What Should I do If I’m interested in Humanities?

Interested in exploring the historical, literary, artistic, and cultural dimensions of the human experience? Stanford is rich in opportunities to pursue the Humanities. The School of Humanities and Sciences offers eleven humanities and arts departments, as well as several interdisciplinary programs that draw heavily on humanities approaches.

At NSO in September

If you are looking at this before New Student Orientation (NSO), you should consider attending the Academic Planning Session on “Choosing Courses in the Humanities” on Wednesday of NSO. You may also want to attend an Engaging with Faculty session with a humanities professor and take the opportunity to introduce yourself afterwards.

Finding Courses

Classes in the humanities provide you with tools of creative and critical reflection and expression. There is no one single introductory course for humanities fields--rather, reflect on what topics and approaches attract you most, and you’ll likely find a few courses that might be the best starting place for you.

  1. IntroSems are a great way to leap right into a discipline. Apply for an Introductory Seminar.
  2. Introsems aren't the only option. Enroll in a Gateway Course taught by a humanities professor. These freshman-friendly courses provide a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental issues and questions in each discipline, offering an ideal entry point to further study in the department. Cardinal Compass maintains a list of additional courses that departments think are suitable for freshmen.
  3. Take a digital humanities class to learn more about this exciting new field.
  4. Use keyword search in ExploreCourses to follow a thematic interest--such as travel, Italy, food, or whatever occurs to you.
  5. Browse the prefixes in ExploreCourses for the humanities departments (intro courses will typically have lower numbers and appear toward the beginning of the course listing).
  6. During autumn quarter, ask your humanities professors for course recommendations for the winter and spring, or meet with a student services officer or peer mentor in a department where you’d like to take a course. Don’t be afraid to email faculty whose work you want to learn more about.

Interested in Research?

You can begin research in the humanities even as a freshman.

  1. Many research opportunities arise serendipitiously--find faculty who are doing the things that interest you, and go talk to them. Search The Human Experience and Stanford News to see what professors are doing.
  2. VPUE supplies almost 50 programs with funds to hire students as research assistants, including a number of humanities departments and digital humanities programs. Look for announcements on department websites, department interest lists, and in the AAD weekly newsletter.
  3. Apply to work as a research assistant at the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA), Stanford’s pioneering digital humanities lab. Check out the list of current projects and email Matt Bryant (mattbryant.stanford@gmail.com) to apply.
  4. Sophomores pursuing in-depth projects in the humanities, creative arts, and qualitative social sciences are eligible to apply for Chappell Lougee Scholarships--if the idea of spending a summer on your own project intrigues you, begin thinking about ideas and talking to your Academic Advising Director or AARC Advisor during your freshman year.

More Opportunities

  1. Check out the new humanities dorm, a center for the undergraduate humanities community on campus. Even if you aren’t a resident, you can still participate in a wide range of house activities.
  2. Attend a talk. Check out the Stanford Humanities Center, where visiting speakers present groundbreaking research across the disciplines, and sign up for the newsletter to hear about events, or keep an eye on department mailing lists and bulletin boards.
  3. And many more programs and opportunities exist!