Humanities Elective

Core Course Description

In an effort to increase student understanding of the purpose of and interconnectivity between core courses, the syllabus should include the following statement (which is not a Catalog text):

"Study of the humanities has always been at the heart of a Jesuit education. Xavier's Humanities elective can be fulfilled by taking a course in addition to the designated E/RS Focus course in any of the following disciplines: Classics, Modern Languages, English, History, Philosophy, or Theology. In this course you will encounter significant issues about the broad range of human experience. You will learn to recognize and evaluate various ways in which people understand and express the human experience."

Student Learning Objectives

Student Learning Objectives are assessable and must be included in all syllabi. SLOs will be measured through the efforts of the Core Curriculum Assessment Committee and possibly through student evaluations. Each syllabus should contain the following:

"This course is part of the Xavier Core Curriculum, which aims to develop people of learning and reflection, integrity and achievement, in solidarity for and with others. It addresses the following core learning objective(s) at the intermediate level:

1a: Students recognize and cogently discuss significant questions in the humanities, arts, and the natural and social sciences.

[The above is a minimum for Humanities Electives. Individual instructors are encouraged to add other core SLOs as appropriate.]

In addition to Xavier core learning objectives, this course includes these other key learning objectives:

[Additional SLOs to be determined by individual instructors/departments]"

Approval Procedure

Humanities Elective can be satisfied by one course from any of the following categories:

ENGL 121+ except 205,
FREN 300+,
GERM 300+,
HIST 200+,
PHIL 300+,
SPAN 300+,
THEO 300+, or
many CLAS (see course attributes in the schedule of classes).

The Humanities Elective may not double count as an E/RS flag (though may be an E/RS flagged course). While all Theology courses 200 and above count as Theological Perspectives, and all Theology courses 300 and above also count for Humanities Electives, no Theology course can double-count for both Theological Perspectives and Humanities Elective.

The Humanities Elective is separate and distinct from the following other core requirements offered by the same departments:

Second Language
Creative Perspectives
Historical Perspectives
Philosophical Perspectives
Theological Perspectives
Ethics/Religion and Society Elective (though the Humanities elective may be a second E/RS course)

Students must fulfill each of the above requirements and take a separate course to fulfill the Humanities Elective.

Traditionally, Humanities Electives are taught by the Classics, English, History, Modern Languages, Philosophy, and Theology departments. If you would like to teach a Humanities Elective Course and are not part of these departments, submit your request to the CCC, who will review it and pass it on to the respective chair(s) of the Humanities Department. Application Materials include i) a course syllabus, ii) description of the instructor’s approach to teach the material, and iii) a CV. To apply, please follow these guidelines.