humanities and Arts faculty at WPI may advise off-campus Humanities and Arts projects.

Off-Campus Recommendations

All off-campus programs benefit from advance planning. Discuss the possibility of an off-campus activity with your academic advisor at the beginning of the freshman year. Consult with the WPI faculty who will advise these off-campus projects as early as possible, since they may be able to suggest useful courses or other background resources for the projects. Also keep in mind that three courses are the minimum required, but many students find it advantageous to take additional courses before going away.

The interdisciplinary London and Morocco programs are open to students with a background in areas of the humanities and arts besides foreign languages, including art history and architecture, drama/theatre, history, literature, music, philosophy, religion, or writing/rhetoric. After taking at least three courses in any of these areas on campus, you could then go to London to complete your project. Some students also have gone to London with this program to study beyond the Humanities and Arts requirement for international studies, history, literature, music, theatre, or other areas.

WPI offers programs in the German language at Darmstadt. This program requires completion of foreign language courses through the level of intermediate II or above (2000-level or above) before going abroad. For students who have taken foreign language courses in high school, language placement exams are available during New Student Orientation. Some students with basic foreign language preparation have completed their arts projects in Germany. We welcome a creative approach to off-campus study.

More advanced students may participate in these off-campus programs by doing work toward a minor or major. A student who had already completed their Humanities and Arts requirement on campus, for example, might be able to work in the humanities and arts on an Independent Study Project that could count toward a minor. Or a student at one of these sites could work on a Major Qualifying Project in fields such as Humanities and Arts, International Studies, or Professional Writing.

The Humanities and Arts Department advertises upcoming project locations and application deadlines at the Global Opportunities Fair each September. Future project opportunities might include other foreign locations or projects that provide the context for an intensive study of humanistic themes associated with particular locales within the United States. Contact the Department of Humanities and Arts for more information.

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Last modified: February 04, 2009 16:15:34