Department of Humanities

The Department of Humanities offers a variety of courses designed to provide midshipmen with an understanding of the origins and nature of contemporary society and culture. The subjects covered in these courses include literature, history, politics, religion, social thought, philosophy and the fine arts. These subjects form the core of the liberal arts, and their study is of central importance to a college education.

The Department offers two introductory English courses. The first course, in the plebe year, gives primary emphasis to composition and introduces midshipmen to classic works of literature, developing writing skills through close reading and critical analysis. A second English course, given in an upper-class year, focuses on literature of various genres and ages, and provides additional work on composition. Students have opportunities to reflect on the complexities of human life, culture, and history, and the psychology of human conflict and cooperation. During the second sailing period, midshipmen complete a Humanities Sea Project, a long comparative essay that correlates literary, biographical, or historical reading with shipboard observations about leadership.

The English Support Program provides an additional hour of remedial work in grammar and composition to selected plebes enrolled in English 1.

A one-credit ethics course in their plebe year exposes midshipmen to common ethical dilemmas and provides tool for successful resolution of ethical situations. The course also affords students opportunities to write and read critically.

The Department offers three history courses. The History of Sea Power, required of plebes, grounds midshipmen in maritime and naval history, including the role of sea power during the two twentieth-century world wars. Sea Power also is designed to reinforce plebes’ basic writing, critical reading, and speaking skills. The History of the Modern World, offered in an upper-class year, examines key transnational events and issues that have shaped our societies. Graduates enter an international industry and should fine the broad perspective gained from the course essential to their understanding of their world. Modern American History, also given to upper-class midshipmen, explores the wellsprings of contemporary American life. The course describes the events that have shaped our society since 1945 to seek understanding of the issues we face today.

All midshipmen take one course from a grouping under the title of “Topics in Literature and History.” Here students are presented with non-survey courses focused on aspect of literature, culture, and history. Through analysis of particular topics, the courses explore the roots, evolution, and expression of cultural systems around the world. Reading and discussion-based, each of these courses seeks to expose students to cultural, historical or literary analysis. Each course has strong writing and public speaking components and gives midshipmen responsibility for facilitating class discussion.

In addition, the Department offers elective courses and independent study options for midshipmen.