圣路易斯华盛顿大学

The Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities (IPH) is a rigorous program for highly motivated students whose interests lead them beyond traditional academic categories. The major, which usually leads to a degree with honors, combines an introductory core - a concentrated study of texts central to the European, American and Asian philosophical, religious and literary traditions - with an area of concentration: an advanced sequence of courses and research tailored to the special interests of each student in the program. For students pursuing concentrations in (for example) American intellectual history, in the European avant-garde in the 20th century, or in Renaissance political thought (to take three among many possible concentrations), the introductory core provides a crucial foundation for advanced interdisciplinary work. The core also provides a useful background for students undertaking comparative concentrations - for example, in Buddhist, Christian and Muslim mystical literature, or in the influence of Russian fiction in East Asia.

All students in the major learn to write and speak clearly and flexibly; they are given broad exposure to a range of canonical texts; they are trained in the historical and formal analysis of those and many other texts; they become skilled researching in at least one foreign language; and they are given considerable experience in independent research. Their work in the humanities bridges disciplines and fosters in them the two fundamental interpretive skills of contextualization and criticism. Students in the program will be well prepared for a range of graduate programs in the humanities, for professional careers in law and public service, and for the vital work of critical citizenship and adult intellectual discovery.

Areas of Concentration

Some degree of specialization is a useful aspect of education in the humanities. With their faculty mentors, students construct a coherent, interdisciplinary sequence of five courses for advanced study. Each student's sequence, or "area of concentration," which must always include at least one course in political or cultural history, will normally be taken between the third and seventh semesters of the program. Recent concentrations have included modernism and politics; Muslim ethics and jurisprudence; philosophy of education; opera; space law; and the history of the novel. Some students will pursue concentrations that reflect the longstanding research interests of a number of faculty in the humanities. Among these latter, fully developed concentrations are the tracks in Renaissance Studies; Literature and History; and History of Media.

Students in the Renaissance Studies track, for example, enroll either in Text and Tradition or in the Renaissance Ampersand program during their first year. They have a wide range of courses from which to construct their period-specific cluster; as they develop their senior project, they are able to work closely with faculty from several different departments who make up Washington University's active group of Renaissance scholars.