Humanities minor joins growing list of Maryville College programs of study now open to students
Sept. 12, 2023
The humanities have long been a focal point of study at Maryville College, and now the discipline itself will be available for students to select as a minor.
The humanities, broadly defined, are those subjects that focus on human culture, or with analytical and critical methods of inquiry developed around the value human beings place on philosophy, religion and history — the latter two of which were the sole focus of studies at the institution that became Maryville College when it was established by the Rev. Isaac Anderson in 1819.
The contemporary Maryville College Division of Humanities was established in February 1994, when administrators brought the departments of English, history, and religion and philosophy under a single academic umbrella (English would later be placed under the Division of Languages and Literature), but the new minor is the first time all of those subjects will be given equal weight in a single program of study.
“Faculty in the Humanities always enjoy having students in our courses from across the various divisions and programs on campus,” said Dr. Phillip Sherman, chair of the Division of Humanities at MC and associate professor of religion. “Several years ago, for example, I had several students who were majoring in Psychology in a new course I was offering on Death and Dying. They brought questions and shared perspectives I would not have automatically considered.
“That’s why we feel a Humanities minor is applicable to students in any major. We want to encourage students in Economics and Biology, Art and Sociology to bring their own unique interests into courses in the Humanities. That enriches the work we are doing in those courses. I also think it strengthens those students’ abilities to discuss their own academic fields in light of the sorts of questions and concerns the Humanities disciplines raise.”
The new minor was implemented with the start of the 2023-24 academic year, allowing “students to gain further breadth of understanding of human experience, communities, and traditions through studies in history, philosophy, and/or religion,” according to a proposal approved by the College’s Academic Life Council and Dr. Dan Klingensmith, vice president and dean of the college. While a Humanities minor doesn’t take the place of minors in those respective fields, it does encourage students to explore the humanities beyond basic core requirements in order to “expand their understanding of the human condition in its historical, philosophical and/or religious dimensions,” the proposal adds.
Like most minors at MC, one in Humanities will require 18 credit hours, including at least three courses at the 200-level or above in history, philosophy and/or religion. And while Sherman can make a case for ways in which a Humanities minor can complement any major, some may find it even more useful than others, he added.
“A Humanities minor pairs well with every major,” he said. “Tell me your major and I’ll be happy to explain how the Humanities minor will enhance it! There is some specific research showing, however, that those pursuing careers in the medical fields benefit tremendously from greater exposure to humanities-based disciplines.”
Those disciplines, he added, are a bedrock of the liberal arts approach to higher education. A Maryville College degree, he pointed out, is one that prepares its graduates for both a career and life as part of contemporary society.
“Many people overestimate the connection between college major and career aspiration,” he said. “Fantastic programs like Maryville College Works help students navigate the bridge between college and starting a career. But we know that no major can prepare students for every challenge, professional let alone personal, that they will face in life.
“The courses we offer in the Division of Humanities — like courses that explore what science means for nature and society; consider practices of death and dying in diverse cultures; or examine the history of murder — help students better understand the world they will be creating and provide them with a set of skills to shape it for the better. I believe that a deeper study of the humanities can only strengthen our students’ abilities to be actively and constructively engaged in whatever fields of study they pursue.”