Arts & Humanities (A&H)
The intent of this requirement is for students to develop a foundational understanding of the arts and humanities. Courses meeting this requirement introduce students to the theories, methodologies, and methods and practices employed by artists or humanists and/or the topics, issues, and content knowledge with which they commonly engage. A&H-designated courses may be rooted in a range of fields and disciplines.
Specific learning outcomes for any given A&H course may vary, but it is expected that upon successful completion of any A&H course students will be better able to:
- Recognize how arts and humanities inquiry engages such fields as art, architecture, creative writing, dance, design, drama, film, history, language, literature, music, narrative, philosophy, or poetry; utilize approaches including creation, criticism, analysis (aesthetic, architectural, cinematic, literary, textual), interpretation, or performance; and understand and describe the questions that can and cannot be answered through such inquiry.
and/or
- Engage with research in the arts or humanities, which may consist of learning about the methods commonly employed by artists/humanists, conducting original research in a coursebased setting or creating original artistic works in a course-based setting. Research in this context includes qualitative, quantitative, or mixed approaches, particularly those that are creative or interpretive in their orientation.
and/or
- Think critically about the arts/humanities by analyzing information, evaluating arguments, making informed judgments, solving problems, thinking creatively, considering multiple perspectives and/or reflecting on their own thinking.
Additional A&H guidance regarding language instruction:
While language instruction will inherently include some cultural analysis, first-year language courses dedicated to language acquisition that are solely focused on building vocabulary and basic linguistic skills will not be awarded an A&H designation.
For a language course to be awarded A&H, there must be concrete evidence – in learning outcomes, texts, and assignments – that critical analysis of cultural, literary, historical, or other humanistic components are present.
Examples of course content that would be awarded A&H credit include assignments that include reflections on cultural perspectives and practices or reflections on concepts in linguistics and the study of language.