Bachelor of Arts in Humanities
Humanities (B.A.) — 42 Units
The department's lower-division General Education courses (HUM 130, HUM 220, HUM 225) or other lower-division courses concerned with ideas, social conditions, and art forms are recommended for students planning to major or minor in humanities. HUM 130 or HUM 220 may be counted toward the major as an elective in Cross-Cultural studies. Study or practical experience toward mastery of a foreign language is strongly recommended along with the major or minor.
Humanities majors who successfully complete HUM 300GW will have satisfied the University Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).
Core (15 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HUM 300GW | Junior Seminar Humanities Writing - GWAR | 3 |
| HUM 301 | Form and Culture | 3 |
| HUM 303 | History and Culture | 3 |
| HUM 425 | Thought and Image: Humanities | 3 |
| HUM 690 | Senior Seminar in the Humanities | 3 |
Cross-Cultural Studies (6 units)
Units selected from the following or other appropriate courses on advisement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HUM 130 | The Humanities: Major Works | 3 |
| HUM 302 | Theories and Methods in the Humanities | 3 |
| HUM 320/MUS 446 | Music, Ideas and Culture | 3 |
| HUM 345 | Humanism and Mysticism | 3 |
| HUM 360 | Styles of African Cultural Expression | 3 |
| HUM 361 | Cultural Expression in Islam | 3 |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City (Istanbul, Cairo, Cape Town) | 3 |
| HUM/JS 379 | Jerusalem | 3 |
| HUM 390 | Images of Eroticism | 3 |
| HUM 415 | Contemporary Culture | 3 |
| HUM 496 | Islam and the Poetics of Space | 3 |
| HUM/JS/PHIL 501 | Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | 3 |
| HUM 510 | Comparative Form and Culture | 3 |
European Culture Studies (6 units)
Units selected from the following or other appropriate courses on advisement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HUM 302 | Theories and Methods in the Humanities | 3 |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City (Berlin, Florence, London, Moscow, Paris, Rome, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Naples) | 3 |
| HUM/MGS 378 | Athens | 3 |
| HUM 401/CLAS 410 | Ancient Greek Literature | 3 |
| HUM 402/CLAS 415 | Ancient Roman Literature | 3 |
| HUM 403/HIST 330 | The Early Middle Ages | 3 |
| HUM 404/HIST 331 | The High Middle Ages | 3 |
| HUM/ARTH 405 | Art, Literature, and Power in the Renaissance | 3 |
| HUM 407 | Romanticism and Impressionism | 3 |
| HUM 410 | The Modern Revolution | 3 |
| HUM/PHIL 432 | Nietzsche and Postmodernism | 3 |
| HUM 434/JS 414/PHIL 434 | Arendt and Heidegger | 3 |
| HUM 550 | The Art of Autobiography | 3 |
American Culture Studies (6 units)
Units selected from the following or other appropriate courses on advisement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City (Los Angeles, Mexico City, New Orleans, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Havana, Chicago, Boston, Buenos Aires) | 3 |
| HUM 376 | San Francisco | 3 |
| HUM 450/AMST 410 | California Culture | 3 |
| HUM 455 | Humanities of the Americas (San Francisco) | 3 |
| HUM 470 | American Autobiography | 3 |
| HUM/HIST 480 | Thought and Culture in America to 1880 | 3 |
| HUM/HIST 481 | Thought and Culture in America: 1880 to the Present | 3 |
| HUM 485/AMST 310 | The Arts and American Culture | 3 |
| HUM 490 | American Images: Photography and Literature | 3 |
| HUM/LTNS 520 | North and South American Cultural Expression | 3 |
| MUS/TH A 507 | Survey of Jazz and Blues in Film | 3 |
Asian Culture Studies (6 units)
Units selected from the following or other appropriate courses on advisement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HUM 366 | India's Gandhi | 3 |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City (Beijing, Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai) | 3 |
| HUM/ARTH 507 | Art of China | 3 |
| HUM 526 | Culture of Japan before 1850 | 3 |
| HUM 527 | Japan and Modernity | 3 |
| HUM 530 | Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HUM 531 | Images of Modern China | 3 |
| HUM 532/CWL 432 | From Ghost Stories to Short Stories: Japanese Fiction in Comparative Contexts | 3 |
| HUM 535 | Classical South Asian Cultural Forms | 3 |
| HUM 536 | Modern South Asian Cultural Forms | 3 |
Additional Courses (3 units)
Units selected from one of the above culture study areas or other appropriate courses on advisement
Note: Up to three appropriate courses (9 units) in related departments or programs may be substituted for departmental coursework in the culture-study areas. Core courses must be taken for a letter grade. No more than one elective course (3 units) may be taken CR/NC. Up to three units lower-division coursework can be counted as an elective in the major.
