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Department of Humanities Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
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Humanities Degree Options & Requirements

The humanities program allows you to study the breadth and diversity of human experience drawing on literature, history, philosophy, religion, the arts and related areas. Humanities emphasize the analysis of cultural texts and practices, and presupposes values that support the dignity and integrity of all human beings.

Changes to Major Requirements

All Humanities majors will be required to take AP/HUMA 1781 6.0 Exploring Culture: Narrative, Media, Film. This is not a General Education course and is in addition to any General Education requirements mandated by the Faculty.

The first-year core course will allow students, through the investigation of a cross section of creative work from diverse cultures, genres and media formats to gain a solid introduction to the methods and theories used throughout the Humanities Major and across the four streams.

All Humanities majors will be required to take AP/HUMA 2001 6.0 Understanding Culture: Text, Image, Music. AP/HUMA 2001 6.0 replaces AP/HUMA 2600 6.0 Humanities for a Global Age, which is the single core requirement currently in the Humanities Major, as well as AP/CLTR 2100 6.0/HUMA 2002 6.0 Questioning Culture, the second-year core course in Culture & Expression.

The second-year core course introduces students to the theoretical study of culture, helping them gain an understanding of contemporary culture from different disciplinary and theoretical perspectives to identify the ways in which cultural material is informed by a variety of political viewpoints and ideological currents.

Students will be required to take one of two capstone courses in either their third or fourth year depending on their degree type (BA General or Honours) and career trajectories:

  • AP/HUMA 3207 6.0 / AP/HUMA 4207 6.0 Doing Culture: Narratives of Cultural Production allows students to work in small groups with partner organizations to engage in a choice of research or community-focused experiential learning activities. This is a revised version of the existing course AP/CLTR 3150 6.0/HUMA 3207 6.0.
  • AP/HUMA 3208 6.0 / AP/HUMA 4208 6.0 Thinking Culture: Critical Issues, Skills and Approaches for Humanities Majors focusses on skills and approaches related to the four streams and emphasizes strategies for reading, writing, research and analysis in preparation for graduate research and other forms of critical engagement beyond the undergraduate degree.

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Bachelor's (BA)

Students will take at least 30 credits in Humanities of which at least 18 credits must be at the 3000 or 4000 level.

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Honours BA

Students will take at least 42 credits in Humanities of which at least 24 credits must be above the 2000-level, including 12 credits in 4000-level.

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Specialized Honours BA

Students will take at least 54 credits in Humanities of which at least 24 credits must be above the 2000-level, including 12 credits in 4000-level.

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Honours Double Major BA

The Honours BA program may be pursued jointly with any other Honours Bachelor’s degree program in the Faculties of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, or with approved Major degree programs in Faculty of Health or Faculty of Science & Engineering. Students must take at least 12 credits at the 4000-level in each Honours Major.

Honours Major/Minor BA

The Honours BA program may be pursued jointly with any Honours Minor Bachelor’s degree program in the Faculties of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, or with approved Major degree programs in Faculty of Health or Faculty of Science & Engineering.

Honours Minor BA

The Honours Minor must be pursued jointly with an Honours BA program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The Honours Minor BA program in Humanities comprises at least 30 credits including at least 12 credits at the 3000-level or 4000-level and 6 credits at the 4000-level.

Honours Double Major Linked BA

The Honours BA program in Humanities may also be linked in an Honours (Double Major) BA program with the following interdisciplinary programs: African Studies, Communications Studies, European Studies, Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Social & Political Thought or South Asian Studies.

Students must take 36 credits in Humanities and 36 credits in the interdisciplinary program. Courses taken to meet Humanities requirements cannot also be used to meet the requirements of these programs. Students must take a total of at least 18 credits at the 4000-level including at least 6 credits in the program and 12 credits in Humanities.

Honours iBA

Students will take at least 42 credits in Humanities, of which at least 18 credits must be at the 3000 or 4000-level. In addition to the courses required for their major, students in the Honours iBA program must fulfill the following requirements:

  • at least 18 credits in a modern languages offered by York University, including the Advanced I university-level course in the chosen language;
  • at least 12 credits of internationally-oriented courses chosen outside the major;
  • at least one full term abroad as a full-time student at one of York University’s exchange partners.

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Honours iBA Major/Minor

The Honours iBA program in Humanities may be pursued jointly with any Honours Minor BA program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.