Humanities

The Humanities major is a multidisciplinary bachelor of arts (BA) degree program that encompasses all the humanities at Simmons – from art and history to modern languages, literature, writing, and philosophy.

An art installation featuring many small paintings done for an artist talk with Abhilasha Natarajan

Why Study Humanities at Simmons?

Simmons offers you the unique opportunity of studying humanities through perspectives that are:

  • Multidisciplinary: With courses in history, philosophy, literature, writing, Spanish, and art, as well as cross-listed courses with administration, communications, politics, and women's and gender studies.
  • Multicultural: Offering cultural perspectives as varied as African American fiction, Chinese history, Latin American film, and the philosophy of mind in Buddhism.
  • Women-centered and with an LGBT focus: Choose from many of our courses, including Gender and Art, Gender and Power in Literature, Queer Literature and Film, and Latin American Women Writers.
  • Linked to the Digital World: Many of our courses have built-in and hands-on digital components, including the required course HUM 100: Introduction to Humanities and the capstone course HUM 370: Humanities Internship, as well as other courses in the humanities, such as ART/COMM 139: Color Photography CSI, HIST 374: Modern U.S. History: Digital Humanities, HIST 366/566 Digital History, and courses in Arts Administration.

What can you do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities?

A bachelor's degree in Humanities from Simmons will prepare you for any profession that requires strong critical thinking and communication skills and knowledge of humanity in its multiple forms of expression. Higher education experts emphasize the on-going value of the study of the humanities, particularly to 21st century career readiness. Studies show that increasing numbers of employers seek not just technical skills, but also humanistic and liberal arts-oriented capabilities, that have become essential for the current knowledge-based economy and prepare future generations of visionaries and leaders committed to social justice.

The Humanities major is an excellent foundation for pursuing a variety of careers, including:

  • Government
  • Law
  • Online media, newspapers, and magazines
  • Colleges and universities
  • K-12 schools
  • Community and school libraries
  • Museums and arts agencies
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Research institutes
  • Advertising agencies

Learning Objectives of the Humanities Major

As a Humanities major at Simmons you will be able to develop:

  • Knowledge and understanding of the humanistic disciplines in their common aims and themes;
  • Critical thinking and argumentation skills applied in the humanities;
  • Writing skills as they are applied in the humanities;
  • An appreciation of the global scope of the humanities;
  • Knowledge and understanding of the aims, themes, and methods that are specific to art, history, literatures and languages, writing, and philosophy;
  • Research methods in the humanities and/or working skills based on an education in the humanities.

Humanities Internship Examples

  • Career Development Center at Emerson College
  • Boston Children's Hospital Trust
  • Department of Human Services for the Town of Clinton, CT. - French Library in Boston

Major requires 40 credit hours.

Core Requirements

Complete the following core courses.

Category One: Introduction to the Humanities

Complete the following course.

Course # Course Title Credits
HUM 100 Introduction to Humanities 4

Category Two: Critical Thinking and Argumentation

Complete one of the following courses.

PHIL122 Real-Life Logic 4
OR
PHIL123 Symbolic Logic 4

Category Three: Public Humanities Writing

Complete the following course.

LTWR103 Public Humanities Writing 4

Category Four: Global Humanities

4 Credits: Complete one KCA:Global Historical course in the humanities that focuses on a culture or history outside of the US.

Category Five: Artistic Literacy

4 Credits: Complete one ART course or AADM 143 - Boston Arts in Action.

Category Six: Literatures and Languages

4 Credits: Complete one course in LTWR*, SPAN,* FREN, or take CHL 313 - Survey of Literature for Children and Young Adults.

Category Seven: Historical Perspectives

4 Credits: Complete one HIST* course.

Category Eight: Philosophical Thinking

4 Credits: Complete one PHIL course.

Category Nine: Elective in the Humanities

4 Credits: Complete one course of your preference in the humanities or cross-listed with a humanities course.

Category Ten: Capstone

4 Credits: Complete one of the following to fulfill the Capstone Requirement.

HUM 350 - Independent Study

HUM 355 - HumanitiesThesis

HUM 370 - Humanities Internship

HUM 390 - Humanities Seminar

Spotlight on Humanities Students and Alums

An assortment of children's books lying on a table

Alumna Appointed Principal of Elementary School

Brit Sikes ’96 has been appointed Principal of Una Elementary School by Metro Nashville Public Schools.


The periodic table of elements.

STEM Student Receives Research Scholarship from American Chemical Society

Biochemistry major and Literature and Writing minor Reagan Cleversey ’26 received the competitive James Flack Norris / Theodore William Richards Summer Research Scholarship from the American Chemical Society. She spoke with us about her passion for medicinal chemistry and the importance of mentorship.


Tessa Culhane ’24

Writing Speculative Fiction and Leading from Within

An interview with Tessa Culhane ’24 What are the most impactful things you have done over the last four years? In the last four years, I graduated from Cape Cod Community College with my Associate’s in Business Administration, and will...


Hannah Ibañez ’13

Advocating for Fallen Angels in the City of Angels

Hannah Ibañez ’13 is a Level 2 Public Defender in Los Angeles who was appointed to the United States Access Board by President Joe Biden. She spoke with us about her passion for social justice, her love of philosophy, and her fondest memories of Simmons.


Photo of Kaz Gebhardt

A Queer History of Simmons

History Major Kaz Gebhardt '25 researches the queer foundations of decades-old Simmons traditions.


Photos of the six award winners

Undergraduate Recipients of 2023 Senior Scholar Award

Six seniors across the University have been selected as recipients of the 2023 Senior Scholar Award, in recognition of outstanding scholarship and contribution to a field of study.


Passionate Leaders Project Students Spring 2023

Passionate Leaders Project: Spring 2023 Cohort

The Passionate Leaders Project (PLP) supports Simmons undergraduates by enriching their academic and professional interests beyond the confines of the classroom. Students may request up to $4,000 to support their research, internships, and creative endeavors. This semester's cohort is producing...


Photo of Kate Clifford Larson

Kate Clifford Larson ’80 ’95MA Writes History through the Eyes of Women

Historian Kate Clifford Larson '80 '95MA is the author of Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero (2003, Penguin Random House), The Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln (2008, Basic...