Humanity and Technology, BA
Timothy Beal, Faculty Director
Lisa Nielson, Executive Director, Experimental Humanities Initiative
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Humanity and Technology
Program Overview
The Humanity and Technology major is the centerpiece of the Experimental Humanities Program, a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary program that facilitates the mutually transformative integration of humanities (including arts) fields with STEM fields through new and emerging technological tools and methods.
As a student in the Humanity and Technology major (aka "HAT"), you will be able to integrate your interests in science and technology with your interests in the humanities and arts by raising new kinds of questions and undertaking new lines of inquiry not available to humanists or scientists working in isolation. Ethical engagement and leadership development are embedded into student learning, as are opportunities for research and experiential learning. The major combines the interpretive, critically reflective tools of the humanities with the collaborative, experimental methods of the sciences, giving you the tools and experiences to design and develop new approaches, advance new understandings, and build new models of community and collaboration among the humanities, the arts, and STEM. In this way, the major prepares you to be a leader in addressing the world's most pressing issues at the interface of humanity and technology.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of how different modes of inquiry from STEM fields and the arts and humanities can be mutually informative and mutually transformative.
- Integrate learning and research in two fields, one in the humanities or arts and one in STEM, through applied technology in order to solve or better understand a significant problem or question.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of ethics at the interface of humanity and technology, interrogating technological systems in everyday life for possible and potential harms, and developing leadership and community engagement skills to promote a just and sustainable sociotechnical future.
- Demonstrate core competencies and functional literacy in a field of the humanities or arts.
- Demonstrate core competencies and functional literacy in a STEM field.
- Effectively communicate orally and in writing across academic discourses in the humanities (including the arts) and STEM.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Combined Bachelor's/Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Faculty Fellows and Affiliated Faculty
Tim Beal, PhD
Distinguished University Professor; Florence Harkness Professor of Religion, Department of Religious Studies; Director of h.lab
Daniela Calvetti, PhD
James Wood Williamson Professor, Department of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Maggie Popkin, PhD
Professor, Department of Art History and Art
Aviva Rothman, PhD
Inaugural Dean’s Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History
Rebecca Uliasz, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.
This program is structured so that students will develop core competencies and capacities in two academic fields—one in the Humanities or Arts (A+H as defined by CWRU’s General Education Requirements) and one in STEM (STEM+N as defined by CWRU’s General Education Requirements)—and will integrate their work in those fields through applied technology in mutually transformative ways in order to address challenges problems and challenges in our increasingly socio-technical world.
The integrative core includes two foundational courses; two elective courses that integrate humanities with STEM, using humanities methods to reflect critically on science and/or technology and provide both humanistic reflection on and hands-on experiences with applied technologies and/or scientific methods; and a culminating capstone sequence.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Integrative Core | ||
| HTEC 101 | Introduction to Humanity and Technology | 3 |
| HTEC 301 | Humanity and Technology: Toward a Just and Sustainable Socio-technical World | 3 |
| Two elective courses integrating Humanities with STEM a | 6-7 | |
| Embodied Religion and Mixed Reality | ||
| Pressing Matters: Issues in the History of Print | ||
| Evolution | ||
| The Digital Revolution: Computer and Data Science For All | ||
| Cognition and Computation | ||
| Climate Change Science and Society | ||
| Responsible AI: Cultivating a Just and Sustainable Socio-technical Future through Data Citizenship | ||
| What is Science? Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science | ||
| Science in Western Thought I | ||
| Science in Western Thought II | ||
| Revolutions in Science | ||
| The Copernican Revolution | ||
| Coding for the Humanities: Python, Natural Language Processing, and Machine Learning | ||
| Equations that Changed the World | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology | ||
| Capstone Sequence | 3-6 | |
| Capstone I: Humanity and Technology | ||
| Capstone II: Humanity and Technology | ||
| Focus Areas | 30-37 | |
Focus Area I: Humanities or Arts b | ||
Focus Area II: STEM c | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 45-56 | |
- a
These two electives may not be double-counted in the requirements for Focus Area I or Focus Area II.
