Humanities

The Philosophy program at Queen’s seeks to provide students with critical thinking skills, enabling them to uncover hidden assumptions, identify core premises, and evaluate arguments.  As well, students will gain an understanding of the important ideas and thinkers in the discipline. Courses range from historical to contemporary, from broad topical investigations to problem-based inquiries.

Classics refers to the study of the Greek and Roman worlds.  Multi-disciplinary in approach, it involves the studies of history, literature, archaeology, religion, mythology, drama and philosophy, in addition to the ancient languages of Greek and Latin.  Today our understanding of Greek and Roman culture is further enhanced by the latest digital techniques that increasingly pervade studies in archaeology, epigraphy, papyrology, and ancient science and medicine.  At Queen’s, students have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the latest techniques by participating in one of two archaeological excavations supervised by our own faculty, or through a variety of projects and assignments. 

The Department of English offers a comprehensive undergraduate program that exposes students to English literatures from a large range of communities, historical periods, and geographical regions. All three English Plans (Major, Medial, Minor) attempt to balance the study of canonical writers, literary forms, and traditions with the study of previously marginalized or unknown writing. The program as a whole is designed to develop cross-cultural and historical literacies by encouraging students to engage with literatures from diverse histories and traditions through a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches.

The History Department at Queen’s will provide you with a sophisticated introduction to a variety of approaches to the past, and will hone your analysis, discussion, research, and writing skills.  You can explore such diverse areas as the Crusades, slavery and race relations, Native history in the Americas, the Russian Revolution, the problems of 20th century Canadian unity, the economic development of Africa, and the perception and treatment of women in North America.

The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures is a multidisciplinary unit that offers students the opportunity to learn languages, develop an understanding of literary and cultural traditions, and pursue studies in the field of Linguistics.  The Department offers language courses in Anishinaabemowin, Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Inuktitut, Italian, Japanese, Mohawk, Portuguese, and Spanish, and Degree Plans in German Studies; Indigenous Studies; Italian; Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Linguistics; Hispanic Studies; Spanish and Latin American Studies; and World Language Studies.