Global Humanities M.A.
Degree: Master of Arts
https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/interdisciplinary/grad/humanities/
Program Director: Dr. Jennifer Ballengee
Liberal Arts Building 5351
Phone: 410-704-5213
Email: jballengee@towson.edu
The Master’s Program in Global Humanities fosters interdisciplinary inquiry into the ideas of the human and of the human condition, in historic and contemporary contexts, as expressed in global human culture through literature, language, history, human and cultural geography, philosophy, religion, film and art, and including economics, politics and the sciences when utilized in a humanistic context. Fostering multicultural awareness and understanding, the Global Humanities M.A. provides students with the tools needed for successfully and humanely negotiating the increased diversity of our world as it changes in a variety of interrelated ways, through economic exchange, war, the mass movement of refugees and migrants, terrorism and climate disruption. All of these complex opportunities and problems posed by globalization involve encounters of difference in culture, language, religion and custom. A graduate degree in Global Humanities provides students with the cultural and historical awareness necessary to think through complex issues of global interactions not only in the contemporary moment but with an awareness of change over time: the knowledge of past events and developments provides insight for the present and future.
Students pursue the degree through course work that combines Interdisciplinary Thematic seminars and elective graduate courses, culminating with either a master’s thesis, an anthology or an internship option.
Admission Requirements
- A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university**
- GPA of 3.00, or 2.75 for conditional admission (last 60 undergraduate units)
- A statement of intent (500 words)
- A research paper in any liberal arts discipline
- Two letters of recommendation
The Global Humanities program accepts admission materials on a rolling basis, but priority deadlines are April 1 for Fall admission or November 1 for Spring admission.
Submit admission materials to Graduate Admissions
Non-immigrant international students: See additional admission information in Graduate Admissions
Students who received their bachelor or master's degree outside of the United States are to submit TOEFL, PTE, or IELTS scores that meet the following requirements: a TOEFL score of 100 on the iBT, a PTE score of 5.7, or an IELTS score of 7.
**See Exceptions to Policy in Graduate Admissions
Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts in Global Humanities requires completion of a 36-unit program of study, combining 21 units of required curriculum with 15 credit hours of elective courses, thesis and/or internship work. Students must have the approval of the program director before registering for any elective course to count for the humanities degree. Students will select one of the following courses of study: the Thesis Option; Anthology Option; or the Internship Option.
Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| HUMA 600 | INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDIES IN GLOBAL HUMANITIES | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Thematic Seminars (select 6 courses from the following) | 18 | |
| WAR | ||
| ENVIROHUMANITIES | ||
| DISEASE, LIFE, AND DEATH | ||
| TRANSLATION | ||
| POWER | ||
| THE HUMAN | ||
| RHETORIC: THE PURSUIT OF ELOQUENCE | ||
| Elective Courses | 9 | |
| Elective credits may include topics seminars in the program, graduate seminars in related fields (approved by the director), or internships (no more than 6 units) | ||
| Thesis Course 1 | 6 | |
| HUMANITIES THESIS | ||
or HUMA 898 | HUMANITIES THESIS | |
| Total Units | 36 | |
Anthology Option
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| HUMA 600 | INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDIES IN GLOBAL HUMANITIES | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Thematic Seminars (select 6 courses from the following) | 18 | |
| WAR | ||
| ENVIROHUMANITIES | ||
| DISEASE, LIFE, AND DEATH | ||
| TRANSLATION | ||
| POWER | ||
| THE HUMAN | ||
| RHETORIC: THE PURSUIT OF ELOQUENCE | ||
| Elective Courses | 15 | |
| Elective credits may include topics seminars in the program, graduate seminars in related fields (approved by the director), or internships (no more than 6 units). | ||
| Anthology required 1 | ||
| Total Units | 36 | |
Internship Option
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| HUMA 600 | INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDIES IN GLOBAL HUMANITIES | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Thematic Seminars (select 6 courses from the following) | 18 | |
| WAR | ||
| ENVIROHUMANITIES | ||
| DISEASE, LIFE, AND DEATH | ||
| TRANSLATION | ||
| POWER | ||
| THE HUMAN | ||
| PRWR 611 | RHETORIC: THE PURSUIT OF ELOQUENCE | 3 |
| Elective Courses | 12 | |
| Elective credits may include topics seminars in the program, graduate seminars in related fields (approved by the director), or internships (no more than 6 units). | ||
| Internship | 3 | |
| Anthology required 1 | ||
| Total Units | 39 | |
| 1 | The thesis or anthology must be submitted to the director by the seventh week of the term in which the student plans to graduate. |
Transfer Credit
With the approval of the program director, students may apply 6 transfer units with the grade of “B” or better to the elective requirements of the program.
