Core Humanities

Return to: College of Liberal Arts

Core Humanities is an award-winning interdisciplinary program that forms the heart of the Core Curriculum at UNR. Faculty and graduate assistants from five different disciplines (English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and World Languages and Literatures) participate in teaching the humanities courses required of all students at the university:

• CH 201 - Ancient and Medieval Cultures   
• CH 202 - The Modern World  
• CH 203 - American Experiences and Constitutional Change  
• CH 212 - Science, Technology, and Society in the Modern Era  

Collectively, these courses examine the history, philosophy, cultural values, political systems, literature, and artistic works that have shaped societies in every continent from ancient times to the present. After completing the Core Humanities sequence of courses, students have a solid grounding in the knowledge and skills they need to navigate a complex and fast-changing world, including:

• an understanding of the historical forces that created modern, diverse human cultures and the ways these cultures are interconnected both within the United States and across nations.
• the ability to read, understand, summarize, analyze, and synthesize information drawn from a variety of written and cultural sources.
• the ability to formulate interpretations and arguments, support them with evidence, and present them clearly and persuasively in both written and oral expression.
• informed perspectives on the major political and ideological debates of our times and the ability to participate in those debates as American and global citizens.

Core Humanities and the Silver Core Curriculum

Under the Silver Core curriculum, which applies students who began their degrees in Fall 2016 or later, students must take two Core Humanities courses to satisfy Core Objective 5 (History and Culture). Students may choose any two courses out of CH 201, CH 202 OR CH 212, and CH 203. All Core Humanities courses satisfy Core Objective 5. In addition, CH 212 satisfies Core Objective 9 (Science, Technology and Society) and CH 203 satisfies Core Objective 8 (Constitution).

Return to: College of Liberal Arts