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Humanities Advisement Center

List of Majors

List of Majors

Major Information for the College of Humanities

In the College of Humanities there are nine departments: American Studies, Asian and Near Eastern Languages, English, French and Italian, German Studies and Slavic Languages, Humanities/Classics/Comparative Literature, Linguistics and English Language, Philosophy, and Spanish and Portuguese. The departments house 41 majors. Take your time to read more about the disciplines in each department and visit the department websites for more information about the the majors offered in each department. If you would like more information or are ready to change or declare your major, contact the College of Humanities Advisement Center.

Advisement Center: 1175 JFSB
Phone: (801) 422-4789
Email: humanities-advisement@byu.edu

American Studies

Jill Rudy, Coordinator
4095 JFSB, (801) 422-2869
Email: jill_rudy@byu.edu

The American Studies major examines the sweep of American experience, society, culture, and civilization from a variety of viewpoints—literature, history, gender, humanities, regions, politics, ethnic groups, geography, art, economics, religion, and folklore—based in core courses designed to examine the American experience from a variety of standpoints. Majors are encouraged to develop particular skills in writing, literary criticism, historical research, and social, political, and economic analysis. The program provides not only rich interdisciplinary experience but also exposure to a variety of excellent scholars and teachers.

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Asian and Near Eastern Languages

J. Scott Miller, Chair
3064 JFSB, (801) 422-3396
Email: asiane@byu.edu
Website: http://asiane.byu.edu

The many countries of Asia and the Near East are among the oldest civilizations in the world. The study of the languages and cultures of these nations gives students access to some of the richest and most varied traditions of thought, belief, and behavior to be found in the world. Alarge percentage of the vast, essentially non-Christian segment of the world’s population resides in these two zones: Asia—with its diverse heritage of belief in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and other systems of thought—continues to retain its “exotic” image for most Westerners, even though many nations in the region are at the forefront of contemporary politics and economics. The Near East, birthplace of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, remains a little-understood, often stereotyped area of considerable economic, strategic, and religious importance today.

The languages of these regions are themselves generally difficult, with complex writing systems that require diligent study. But exposure to these languages and the cultures they express will enable students to look at the world from new perspectives and deepen their understanding of peoples whose history and practices are widely divergent from their own.

Courses in the department equip students with verbal and written facility in the languages of their chosen area, whereas linguistics courses offer an understanding of how the languages are structured and acquired. Astudy of the literature reveals old and sophisticated traditions no less important than that of English or any other major language.

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English

Edward Cutler, Chair
4198A JFSB, (801) 422-4939
Website: http://english.byu.edu

Brett McInelly, Coordinator, English Composition
4110C JFSB, (801) 422-3565
Website: http://english.byu.edu/composition

The English major provides a detailed knowledge of the English language and of literature written in English. English majors approach language and literature as a source of knowledge and aesthetic pleasure, a mode of encountering and evaluating diverse minds and attitudes, a vehicle for art and action, a means of historical understanding, and a source of spiritual insight. English majors use writing as their primary means (1) of knowing, understanding, and evaluating their experience and their reading and (2) of sharing their insight with others. In keeping with the long-standing ideals of a liberal arts education, the English Department aims to cultivate in its students those foundational skills in writing, awareness, and judgment upon which lives of wisdom, service, and an ever-increasing love for learning might be built.

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French and Italian

Corry Cropper, Chair
3134 JFSB, (801) 422-2209
Website: http://frenital.byu.edu

The study of French or Italian language and literature sharpens analytical and communicative skills. Students develop proficiency in listening, reading, writing, and speaking, and they learn to use literature as a means to discover and broaden their understanding of culturally specific as well as universal issues and values.

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German Studies and Slavic Languages

David Hart, Chair
3112 JFSB, (801) 422-4923
Website: http://germslav.byu.edu

Students of foreign language and literature develop fluency in another language as well as sensitivity to their own language and cultural heritage, to the contributions and diversity of other peoples, and to the advantages of an international perspective.

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Humanities, Classics, Comparative Literature

Michael Call, Chair
3008 JFSB, (801) 422-4448 Website: http://hccl.byu.edu

The term humanities refers to the study of human intellectual and artistic creativity and the record of human experience as seen in the arts. It is an interdisciplinary major drawing from history, fine arts, literature, intellectual history, music, foreign languages, etc. In this major the student focuses on the arts as modes of human expression and how the arts combine to give a unique view of what it has meant to be human through the ages--and how they continue to influence us today.

Classical Studies examine ancient Greek and Roman cultures--their languages, literature, history, religion, art, and philosophy. The majors offer essential knowledge of philology, ancient history, archaeology, biblical studies, and the literary tradition of Western Europe, as well as traditional grounding in the Classics.

Comparative Literature is the study of literature in its totality. The Comparative Literature major not only acquaints students with literary study beyond the confines of any particular national tradition but also with the relationship between literature and other areas of knowledge.

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Linguistics and English Language

William Eggington, Chair
4064 JFSB, (801) 422-2937
E-mail: linguistics@byu.edu
Internet: http://linguistics.byu.edu

Linguistics is the study of language in all its aspects—from speech sounds to sentence formation to meaning; from how language is organized and used in a social setting to how it is organized and processed in the brain or by computers. Linguists study language form, language change, language acquisition, and even the texts in which language is recorded. Linguists recognize that the communicative power of language is what brings cohesion to all human enterprises. For the student interested in the nature of language, linguistics is the subject to study.

The English language major is similar to the linguistics major, though its focus is more specifically on English linguistics, an important focus given the international status of the English language as a language of wider communication. The major provides useful preparation for careers that require special attention to the English language, such as advertising and technical writing.

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Philosophy

Daniel Graham, Chair
4086 JFSB, (801) 422-2721
Website:http://philosophy.byu.edu

From its first appearance in ancient Greece down to the present, philosophy has sought to understand the world and the place of human beings within it. As it frames ideas by means of which to clarify and explain experience, philosophy discloses its faith in the ultimate lucidity of things. Philosophy’s respect for the authority of intelligence fosters a preference for persuasion that is fundamental to personal growth and democratic society.

Students who study philosophy will find that it not only provides insight into life’s fundamental concerns, it also helps them develop their capacity for clear thinking and perceptive judgment. Such competence will serve them well as they pursue further education or begin their careers.

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Spanish and Portuguese

Alvin F. (Lin) Sherman, Chair
3190 JFSB, (801) 422-2837
Website: http://spanport.byu.edu

The Spanish and Portuguese romance languages and literatures dominate the Iberian Peninsula, major parts of Africa, and the southern portion of the new world from Mexico to the Magellan Straits. These languages, spoken by over 450 million people in twenty-one countries, provide a wide spectrum of cultural, linguistic, and literary variety. Spanish and Portuguese represent vibrant literature that stands at the forefront of twentieth-century excellence and innovation, a linguist’s paradise of dialects, rapid change, and development.

Such breadth—plus some 35 million speakers within the borders of the United States itself—gives multiple opportunities for developing skill in the spoken language, as well as in listening, reading, writing, and translation. Studying the Iberian roots of this large and important part of the population and learning about the people’s perception of life also brings greater understanding of their values and their struggle for identity. A Spanish or Portuguese major makes for a demanding, intriguing, and pleasurable experience.

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