Program in Humanistic Studies
Director
Gideon A. Rosen
Executive Committee
Angela N. H. Creager, History
Denis C. Feeney, Classics
Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Religion, African American Studies
Elizabeth Anne McCauley, Art and Archaeology
Gabriela Nouzeilles, Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures
Susan A. Stewart, English
Edwin S. Williams, Linguistics
The Program in Humanistic Studies, under the auspices of the Council of the Humanities, sponsors two kinds of courses. General courses (subject area HUM) introduce students to interrelated events, ideas, texts, and artifacts of Asian and Western cultures.
Ferris, McGraw, and Robbins seminars in journalism, taught by distinguished writers and journalists, examine a wide spectrum of topics related to writing and the media, from creative nonfiction to relations among different media and society.
Princeton's journalism courses (subject area JRN) were inaugurated in 1957 by the bequest of former New York Herald journalist Edwin F. Ferris of the Class of 1899. In 1984 publisher Harold W. McGraw Jr. '40 created the McGraw Professorship in Writing and Publishing in recognition of the importance of writing in all disciplines. Other seminars have been sponsored by a gift from the E. Franklin Robbins Trust in honor of the late William G. Michaelson '59 and his daughter Robin L. Michaelson '89. The program committee consists of the chairs of the English and politics departments, the dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, the director of the creative writing program, and the chair of the Council of the Humanities.
In addition to sponsoring courses, the Ferris committee provides grants for Princeton undergraduates who undertake summer internships in the media. For more information, visit the Council of the Humanities website.
Courses
HUM 205 The Classical Roots of Western Literature (see COM 205)
HUM 206 Masterworks of European Literature (see COM 206)
HUM 207 The Bible as Literature (also COM 207/ENG 390) Not offered this year LA
The Bible will be read closely in its own right and as an enduring resource for literature and commentary. The course will cover its forms and genres, including historical narrative, uncanny tales, prophecy, lyric, lament, commandment, sacred biography, and apocalypse; its pageant of weird and extraordinary characters; and its brooding intertextuality. Students will become familiar with a wide variety of biblical interpretations, from the Rabbis to Augustine to Kafka and Kierkegaard. Cinematic commentary will be included--Bible films, from the campy to the sublime. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute preceptorial. E. Schor
HUM 212 Classical Mythology (see CLA 212)
HUM 216 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture I: Literature and the Arts Fall LA
This course, taken simultaneously with 217, forms the first part of an intensive, four-course (216-219) interdisciplinary introduction to Western culture from antiquity to the Middle Ages. These courses bring together students and several faculty members to discuss key texts, events, and artifacts of European civilization. Readings and discussions are complemented by films, concerts, museum visits, guest lectures, and other special events. Students enroll in both 216 and 217. Three lectures, two discussion sessions. S. Anderson, P. Sitney, J. Lande
HUM 217 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture I: History, Philosophy, and Religion Fall HA
In combination with 216, this is the first part of a year-long interdisciplinary sequence, exploring Western culture from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Students enroll in both 216 and 217. All meetings are listed under 216. D. Feeney, D. Heller-Roazen
HUM 218 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture II: Literature and the Arts Spring LA
This course, taken simultaneously with 219, forms the second part of an intensive, four-course (216-219) interdisciplinary introduction to Western culture from the Renaissance to the modern period. These courses bring together students and several faculty members to discuss key texts, events, and artifacts of European civilization. Readings and discussions are complemented by films, concerts, museum visits, and other special events. Students enroll in both 218 and 219. Prerequisites: 216-217 or instructor's permission. Three lectures, two discussion sessions. S. Burnham, F. Rigolot, J. Lande
HUM 219 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Western Culture II: History, Philosophy, and Religion Spring EC
In combination with 218, this is the second half of a year-long interdisciplinary sequence exploring Western culture from the 15th to the 20th centuries. Prerequisite: 216-217 or instructor's permission. All meetings are listed under 218. S. Grote, A. Ryan, E. Schor
HUM 222 Religion in Modern Thought and Film (see REL 222)
HUM 227 The World of the Middle Ages (see MED 227)
HUM 229 Great Books in Buddhism (see REL 229)
HUM 231 The Chinese Classics: A Comparative Approach (see EAS 231)
