Humanities, History and Social Sciences

Message from Lisa Brock, Chairperson

The Humanities, History, and Social Sciences Department welcomes you to the wonderful world of ideas, critical thinking, interdisciplinary methodology, abstract reasoning, and verbal and written engagement through the study of cultural studies, history, the humanities, the social sciences, and languages. In our department and in our courses, students are pushed to think outside the box, to integrate their experiences and creativity with research, observation, and a high level of analysis. We work on the assumption that every student should strive to be a thinker who understands his/her place and his/her work in the global and local context.

In our rapidly changing world, artists and media professionals must be sensitive to major issues of the societies in which they practice. Columbia College students well rounded in the liberal arts are able to enter the professional world of work or graduate school at multiple points, to participate in shaping new developments in their professions, and to exhibit greater confidence when overseeing their interests. For those who wish to accomplish the powerful mandate to author the culture of our times, a foundation in the liberal arts offered by the Humanities, History, and Social Sciences Department is an indispensable element of their education.

Humanities, History and Social Sciences encourages students to lead fulfilling lives as professionals, citizens, and members of the human family. For these reasons, students are encouraged to complete their LAS Core requirements with courses from the Humanities, History, and Social Sciences Department, and for maximum benefit, to take a Humanities, History, and Social Sciences course in each of their semesters at Columbia.

History, humanities, social science, language, and cultural studies courses are offered in the Humanities, History and Social Sciences Department. These courses provide a common context for Columbia’s students, give them the opportunity to study the relationship of self to society, and provide the broad liberal arts background that is the foundation of an undergraduate education in any major.

Humanities, History and Social Sciences courses introduce students to the world. These courses increase students’ knowledge and understanding of historical events, allow them to analyze and examine social and cultural concepts, and expose them to the diverse cultures and behaviors of humankind. Humanities, History, and Social Sciences courses contribute to increased student knowledge of the historical and socio-cultural background in which the arts develop and are created, and they raise student awareness of historical and ethical issues in the arts, philosophy, and religion. They also teach students the challenges and delights of new languages.

Cultural Studies is the major of the Humanities, History, and Social Sciences Department. It is a field that reflects, analyzes, and sometimes critiques culture. Culture is understood both as a way of life encompassing ideas, attitudes, languages, behaviors, institutions, and structures of power and as a range of other cultural practices that include such things as expressive, communicative, and creative acts. Cultural studies promotes the study of culture in all its varied forms and does so from an interdisciplinary perspective. It studies the dimension of everyday culture, but neither is limited to them nor is merely the study of the contemporary or the Western. Cultural studies examines the collaborations, borrowings, and blending of diverse traditions and encourages cross-cultural dialogue, appreciation, and understanding.

Cultural studies itself does not produce the objects of art and media; rather, it creates the space and the dialogue essential for the development of progressive, intelligent products. Cultural studies fosters awareness of the world (the way it works and does not work) and promotes informed decisions in these places where arts and media are created, collected, consumed, and studied.

History courses cover the histories of the United States, Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. There are also specialized courses on particular places, periods, and topics. The study of history expands our knowledge of human development and endeavors in multiple arenas, aids in the development of a comparative perspective, and illuminates the present.

Humanities courses probe the rich cultural heritages of humankind in the visual and performing arts, music, philosophy, and religion. They develop a student’s capacity to discover, understand, and enjoy the processes and products of human creativity, and to examine human aspirations and values. They also encourage students to examine the ethical impact of the arts and the media.

Social science courses explore classic and contemporary issues in human behavior for individuals, societies, and cultures, and introduce the critical skills needed to make responsible judgments and take responsible actions in civil society. Social science courses are offered in anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology.

We have minors in Women and Gender Studies, Latino/Hispanic Studies, and Black World Studies. All of these minors are fabulous companions to majors in the art and media areas, allowing students to gain grounding in a socio-cultural, historical, or political area from which they can generate ideas and context for their work.

Lisa Brock
Chairperson, Humanities, History, and Social Sciences

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