The Masters of Arts Program in the Humanities is essentially a mechanism by which interested students can fashion a uniquely focused course of interdisciplinary graduate study. While there are no separate faculty or course offerings for the program, students have access to all members of the Humanities graduate faculty and courses offered in 11 different Humanities departments. Students frequently take courses as well in related Social Science areas, where these fit their particular intellectual interests.
Individual programmatic foci can take any number of forms. Two recent students, for example, have shaped programs of study in Feminist Criticism and Women's Studies by bringing together courses offered Art History, Literature, English, History and Women's Studies; and study in Contemporary Critical Theory, with courses from Art History, Cultural Anthropology, Literature, and Philosophy. Students are free to propose a program that focuses on a given theme (e.g., Romanticism, Urbanism, Nationalism, Revolution), on a specific historical period (The Age of Constantine, The Reformation, The Enlightenment), or on a particular course of analysis (Cultural Studies, Film and Media Studies, Textual Studies).
In most instances, then, the Program in the Humanities offers students the opportunity to develop an intellectual and research focus not otherwise available in any traditional graduate program. It therefore seeks students who are interested particularly in traversing a number of traditional fields, or who are interested in pursuing new approaches to traditional Humanities subjects.
The program is open to holders of undergraduate degrees in any discipline who have interests in the Humanities and the background to permit study at the graduate level. Many students enrolled at Duke's Law School find the program useful for developing or continuing interests that link their legal and humanistic studies. The program does not offer professional training; its primary purpose is to provide a rigorous program of personal enrichment whose successful completion is recognized by the degree of Master of Arts. In some cases, students may decide that they wish to go on to the Ph.D. in a particular discipline. Although admission to the program in no way guarantees admission to doctoral programs in any participating department, coursework taken through the program provides a concrete basis for mutual acquaintance and assessment. Women's Studies
Cultural Anthropology 216S Gender, Race and Class
History 190 History of Women in Science and Medicine
Law 345 Gender and Law
Philosophy 122 Philosophical Issues in Feminism
Psychology 270N Feminist Theory in Social Science
Religion 185.06 Marriage and Sexuality in the New Testament
Spanish 114S Latin American Women Artists
Women's Studies 103 Introduction to Women's Studies
Women's Studies 150S.04 Feminism & Practice
Women's Studies 211.01 Intellectual/Institutional Foundations of Women's Studies
