FACULTY

Professors Bremmer, Brophy, Carlson, Carvill, Casey, Christ, Clark, Gardner, Heeter, House, Kubota, Kukral, Luegenbiehl, Mason, Michel, Pickett, Rivas, Smith, Watt, and Williams.

MISSION

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) seeks to encourage the emotional and intellectual growth of Rose-Hulman students, enabling them to become sophisticated thinkers, active citizens, and effective leaders and to lead rewarding lives.

GOALS

The Department seeks to foster in each student:

Growth: Curiosity, creativity, an awareness of self, and a commitment to life-long learning and achievement.

Values: Ethical standards, a sense of responsibility for one’s actions, and a desire to contribute to the world.

Critical Reasoning: Analytical and synthesizing skills that permit one to form independent, cogent opinions and to define and solve problems.

Communication Skills: The capacity to understand others and to express oneself clearly and persuasively.

Breadth of Knowledge: An appreciation for the humanistic and social dimensions of human existence.

Systemic Thinking: An awareness that societal processes—the context within which science and technology exist—are complex and interactive.

Openmindedness: An appreciation for alternative points of view and the diversity of human cultures.

Flexibility: The ability to adapt to personal, professional, societal, and global change.

The Department seeks to maintain faculty of high quality, to continue program and curricular development, and to support excellent teaching through professional development.

The Department seeks to support and encourage service to the Department, the Institute, appropriate professions, and the community.

DISCIPLINES

The Department’s courses are listed under each academic discipline in the following pages with the discipline identified by the center digit of the course number. In addition, each course fits into one of four thematic categories which is indicated by the course’s two-letter prefix.

Global Studies (GL prefix): Courses whose primary focus is on non-Western cultural traditions, or on the interrelationships among multiple societies.

Rhetoric and Expression (RH prefix): Courses whose primary focus is on human communication in all its forms.

Self and Society (SL prefix): Courses whose primary focus is on the dynamics and patterns of human and social interaction.

Values and Contemporary Issues (VA prefix): Courses whose primary focus is on societal values and/or on current topics of importance.

Note: The prefix of foreign language courses identifies the language:

GE   German
      JP    Japanese
      SP    Spanish

1. General

All students must take a minimum of nine courses (36 credits) in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). These courses may be chosen from the HSS offerings, within the restrictions below. (A student taking an area minor in HSS must take a minimum of ten to eleven courses; see below.)

2. Freshman Composition

All students, with the exception noted below, are required to take RH 131, Rhetoric and Composition, on campus. Freshmen, unless exempted or taking a foreign language, are normally enrolled automatically in the course in either the Fall or Winter Quarter. Students who have taken a writing course at another college will be granted Rhetoric and Expression transfer credit, but are not exempted from RH 131.

EXEMPTION: An entering student who achieves a score of 4 or higher on the AP Language and Composition examination will receive four hours of credit by examination for RH 131. (A student who achieves a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Language and Literature examination receives four hours of credit by examination for a course in Rhetoric and Expression.)

3. Distribution Requirements

All students will take two courses in each of the four thematic categories: Global Studies, Rhetoric and Expression, Self and Society, and Values and Contemporary Issues. The section of course descriptions lists courses currently available in each category.

4. Foreign Language

Students who elect to take a foreign language should note the following special requirements.

a.     A minimum of two successive language courses must be taken to receive HSS credit.

b.     Students who take 2-4 courses in a foreign language sequence may allocate those language courses in any of the four thematic categories as they choose, but may have no more than one language course in any category. In other words, the student must still take at least one course in each thematic category in a discipline other than foreign language and must also take RH 131.

c.     Students who take twelve courses (four years) in a single language are exempted from RH 131 and from both courses in Global Studies.

Note: Students planning to study abroad should be sure to have their program approved ahead of time by the head of the HSS Department and by the head of the Department in which they are majoring.

5. Area Minors

Students may elect an area minor in most of the HSS Department’s disciplines. In addition, several interdisciplinary minors are available. (See below.)

6. Other Requirements

Certain curricula require students to take specific HSS courses. For example, Electrical Engineering requires SL 151, Principles of Economics, and several departments require RH 330, Technical Communication.

HELP WITH REQUIREMENTS

Students having questions concerning these requirements should consult their advisers or the head of the HSS Department. The following check sheet summarizes the HSS graduation requirements. Copies of this check sheet are available in the HSS Department Office.

HSS GRADUATION CHECK SHEET

REQUIREMENTS:

NOTE: A foreign language course may count in any of categories 2-5, but only one foreign language course may be put in any one category. A minimum of two successive language courses must be taken to receive HSS credit. (Also, see 4b on page 127.)

AREA MINOR

A student may elect to take an Area Minor in Philosophy and Religion, German, Japanese, Spanish, History, Language and Literature, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Anthropology, Geography, East Asian Studies, European Studies, Latin American Studies, or Science, Technology, and Society, by concentrating 5 HSS to 7 courses in that area. NOTE: All Area Minors require taking one additional HSS course, for a minimum of 40 HSS credits, 44 in the case of foreign languages. See the specific requirements listed under each Area. Successful completion of the Area Minor is indicated on the student’s grade transcript. A student interested in pursuing an Area Minor should consult with the appropriate Area Minor Adviser, listed below, for aid in planning a course schedule.

The following requirements hold for earning any HSS minor:

1.  No courses counted toward fulfilling the requirements for one minor may be counted in fulfilling the requirements of another minor.

2.  When earning a disciplinary minor, a minimum of four HSS courses must be completed outside of the discipline area. Disciplines are identified by the center digit of the course number.

3.  When earning a minor in East Asian Studies, European Studies, Latin American Studies, or Science, Technology, and Society, a minimum of three HSS courses must be completed outside of the minor.

Course Descriptions