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2025-2026 Academic Catalog
Humanities Courses
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Humanities
Humanities
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HUM 101 - Humanities I: The Ancient Greek World 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A foundation for further study in the liberal arts, developing skills of critical reading, writing, and imaginative thinking through the study of selected works from ancient Greece. Readings include Homeric epic, tragic drama, Platonic dialogues, Thucydides’ History and Aristotle’s Poetics.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff -
HUM 102 - Humanities II: Roman and Early Christian Culture 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Major works of Roman and early Christian culture, exploring private and public paths to happiness from Cicero’s ideal commonwealth to the City of God. Readings include Virgil’s Aeneid, Stoic and Epicurean philosophy, satire and drama, Christian scripture, St. Augustine, and Boethius. Emphasis on close reading, discussion, and short essay assignments.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff -
HUM 120 - Introduction to Material Culture Studies 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: SST 120 . This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies. Participants explore extraordinary and everyday objects from the perspectives of anthropology, archaeology, art/craft histories, gender and sexuality, museum studies, literature, poetry, economics, and history. Meeting at the Stew Makerspace in downtown Grinnell, we blend readings and discussions with hands-on studio work exploring form, ornament, and function in clay, wood, and textile.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Maynard -
HUM 140 - Medieval and Renaissance Culture: 1100–1650 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: SST 140 . This interdisciplinary course explores European culture and the social and political forces that shaped it between 1100 and 1650, paying special attention to feudalism and the Crusades, the intellectual efflorescence of the 12th and 13th centuries, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the advent of the Scientific Revolution. In our exploration of medieval and Renaissance culture we will draw on art, science, literature, political theory, philosophy and theology, music, the writings of mystics, and advice manuals for heads of households and would-be courtiers.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff -
HUM 200 - Creative Careers: Learning from Alumni
See SST 200 .
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HUM 251 - Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 251 . This course takes a theoretical approach to canonical and contemporary children’s literature. Content is variable, but may include The Young Adult Problem Novel, Dystopian Fiction for the Young Adult Reader, and Constructions of Race, Slavery, Class and Gender in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. For current offerings review the variable topic course listing below or use the course search to filter by variable topic type.
Prerequisite: A course in English or another course in literature, with grade S, C, or better.
Note: Foreign language available in Russian or French.
Instructor: Staff
Special Topics-Fall
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HUM 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Introduction to Jewish Thought 4 credits (Fall)
In this course, we will grapple with themes such as ethics, politics, and identity through the lens of “Jewish thought.” To do so, we will explore a range of historical sources, including the Hebrew Bible, medieval philosophy, Enlightenment-era political thought, and modern and contemporary literature, situating them in their historical circumstances and in relation to broader Jewish thought and traditions. This course requires no prior knowledge of Judaism.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Blaber -
HUM 295-01 - Special Topic: Women’s Lives through Arab Lens 4 credits (Fall)
See ARB 295-01 .
Special Topics-Spring
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HUM 295-01 - Special Topic: Women’s Lives Through Arab Lens 4 credits (Spring)
See ARB 295-01
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