The Humanities Initiative at Carnegie Mellon

The Humanities Initiative is a collaboration of Carnegie Mellon's humanities departments to produce alumni who have the skills to solve real-world problems, the flexibility to adapt to changing technology and markets, and a respect for intellectual and cultural diversity. The Humanities Initiative sets H&SS apart from traditional liberal arts schools by providing humanities students with a multi-disciplinary, technologically enriched curriculum that is unparalleled elsewhere. And by enhancing the university's core curriculum, the Humanities Initiative will broaden the education of all Carnegie Mellon students. 

The Humanities Initiative has three main components: The Humanities Scholars Program, The Humanities Center and The Center for the Arts in Society.  

The Humanities Scholars Program, open by invitation to students admitted to H&SS, brings together faculty across different humanities disciplines to create distinctive, interdisciplinary courses. These courses are often team-taught, allowing students access not only to the expertise of different faculty members, but unique insight into the interdisciplinary dialogues that make university life intellectually exciting. They provide an opportunity for students to explore connections among different disciplines and to work collaboratively with faculty mentors. The students have the option to live in the same dormitory cluster their first year at Carnegie Mellon in order to create a vibrant community of scholars. 

The Humanities Center is a collaborative research center that includes faculty in all four humanities departments: English, History, Modern Languages and Philosophy. Its goals are to strengthen research and teaching in the humanities; to foster collaborations among the humanities faculty and between humanities faculty and faculty in other disciplines; and to nurture a greater role for the humanities in an increasingly technological and global society. The center sponsors conferences and lecture series, supports and promotes humanities research, and brings to campus distinguished scholars and lecturers.

The Center for the Arts in Society is a multi-disciplinary research and education center that brings together scholars from the humanities, social sciences and arts who are interested in studies of culture and society, and the history and production of the arts. It is a collaboration of H&SS and the College of Fine Arts. Each year, the Center brings visiting scholars in residence to Carnegie Mellon, and it sponsors a regular series of events including panel discussions, faculty presentations and guest lectures. The center sponsors the Arts in Society minor. 

For more information about these programs, contact Kelli McElhinny, Director of Media Relations (kellim@andrew.cmu.edu or (412) 268-6094), or talk with the H&SS Academic Advisory Center.  

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