The Humanities Honors Program in General Education is a four semester survey course in the Background of Western Culture and Society (HUM 1A/B) and Modern Cultural and Social Institutions (HUM 2A/B) in a format that emphasizes the interrelationship of art, literature, philosophy and social institutions. It is open to entering Freshmen from all majors who meet the qualifications (3.0 GPA and 550 or above in the verbal portion of the SAT).
In addition to the 24 units of core General Education requirements, which the program satisfies, students also fulfill graduation requirements in American Institutions and California Government (6 units). In this way, students satisfy 30 units of General Education requirements while earning only 24 units in HUM 1A/B, 2A/B. Students in the College of Engineering satisfy 36 units of General Education requirements.
The first two semesters (HUM 1A/B) focus on human achievements in the ancient world, starting with developments in the ancient Mediterranean and progressing eastwards to encompass seminal achievements in ancient India and China. Key monuments of literature, art, architecture and philosophy are presented within an historical continuum. Later, students are exposed to the medieval world and the growth of new socioeconomic systems in Europe, western Asia and Japan
The last two semesters (HUM 2A/B) focus more directly on the rise of American democracy and history. Although a substantial portion of the reading assignments preserve a western focus, in each semester at least two major non-European cultures are explored both as a counterpoint to students' understanding of western culture and as an expansion of their own knowledge of all human cultures. Students study a variety of works - art, literature, philosophy, religious texts, historical documents - and instructors approach both large lectures and individual seminar sessions from a variety of disciplinary perspectives - literary, sociological, historical, and philosophical.
Students rotate over the four semesters between the team instructors and are exposed to these differing perspectives as they satisfy core competencies in written and spoken communication, arts and letters, critical thinking, comparative social systems, gender roles and American institutions. Since the sequence covers four semesters, instructors and students have sufficient time to explore the cultural complexities of human developments from earliest antiquity to the present in a global context.
Faculty members are drawn from several disciplines and are all known by their colleagues as outstanding teachers. Several have received teaching awards at SJSU or other institutions of higher learning.
Students with a high school GPA of 3.0 or better and a verbal SAT score of 580 and above are automatically eligible. If you do not meet this criteria and would like to be considered for the program, contact the program coordinator, Dr. Marianina Olcott, at 408/924-4455 or email her at molcott@email.sjsu.edu.
Members of the Spartan Honors Community are dedicated to sharing life and ideas that help students receive the most out of their college experiences. Students in the Spartan Honors Community are from all over campus and represent majors in Science, Engineering, Humanities, and Social Sciences. While coming together with students from different departments, you will explore the great works of human culture, build a close knit community, share many interesting activities, and complete many of your lower division general education requirements all at the same time! This community is open to all students who are taking the Humanities Honors courses or have graduated from the program, but space is limited so apply early! June 1st is the priority deadline.
More information is available at http://housing.sjsu.edu/pros_community.html
Scroll down to page 7 for Spartan Honors Community under Themed Living Communities.
Applications for the Spartan Honors Living community are available at http://housing.sjsu.edu/0_apply.html
| Core GE Area | Sections | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Written Communication | A2 & C3 | 6 units |
| Oral Communication | A1 | 3 units |
| Arts & Letters | C1 & C2 | 6 units |
| Comparative Systems | D2 | 3 units |
| Social Issues | D3 | 3 units |
| Critical Thinking | A3 | 3 units |
| American Institutions | Sections | Units |
| US History & Constitution, and CA Government | F1,2,3 | 6 units |
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