Humanistic Studies is a unique liberal arts major. We often divide the liberal arts into separate fields such as English, history, or philosophy, but the Humanistic Studies Program presents them as a unified whole. This Program weaves together history, literature, theology, philosophy, and art so that students can see and understand the entirety of western culture. Although this approach may resemble that of humanities programs at other colleges, several features make Humanistic Studies distinctive. Above all, the Program emphasizes Christianity's dynamic role in forming our civilization. It also pays special attention to the role of women and the contributions of non-western and non-Christian societies. In order to develop superior skills in thinking, reading, writing, listening, and speaking, our classes stress reading and discussion, and students write often and in a variety of styles. The Program requires active classroom participation from its students.

Professors work closely with students in small classes that connect with, and build upon, one another. Students begin the two-year Program studying the history and literature of the Middle Ages. Semester by semester, they move chronologically through western culture until they finish in the twenty-first century, having acquired real insight into the challenges and values of our own day. Four courses in cultural history examine the people, institutions, ideas, and events that have shaped western society since late Roman antiquity. In a colloquium class taken in tandem with each history course, students read the "great books" of the western tradition, by authors such as Virgil, Augustine, Chaucer, Dante, Machiavelli, More, Erasmus, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Goethe, Austen, Freud, Woolf, and O'Connor. Students also listen to the music of important western composers. A separate course explores the connection between society and the fine arts in the works of artists such as Giotto, Michelangelo, El Greco, Rembrandt, Goya, the Impressionists, and Picasso.

The department welcomes any student with a lively and creative mind who likes to read great literature, grapple with exciting ideas, and see the "big picture." Students interested in the Program are encouraged to enroll in "Lives and Times" or another Humanistic Studies elective, to fulfill the College's general education requirements. Year-long courses in western or world civilization, or in literature, can also help prepare students for the major, although there are no formal prerequisites. Students find it relatively easy to combine Humanistic Studies with another major. They have an opportunity not only to pursue a wide variety of careers, but also to find personal fulfillment and cultural enrichment in their studies.
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Why major in Humanistic Studies?

Besides the obvious career advantages to a degree in Humanistic Studies, there are a number of perhaps unexpected personal benefits that our students gain. Put simply, Humanistic Studies can help you live a better life! When our graduates look back upon their time at Saint Mary's, for example, they often credit the major with having helped them develop a philosophy of life. Our alumnae believe their education has equipped them to make thoughtful, informed choices, and invested their lives with meaningful values.

To study culture, as we do in Humanistic Studies, is necessarily to contemplate values, both our own and those of others. Literature and history alike invite us to reflect upon human wisdom and folly. Religion moves us to ponder sacred truths. Philosophy challenges us to consider the ethical and moral consequences of our actions. Art entices us to regard beauty in its myriad forms.

Not only what we study in Humanistic Studies but also how we study it emphasizes our belief in an education that raises questions of moral and spiritual significance. Through thought, imagination, and reflection, we strive to develop understanding and empathy. Through inquiry and conversation, we seek to form and test judgment. And through application and collaboration, we aim to foster responsibility and commitment. Humanistic Studies offers a "values" education.

The values that shape our curriculum and our pedagogy--and that we hope animate and distinguish our students--include: a thirst for truth and wisdom, and a dedication to thinking well and critically; a delight in goodness, and a commitment to choosing justly; an appreciation of beauty, and a determination to preserve and foster it. In all, the Program seeks to instill a love of learning for its own sake as well as for the good it can do in our lives and in the world and the benefits it can bring to ourselves and to others.

Humanistic Studies stays with you for life, regardless of the vocation you choose. It teaches you to learn how to learn, and thus to adapt to, and understand, a rapidly changing world. Humanistic Studies makes you a lifelong learner. And because our majors meet daily for two years with the same group of fifteen or twenty students, they enjoy a camaraderie that endures long after graduation. The personal and intellectual bonds developed in Room 238 Madeleva Hall create lasting friendships. So, yes, Humanistic Studies will get you a job, but it can also help you lead a fuller, richer life.
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Origins and history

I believe that the study of Christian culture is the missing link which is essential to supply if the tradition of Western education and Western culture is to survive, for it is only through this study that we can understand how Western culture came to exist and what are the essential values for which it stands. Christopher Dawson (1953)

The Humanistic Studies Program was the idea of the distinguished British historian Christopher Dawson. In a series of publications, beginning with a 1953 article in Commonweal magazine, Dawson recommended that the achievements of Christian culture in history, literature, art, and social and spiritual thought be studied as an integrated whole. He aimed to restore a semblance of unity to the university curriculum, which in his view was excessively specialized, "a sprawling collection of unrelated units." He also sought to initiate students into a great living tradition, providing them with a perspective on contemporary issues.

Dawson's innovative ideas attracted the attention of Bruno P. Schlesinger, a history professor at Saint Mary's, who persuaded its president, Sister Madeleva, to adopt Dawson's plan as the basis for a new major. Dawson heartily endorsed the Saint Mary's experiment, and became a consultant in the early stages of its development. With Professor Schlesinger as chair and sole faculty member, thirteen pioneering students helped launch the Program for Christian Culture in the fall of 1956. An impressive array of scholars and writers, including Thomas Merton, lent their enthusiastic support to its establishment.

Because of frequent misunderstandings on the part of students and parents, the title of the Program was changed in 1967 to Humanistic Studies. Over the decades, the department has grown, but it remains committed to its founding ideals. About 15 students a year now sign up for the major, taught by two full-time and several part-time faculty members.

In 2006 the department celebrated its 50th anniversary. Alumnae from around the country joined current Humanistic Studies majors for two days of colloquia, reflection, and social events, and the revival of the Christian Culture Lecture series. Ever since its inception, the Program has enjoyed a reputation as one of the most intellectually stimulating and academically challenging departments at Saint Mary's; its graduates are among the most accomplished alumnae of the College.
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