Insider Insights: Undergraduate courses in the humanities are either seminars or lectures held 2-3 times a week with a discussion seminar known as a "precept." All A.B. seekers must complete a senior thesis and, in most departments, one or two extensive pieces of independent research known as "junior papers." Juniors studying particular disciplines, such as architecture and the creative arts, complete independent projects, not written research papers. A.B. candidates must also complete a 3-4 semester foreign language requirement and distribution requirements totaling 31 classes. B.S.E. candidates adhere to the same track while emphasizing a science & math curriculum, including a computer science requirement, and at least two semesters of independent research concluding in an optional senior thesis. All B.S.E. students must complete at least 36 classes. Although A.B. candidates tend to have more freedom in course selection than B.S.E. candidates due to fewer required classes, both enjoy freedom in creating self-structured curricula.
Epistemology and Cognition (One semester required)
Popular Courses
Language and the Brain
Linguistics and Language Acquisition
Rationality and Human Reasoning
Plato and His Predecessors
The Philosophy of Kant
Theory of Knowledge
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Physics
Wittgenstein
Philosophical Logic
Ethical Thought and Moral Values (One semester required)
Popular Courses
Muslims and the Qur'an
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
Nietzsche
Political Philosophy
Greek Ethical Theory
Explaining Values
Moral Conflicts in Public & Private Life
Religion in the Public Square
Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit
Ethics and Public Policy
Historical Analysis (One semester required)
Popular Courses
The Roman Republic
Slavery in the Roman World
Modern Korean History
Modern Chinese Thought
A History of the World since 1300
History of East Asia to 1800
Science in the Modern World
Europe from Antiquity to 1700
China, 1850 to the Present
War in the Modern Western World
The United States Since 1974
The Role of Law in American Society
Great Books of the Jewish Tradition
Jews, Muslims & Christian/Middle Ages
The Making of the Modern Middle East
Religion in Japanese Culture
Sex in Ancient Judaism and Christianity
Religion, Gender, and Sexuality
Literature and the Arts (Two semesters required)
Popular Courses
African American Lit: Origins to 1910
Moby-Dick Unbound
Computational Design
Roman Art
Byzantine Art and Architecture
Neoclassicism through Impressionism
Contemporary Art: 1950 to the Present
The Arts of Japan
Arts of China
History of Photography
Rome, The Eternal City
Understanding the "Barbarians"
Topics in Medieval Art and Architecture
Anxious Megalopolis
Maya Painting
Classical Mythology
Crime, Fiction, and Film
Russian Drama
Quantitative Reasoning (One semesters required)
Popular Courses
Algorithms and Data Structures
Solar Energy Conversion
Analysis in Several Variables
Topology
Probability Theory
Multivariable Calculus
Mathematics in Engineering I
Reasoning about Computation
Linear Algebra with Applications
Advanced Vector Calculus
Algebra I
Commutative Algebra
Science and Technology (One semester required)
Popular Courses
Human Adaptation
Engineering in the Modern World
Global Environmental Issues
Physics of the Ocean and Atmosphere
The Quantum World
Life on Earth: Chaos and Clockwork
Ecosystems and Global Change
Disease Ecology, Economics, and Policy
Climate: Past, Present, and Future
Life in the Universe
Fundamentals of Neuroscience
Physics of the Ocean and Atmosphere
Social Analysis (Two semesters required)
Popular Courses
Abnormal Psychology
Environmental Economics
Prejudice: Causes, Consequences, Cures
Introduction to Microeconomics
Money, Work, and Social Life
Law and Economics
Economics of the Labor Market
Public Finance
Money and Banking
Financial Investments
Strategy and Information
Fixed Income: Models and Applications
Required Curriculum for B.S.E. Students
School of Engineering and Applied Science requirements: 4 semesters of mathematics 2 semesters of physics 1 semester of chemistry 1 semester of computer science
Candidates for the B.S.E. degree must fulfill the writing requirement by taking a writing seminar in the first year and take a minimum of seven courses in the humanities and social sciences.
The humanities and social science courses must include one course in four of the six areas listed below: Epistemology and Cognition (EC) Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM) Foreign Language (at the 107/108 level or above) Historical Analysis (HA) Literature and the Arts (LA) Social Analysis (SA) Learn More »