- b
Complete the requirements for a minor in an A+H (Arts & Humanities) program. Students may fulfill this requirement by majoring in one of these programs. Students may not earn a separate minor in their chosen focus area.
- c
Complete the requirements for a minor in a STEM+N (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Nursing) program. Students may fulfill this requirement by majoring in one of these programs. Students may only earn this focus area in Aerospace Engineering, Biochemistry, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Neuroscience, Nutritional Biochemistry & Metabolism, and Systems Biology by majoring in the program. Students may not earn a separate minor in their chosen focus area.
Humanity and Technology (HTEC)
HTEC 101. Introduction to Humanity and Technology. 3 Units.
An introduction to the fundamental principles and methodologies for integrating the humanities, sciences, and technology. This course offers majors and prospective majors an essential foundation for subsequent studies, leading to a capstone project. For non-majors, it serves as a valuable introduction to these interdisciplinary approaches, which are applicable to many fields of study. Students explore ethics in technology and the interconnectedness of humanities and STEM methodologies while gaining hands-on experience with applied technologies like machine learning and data visualization. Through design thinking and praxis-based learning, students develop their approach to integrating humanities and STEM to address contemporary challenges, fostering critical thinking, and collaborative problem-solving skills essential for a just and sustainable future. Throughout the course, guest speakers share their experiences integrating humanities with STEM, providing insights into diverse integrative projects, and showcasing the dynamic possibilities within this interdisciplinary realm. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course.
HTEC 301. Humanity and Technology: Toward a Just and Sustainable Socio-technical World. 3 Units.
This course explores the social and ethical ramifications that arise from the interactions of humanity and technology. Drawing on scholarly publications as well as works from popular culture, students interrogate how technologies offer new possibilities for humans to connect with each other, oppress each other, and imagine social relationships. We will focus especially on questions of how humans can harness technology to create more just and sustainable social structures; a major focus, therefore, will be on the ethical implications of technology and the uses to which humans put it. For majors and prospective majors, this course provides an essential upper-level investigation of the ethical and social ramifications that arise from the interactions of humanity and technology. The course trains students to be critical and ethical thinkers and to reflect on the questions of sustainability, justice, and ethics that are expected to drive their capstone project. As an elective for non-majors, this course provides the same training, which may be applied productively to their work in other programs. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course.
HTEC 390. Independent Study in Humanity and Technology. 3 Units.
Instructor-guided individual research related to the Humanity and Technology program. The student will work with the instructor to develop and follow a plan for independent research, writing, and other learning activities.
HTEC 399A. Capstone I: Humanity and Technology. 2 Units.
This is the first part of a two-semester capstone for majors in Humanity and Technology. It is the culmination of a student's academic journey in the program, providing a platform for in-depth, immersive exploration, critical inquiry, and independent research. It provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct original research and to design and complete a high-quality capstone project that integrates their two focus areas, one in humanities or arts and one in STEM, through an applied technology. This course also explores leadership and ethical issues within the context of the research process and beyond. By the end of the semester, every student will have an approved proposal and plan for their project, which they will complete during the second semester of the capstone, HTEC 399B, which may be taken for 1-4 credit hours, depending on the scope of the project. Counts as a Capstone Project course. Prereq: HTEC 101 and HTEC 301.
HTEC 399B. Capstone II: Humanity and Technology. 1 - 4 Units.
This is the second part of a two-semester capstone for Humanity and Technology majors, this course focuses on completing a capstone project that integrates the student's two focus areas, one in a humanities or arts field and one in a STEM field, through an applied technology. This course may be taken for one to four credits, depending on the size of the project. Combined with HTEC 399A (two credit hours), capstones may thereby be completed for a total of three to six credit hours. Students are encouraged to be creative and innovative in designing and building their integrative projects, with the proviso that all projects require proposal approval by the instructor of HTEC 399A before admission to HTEC 399B. Counts as a Capstone Project course. Prereq: HTEC 399A.