Program Overview

Introduction to the Humane Letters Program

The Humane Letters major is designed for students interested in exploring the centuries-old conversation about what makes for a meaningful and well-lived life. This program is ideal for students who want a deeper understanding of classic texts and seminar-style education, as well as those interested in teaching or serving in K-12 classical schools.

Program Overview

The Humane Letters major is a 120-credit hour program that can be easily combined with double major and dual degree options at the University of Tulsa. Students should consult their Student Success Coach to determine the best course of action for their academic goals.

Tulsa Curriculum and First Year Experience (49 hours)

• Core Curriculum and First Year Experience (10 hours)
  • FYE 1001 First Year Experience
  • MATH 1083 Contemporary Mathematics
  • ENGL 1033 Exposition and Argumentation
  • FS 1973 First Seminar II
• General Curriculum (39 hours)
  • Quad I: Creative Arts (6 hours)
  • Quad II: Humanities (6 hours)
  • Quad III: Social Sciences (6 hours)
  • Quad IV: Natural and Applied Sciences (7 hours)
  • Foreign Language* (14 hours)
  • *Note: The Foreign Language requirement can only be satisfied by Greek, Latin, French, or German.

Core Courses (18 credit hours)

• HON 3123 Foundations of Natural Science
• HON 3143 Aesthetic and Ethical Foundations of Music
• HON 2123 Three Ancient Cities: Athens, Rome, Jerusalem
• HON 2143 The Long Middle Ages
• HON 2223 The Birth of Modernity
• HON 2243 The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

Honors Elective Courses (12 credit hours)

Students will be informed every semester of courses approved by the Honors College to serve as Honors elective credit in the Humane Letters major. These courses will typically focus on:

1. One subject area or discipline: e.g., classic texts in history.
2. One theme: e.g., classic texts on the happy life.
3. One genre: e.g., classic texts in tragedy.
4. One author: e.g., Aristotle.
5. One work: e.g., Dante, The Divine Comedy.
6. One non-Western culture: e.g., classics texts in the Chinese tradition (Confucius, Analects; I Ching; Mencius, etc.).
7. One of the above in the original language: e.g., Aristotle in Greek.

Honors Senior Thesis (3 hours)

The Honors Senior Thesis requirement is satisfied by one or more courses amounting to three credit hours (e.g., HON 4111 Senior Thesis Proposal, HON 4121 Senior Thesis I, HON 4131 Senior Thesis II). Exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the Dean’s Office.

General Elective Courses (38 hours)

• General Elective (38 hours)

Service Requirement

Honors students must complete a minimum of 80 hours of community service prior to the end of the fall semester before graduation. All activity undertaken in completion of the Honors service requirement must:

• Be proposed to the Dean’s Office in advance and may only count toward completion of the service requirement based on prior, explicit approval of the Dean’s Office.
• Be undertaken in collaboration with organizations pre-approved by the Dean’s Office.
• Include direct, face-to-face engagement.
• Be begun no later than the fall of the student’s second year and be completed no later than the fall of the student’s graduating year.

Total Hours: 120

The Humane Letters major is a comprehensive program that provides students with a deep understanding of the humanities and prepares them for a variety of careers or further academic pursuits.