Humanities

Hone your passion for inquiry through the Humanities curriculum. Explore the elemental questions of self and community in cultures from ancient Europe and Asia to colonial and Civil War America to the present day. Take the leap that connects early culture and modern-day thought across traditional boundaries through more than 30 electives that challenge SPS students to become engaged citizens and responsible leaders in an increasingly complex and globalized world.

Sophie, Mass.

“The Harkness method used in our Humanities classrooms has changed the way I think, feel, and learn.”

Humanities is a four-year experience that is rich in collaboration, student-centered learning, and interactive discussion. Students will discover their voices as writers, as they are challenged with a diverse array of assignments. A core curriculum is supplemented by eclectic electives, spanning such topics as “Brahma to Buddha,” “The African Diaspora,” “Practical Politics,” and many more. Humanities is a space for exploration, both personally and academically.

Required Summer Reading

Highlights

History of Journalism

“To look at St. Paul’s overall, this type of course exemplifies what St. Paul’s gives to us. It’s not just a journalism course where we look at the issues of journalism and what we face today. It’s going to dive into the past and expect us as students to connect the issues of the past to now, and go on a broader spectrum and see how journalism has evolved and how it affects us.”

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Brahma to Buddha

“What is so valuable for our students is the opportunity to see the philosophy and practices we have been reading about in action. A textbook often conveys an unequivocal message about the characteristics of a given religion – it creates a precise and two-dimensional picture. Experiencing practitioners in action makes it three-dimensional.”
Creative Writing

“To look at St. Paul’s overall, this type of course exemplifies what St. Paul’s gives to us. It’s not just a journalism course where we look at the issues of journalism and what we face today. It’s going to dive into the past and expect us as students to connect the issues of the past to now, and go on a broader spectrum and see how journalism has evolved and how it affects us.”

Learn More