- Understanding and appreciating major issues and themes relevant to humanistic inquiry, across disciplines and historic periods.
- Understanding the development of humanistic inquiry across a historical trajectory, including the relevance of and potential practical applications of the humanities in contemporary global culture.
- Producing substantive insight about humanistic texts and cultural products by means of historical, literary, philosophical, and/or rhetorical modes of analysis, across national boundaries or applying humanistic inquiry in work or community outreach.
Courses
HUMA 600 INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDIES IN GLOBAL HUMANITIES (3)
Graduate Seminar introducing students to the methods of inquiry relevant to the study of human arts and culture.
HUMA 602 LITERATURE OF EMPIRE (3)
Analysis of imperial literature in classical, medieval, Renaissance and modern times. Prerequisite: Bachelor's degree.
HUMA 604 LOVE IN LITERATURE (3)
Study of love in Western literature in classical, medieval, Renaissance, and modern texts. Prerequisites: Bachelor's Degree.
HUMA 606 LIT: THE SYMPOSIUM (3)
Analysis of texts of the ancient, medieval, Renaissance and modern eras, which explore issues through fictionalized, civil conversation. Prerequisite: Bachelor's degree.
HUMA 610 WAR (3)
Graduate Seminar examining various manifestations and effects of war upon human life, human rights, and human culture.
HUMA 612 ENVIROHUMANITIES (3)
Graduate seminar addressing the intersection of the humanities and the environment in a range of disciplines, including geographic, literary, artistic, architectural, and historic perspectives.
HUMA 613 DISEASE, LIFE, AND DEATH (3)
Graduate seminar discussing global views and perceptions of disease, life, and death.
HUMA 614 TRANSLATION (3)
Study of the theory and practice of translation; survey of the history of translation; comparison of translations of World Literature texts. No foreign language proficiency required.
HUMA 615 POWER (3)
Graduate seminar interrogating global perceptions, views, instances, implications, and implementations of power.
HUMA 616 THE HUMAN (3)
Analysis of changing concepts on the nature of being human through a reading of classical, medieval, Renaissance and modern text. Prerequisite: bachelor's degree.
HUMA 631 HISTORY OF HISTORICAL THOUGHT (3)
Philosophies of History from ancient to modern. Prerequisite: Bachelor's degree.
HUMA 633 COMPARATIVE BIOGRAPHY: THE PURSUIT OF HUMAN PERFECTION (3)
How does human life strive for perfection - whether spiritual, military, political, aesthetic or intellectual - and how do historians strive to shape those human lives into perfect biographies. Texts will include readings from the classical through the modern periods. Prerequisite: bachelor's degree.
HUMA 634 THE TRAVELER IN HISTORY (3)
Analysis of travel accounts and their role in Western intellectual debates about natural and cultural diversity. Prerequisites: Bachelor's degree.
HUMA 750 MASTER AUTHORS (3)
Study of a classic author of history, fine arts, literature, philosophy, religion or rhetoric. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits.
HUMA 751 MASTERWORKS SEMINAR (3)
Intensive study of a classic book of history, fine arts, literature, philosophy, politics, religion or rhetoric. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits. Prerequisite: Bachelor's degree.
HUMA 752 MASTER THEMES SEMINAR (3)
Study of a major theme of Western Civilization in fine arts, history, literature, philosophy, religion, or rhetoric. May be repeated under a different subtitle. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 units. Prerequisites: bachelor's degree.
HUMA 897 HUMANITIES THESIS (6)
Mentored and defended monograph in one of the following disciplines: art history, history, literature, philosophy, religion, or rhetoric. Prerequisites: Bachelor's degree, approval of the director, and successful proposal review. Open only to enrolled graduate students in Humanities.
HUMA 898 HUMANITIES THESIS (3)
Mentored and defended monograph in one of the following disciplines: art history, history, literature, philosophy, religion, or rhetoric. Prerequisites: Bachelors degree, approval of the director, and successful proposal review.
HUMA 899 THESIS CONTINUUM (1)
Thesis Continuum.