Complementary Studies
Twelve units of complementary studies are required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities. These units must come from courses bearing a prefix other than HUM and not cross-listed with HUM. Humanities majors will be offered several pathways toward completing this requirement, each of which is designed to facilitate graduation in a timely manner. Humanities majors may, with the approval of a Humanities department advisor, elect to apply 12 units in a single foreign language of their choosing, courses taken in an approved study abroad program (e.g., CSU Study Abroad), courses taken as partial completion of a second major, a minor or a certificate, or courses in a related discipline. Related disciplines typically include: African American Studies, American Indian Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Asian American Studies, Broadcast and Electronic Communication, Cinema, Classics, Comparative World Literature, Creative Writing, English, Foreign Languages, History, International Relations, Jewish Studies, Journalism, Liberal Studies, Middle East and Islamic Studies , Modern Greek Studies, Music , Philosophy, Political Science, Race and Resistance Studies, Theatre Arts, and Women and Gender Studies.
These courses should either have a direct bearing on the study of the humanities, or they should be shown to deepen and enrich the study of humanities in particular and articulable ways. Up to nine units of Complementary Studies can count toward the major, leaving three other units to be met by another course in consultation with an advisor in the department. Advisors may use a slightly higher standard for complementary for the nine units that count for the Major than for the three units that do not.
General Education Requirements
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
This roadmap opens in a new tab.
Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)
For students with an AA-T in Art History. This roadmap opens in a new tab.
This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in Art History
California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T). Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.
An ADT totals 60 units and includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.
Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.
Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.
A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:
- How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on award of a specific ADT;
- Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on award of a specific ADT;
- How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.
Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
- a 2nd-semester course in written English composition
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower division major requirements for this major, including 2nd-semester composition;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 units/90 quarters required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper division transfer (for example, if course was not passed on the first attempt, or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division general education in areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. (This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.)
Transferring from institutions other than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (GE A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit http://bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Identify and complete a 2nd-semester written English composition course before transfer. This is usually the next course after the typical “freshman comp” course, with a focus on writing, reading and critical analytical skills for academic purposes, and developing skills in composing, revising, and the use of rhetorical strategies.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.
All students must meet the transfer eligibility requirements outlined below for admission. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Admissions section.
- Complete 60 or more transferable semester units or 90 or more quarter units
- Earn a college grade point average of 2.00 or better in all transferable courses. Non-local area residents may be held to a higher GPA standard.
- Be in good standing at the last college or university attended
- Complete 30-semester units (45-quarter units) of general education, including four basic skills courses:
- One course in oral communication (same as CSU GE Area A1)
- One course in written composition (same as CSU GE Area A2)
- One course in critical thinking (same as CSU GE Area A3)
- One course in mathematics or quantitative reasoning (same as CSU GE Area B4)
- The four basic skills courses and a minimum of 60 transferable semester units (90-quarter units) must be completed by the spring semester prior to fall admission, or by the fall semester prior to spring admission. Earn a "C-" or better grade in each basic skills course.