HUM 233 East Asian Humanities I: The Classical Foundations (also EAS 233/COM 233) Fall EM
An introduction to the literature, art, religion, and philosophy of China, Japan, and COM 233 Korea from antiquity to ca. 1400. Readings are focused on primary texts in translation and complemented by museum visits, films, and other materials from the visual arts. The lecturers include faculty members from East Asian studies, comparative literature, art and archaeology, and religion. Students are encouraged to enroll in 234 in the spring, which continues the course from ca. 1400 into the 20th century. Two lectures, one preceptorial. M. Kern, P. Caddeau
HUM 234 East Asian Humanities II: Tradition and Transformation (also EAS 234/COM 234) Spring EM
An introduction to the literary, philosophical, religious, and artistic traditions of East COM234/Asia. Readings are focused on primary texts in translation. Lectures and discussions are accompanied by films, concerts, and museum visits. Lecturers include faculty members from East Asian studies, comparative literature, art and archaeology, and religion. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff
HUM 318 Medieval Manuscript Illumination (see ART 318)
HUM 326 Philosophy of Art (see PHI 326)
HUM 365 Freud on the Psychological Foundations of the Mind (also PSY 365) Fall EC
Freud is approached as a systematic thinker dedicated to discovering the basic principles of human mental life. For Freud, these basic principles concern what impels human thought and behavior. What moves us to think and act? What is it to think and act? Emphasis is placed on the close study and critical analysis of texts, with particular attention to the underlying structure of the arguments. Two 90-minute classes. S. Sugarman
JRN 240 Creative Non-Fiction (also CWR 240) Spring LA
This is a course in factual writing and what has become known as literary nonfiction, emphasizing writing assignments and including several reading assignments from the work of John McPhee and others. Enrollment is limited to 16 second-year students, by application only. One three-hour seminar. J. McPhee
JRN 349 Science Journalism (see STC 349)
JRN 400 The Media in America Spring LA
This seminar will discuss such topics as secrecy, national security and a free press; reputation, privacy and the public's right to know; muckraking and the "establishment" press; spin and manipulation; the rise of blogging; the economic impact of technological change on the news business. E. Thomas
JRN 440 The Literature of Fact Fall LA
This seminar offers a chance to think about and practice different kinds of writing. Students will strive to identify and emulate the best--the smartest, the most vivid, the most humane--in a variety of journalistic genres, from news analysis to arts criticism to foreign correspondence. E. Thomas
JRN 441 The McGraw Seminar in Writing (also ENV 441/STC 441) Fall LA
Each year a different kind of writing is featured, depending on the specialty of the Harold W. McGraw Professor of Writing and Publishing. One three-hour seminar. J. Gorman
JRN 442 Investigative Viewing: The Art of Television Criticism Fall LA
Good television abounds, but even bad television tells a story about American culture and society. With the help of class screenings, guest speakers, and a class trip, this course examines contemporary television--news, scripted series, and reality shows--through an anthropological lens. Students will write reviews aimed at avid viewers, and also at readers who don't watch television but can't resist smart writing. A. Stanley
JRN 445 Investigative Journalism Fall, Spring SA
This course looks at investigative reporting both as a practice, with its own methods of research, and as a force in society. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the Ferris Professor of Journalism. One three-hour seminar. D. Klaidman, J. Stephens
JRN 447 Politics and the Media Not offered this year SA
Examination of political journalism and the role of the press in American society. The content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the interests of the Ferris Professor of Journalism. One three-hour seminar. Staff
JRN 448 The Media and Social Issues (also AAS 448) Fall SA
An examination of the ways in which the media both cover and influence social issues. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the Ferris Professor of Journalism. One three-hour seminar. L. Pitts
JRN 449 International News Spring SA
This seminar explores the particular challenges of writing about other cultures, as well as the powers and limits of foreign reporting in shaping American public opinion. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the Ferris Professor of Journalism. One three-hour seminar. D. Amos
JRN 452 Journalism on the Screen Not offered this year SA
Readers increasingly follow the news on television and the Internet. This seminar explores the potential as well as the limitations and dangers of on-screen journalism. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the Ferris Professor of Journalism. One three-hour seminar. Staff