Humanities (Course 21)
Research subjects are also offered by programs within the Department of Humanities: Anthropology (21A), Comparative Media Studies/Writing (CMS/21W), Global Studies and Languages (21G), History (21H), Literature (21L), Music and Theater Arts (21M/21T), Science, Technology, and Society (STS), and Women's and Gender Studies (WGS). Consult those listings for details.
21.00 SHASS Exploration
Prereq: None
U (Fall)
Not offered regularly; consult department
1-0-0 units
Provides a better understanding of what the humanities, arts, and social sciences at MIT are all about. Each week, a different faculty member from a SHASS unit discusses their research, giving students a sense of what they might expect from a major, minor, or concentration in their field. Subject can count toward the 6-unit discovery-focused credit limit for first year students.
Consult A. Rayo
21.01 Compass Course: Moral and Social Questions about the Human Condition (New)
Prereq: None
U (Spring)
3-0-9 units. HASS-E; CI-H
Provides an introduction to analytic inquiry and active debate about persistent moral and social questions concerning the human experience; a shared conversation on these questions across the diverse students and departments at MIT; and a collective engagement with historical and contemporary work in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. The main objectives of this subject are to provide students with opportunities to begin developing and practicing the skills and habits of mind needed for lifelong reflection and conversations with others on the normative foundations of social and human life. Lectures are offered online; in-class time is dedicated to recitations, exercises, and group discussion. Limited to 18 per section.
Tsai, Silbey, Pollock, Levenson, Kaiser, Jones, Haslanger, Duflo, Byrne, Black, Bennett, Bahr, Albright
21.THT Humanities Pre-Thesis Tutorial
Prereq: As specified for particular field
U (Fall, IAP, Spring)
Units arranged
Can be repeated for credit.
Definition of and early-stage work on thesis project leading to 21.THU Undergraduate Thesis in Humanities. Taken during the first term of the student's two-term commitment to the thesis project. Student works closely with an individual faculty tutor. Required for all students in Course 21, and those doing 21-E and 21-S degrees, for whom the thesis is a degree requirement.
Information: SHASS Dean's Office
21.THU Undergraduate Thesis in Humanities
Prereq: 21.THT
U (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer)
Units arranged
Can be repeated for credit.
Completion of work on the senior major thesis under supervision of a faculty tutor. Includes oral presentation of thesis progress early in the term, assembling and revising the final text, and meeting at the close with a committee of faculty evaluators to discuss the successes and limitations of the project. Required for most students in Course 21 and those doing 21-E and 21-S degrees.
Information: SHASS Dean's Office
21.UR Undergraduate Research in Humanities
Prereq: None
U (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer)
Units arranged [P/D/F]
Can be repeated for credit.
Individual participation in an ongoing research project. For students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
Information: SHASS Dean's Office
21.URG Research in Humanities
Prereq: None
U (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer)
Units arranged
Can be repeated for credit.
Individual participation in an ongoing research project. For students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
Information: SHASS Dean's Office
