Humanities (MA)
The Master of Arts in Humanities offers an interdisciplinary program that provides a flexible, integrated course of study designed to lead students to breadth of knowledge spanning the liberal arts. The program encourages students to make connections between different areas of human thought, expression, and experience in such fields as art history, history, literature, creative writing, music, religion, philosophy, and political theory. This interdisciplinary approach allows students to experience the methods and contents of more than one discipline as they investigate the various issues explored within the framework of graduate seminars. Students can have an emphasis in a particular discipline.
Graduate seminars meet one evening a week for two hours. Those students who are able to be more flexible in scheduling courses may be able to take some upper division Undergraduate courses, expanded for graduate credit.
The Master of Arts in Humanities is designed to provide life and career enrichment, cultural understanding, and an opportunity for personal advancement and fulfillment. Students who successfully complete the program will be qualified to teach in community colleges and will receive the necessary preparation in library research, critical thinking, and scholarly writing skills to pursue further graduate study.
Early Start of Humanities (MA)
Qualified undergraduate students who intend to obtain a Master’s degree in Humanities at Dominican can take up to 12 units of graduate Humanities seminars while still undergraduates.
Participation in the program can save on graduate tuition and accelerate the time needed to complete the Master’s degree. Students interested in the program should consult their advisor early in their undergraduate study as they will need to maintain a high GPA and will need to plan their undergraduate courses carefully in order to have time in their late Junior and Senior years to take graduate courses.
Students interested in an accelerated program leading to both a BA and MA in Humanities should contact the director of the Graduate Humanities program.
Program Learning Outcomes
The student will demonstrate:
- A broad understanding of humanistic ideas and themes.
- The ability to write graduate-level critical essays/research papers, incorporating primary and secondary sources, correctly documented.
- The ability to create a substantial work analyzing and synthesizing material from various disciplines and/or media in light of humanistic themes or issues.
An important aim of the program is to develop in students a sense of cooperation and scholarly fellowship as they explore together with the faculty the myriad manifestations of our human wonder and creativity in the seminars, courses, and projects.
Humanities (MA) Requirements
For details on Admission Requirements, see the Graduate Study section of this catalog.
Program Description
Students select a 30-unit program with a culminating project, or a 33-unit program with no culminating project or the 34-unit Applied Music program. The MA thesis or culminating project is interdisciplinary and may be historical or contemporary in theme.
Project Track
| HUM 5000 | Pro-Sem: Humanities in the Contemporary World | 3.00 units |
| HUM 5001 | Core Integrative Seminar | 3.00 units |
HUM 5XXX
| Graduate Seminars* | 21.00 units |
| HUM 5002/HUM 5003 | Culminating Project Workshop I | 0.00 units |
| HUM 5003/HUM 5002 | Culminating Project Wrkshop II | 1.00 unit |
| HUM 5004 | Culminating Project | 2.00 units |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30 |
Non-Project Track
| HUM 5000 | Pro-Sem: Humanities in the Contemporary World | 3.00 units |
| HUM 5001 | Core Integrative Seminar | 3.00 units |
HUM 5XXX
| Graduate Seminars* | 27.00 units |
| Total Credit Hours: | 33 |
Note: Upon approval of the director, students in the Creative Writing Emphasis or taking Studio Art may take up to 6 additional units of Creative Writing Workshops or Studio Art.
Flex Unit Options
*Except for the Creative Writing track, 9 of the required units within the 30- or 33-unit programs may come from the following:
Applied Music, Studio Art, and Creative Writing Workshops
Expanded upper division Undergraduate Courses
Independent Studies
Teaching Assistantships
Internships
Transferred Units (no more than 6 units – see Transfer of Credit below)
Applied Music Track
| HUM 5000 | Pro-Sem: Humanities in the Contemporary World | 3.00 units |
| HUM 5001 | Core Integrative Seminar | 3.00 units |
HUM 5XXX
| Graduate Seminars | 9.00 units |
| Music Seminars | 6.00 units |
| Applied Music | 12.00 units |
| Culminating Project (recital) | 1.00 unit |
| Total Credit Hours: | 34 |
Emphasis
Students may choose an emphasis in one of the options noted below. An emphasis (except for Creative Writing) requires 15 (30-33 unit track) or 19 (34-unit applied music track) units in the emphasis, at least 6 units of which must be in graduate humanities seminars (classes numbered HUM 5101 and above) in the emphasis. For the 30-unit project track, three of the 15 units required for the emphasis are the Culminating Project (HUM 5002, HUM 5003, and HUM 5004). For the Creative Writing emphasis, students must take three Creative Writing workshops (9 units), one literature seminar (3 units), and the culminating project (3 units). For the Applied Music 34-unit project track, 1 of the 19 units required for the emphasis is for the Culminating Project (HUM 5004). For the 33-unit non-project track, the emphasis is 15 units. The emphasis is planned in consultation with the Director and the student’s advisor. For some emphases, the student will need expanded upper division undergraduate classes.
The following are the possible academic emphases:
Disciplines
Art History
Creative Writing†
English
Gender Studies
History
Music
Philosophy
Political Theory
Religion
†Students must receive permission from the Chair of the Department of Literature and Language and the Director of the Graduate Humanities Program to select the Creative Writing emphasis. In the Creative Writing emphasis, 9 of the required units must be Creative Writing Workshops.
To select the Applied Music emphasis, students must have an undergraduate degree in music or equivalent coursework in music, and permission from the Director of the Music Department and the Director of the Graduate Humanities Program.
Special Students
With the permission of the instructor and Director, non-degree seeking students may enroll in graduate seminars on a space available basis. Special students who wish to matriculate formally into the program must complete the requirements for admission in the Admission to Graduate Study section of this catalog. A maximum of 6 units taken as a special student may be applied to the Program requirements after the student has been admitted.
Auditors
Auditors are allowed in most graduate humanities seminars, but must receive permission of the instructor. Auditors are not allowed in seminars where class maximum enrollments are met and in creative writing seminars.
Transfer of Credit
With the approval of the Director, up to 6 units of graduate coursework may be accepted from an accredited college or university and applied to the coursework for the MA in Humanities. These 6 units cannot replace the minimum number of graduate seminars at Dominican required by the degree. See the Admission to Graduate Study section of this catalog.