FAQ

• What is the Humanities Honors program?

  • The Humanities Honors program is an interdisciplinary and globally focused series of four lower-division courses that interrogate knowledge production throughout human history. In these team-taught courses, students integrate modes of knowledge production, literature, philosophy, art, culture, performance, ecology, and social institutions.

• I've heard about recent changes to the Humanities Honors program. What's new?

  • In 2024-25, the Humanities department is launching a redesigned version of the lower-division Humanities Honors sequence for first- and second-year students. New courses numbered HUM 10, 11, 20, and 21 will take the place of retiring Hall of Famers HUM 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B.

    Changes to the program are in line with its core mission of helping students progress efficiently toward graduation. More students arrive at SJSU now than in the past with AP credits that fill many GE requirements. The streamlined course sequence--12 units instead of 24--prioritizes the requirements in GE Areas A and C that are least likely to be filled by AP credits, while preserving the program's team-taught, community-based structure.

    In addition, students now have the flexbility to complete the program in either one year or two, so it's easier to combine with requirement-heavy majors. The redesigned courses take a comparative approach that allows a greater range of world cultures to be fully represented and that more readily highlights connections between the past and the present.

• Who should take Humanities Honors courses?

  • Humanities Honors courses are open to any interested student but are especially recommended for students entering with AP credit in English Language/Literature who want to fill their remaining GE requirements efficiently.

• Am I required to take all four courses?

  • Students may take one, two, or all four of the Humanities Honors courses based on their general education needs and schedules. However, students who commit to taking all four courses within two years can receive additional benefits such as program scholarship opportunities and placement on a department priority registration list. Complete a short form to learn more!

• Why should I join Humanities Honors?

  • Becoming an individual who has cultural awareness, is well-read, is proficient in writing and verbal skills, and demonstrates the ability to work at learning with integrity is of great benefit to all of your future endeavors. The Humanities Honors Program provides a student with a solid foundation of cultural awareness and understanding, making university life's first experiences supportive and nurturing. In addition, as a 70-year-old program, Humanities Honors boasts its own alumni network, a community that extends beyond the university campus.

    If you commit to taking all four courses within two years, you become eligibile for additional benefits, including program scholarship opportunities and placement on a department priority registration list. Complete our short interest form for more info.

• What will I be studying in the Humanities Honors program?

  • The Humanities Honors curriculum focuses on primary texts and artifacts from all periods, from what we know of the origins of human culture up to the present. In delving into and analyzing these primary sources, students will learn how cultures transform and influence one another throughout history and have brought about the world's cultures today.

    You might study, for instance, the way Buddhism has evolved from its origins in India, to Zen Buddhism in Japan, to its influence on California pop culture and Beat poetry. Or you might see how ideas about civil disobedience that originated in the U.S. with Henry David Thoreau were transmitted to and transformed by Leo Tolstoy in Russia and Mahatma Gandhi in India before bouncing back to the U.S. to shape our Civil Rights movement!

• How much work will I be doing?

  • Courses in the lower-division GE sequence (for first- and second-year students) are regular 3-unit courses, with one seminar and one lecture meeting each week. Writing assignments for Honors courses generally do exceed the minimum GE requirements, and we will read some complicated texts (though we will give you all the tools you need to crack them). Students who spend 6 hours per week outside of class time on classwork (including reading, writing, studying, or working on other assignments) are well positioned to succeed in these courses.

• What is a team-taught course, and why should I take one? 

  • In a team-taught course, professors work together to develop the syllabus and course content drawing on their different areas of expertise and research. This allows us to provide a broader perspective on the world and present different perspectives on the same material. In Humanities Honors courses, professors share responsibility for the lectures but lead their own discussion seminars. That means, you will have one clear contact for assignments and grading during the semester but the benefit of multiple perspectives and more varied teaching styles.

    If you take all four courses in the Humanities Honors sequence, you can get to know multiple professors in the program very well by experiencing them in different roles!

• Can I talk to someone to learn more?

  • Yes, the Humanities Honors coordinator can answer questions about the program and provide general guidance. The current coordinator, Dr. Erik Johnson, is happy to communicate by phone, email, or over Zoom. You can call (408) 924-5110, book an office hour appointment, or email erik.johnson@sjsu.edu.