Humanities

College of Arts and Sciences

The humanities offer fundamental insights into the human condition as they are expressed in thought, on stage, on paper, on film, on the internet, and between each other. They encompass all those aspects of the world beyond the reach of algorithms and machines.

Study in the humanities forms and deepens us as individuals, citizens, and as contributors to society. At a moment in history when the very nature of “truth” and “reality” are hotly contested, the humanities provide necessary insight into what matters in life, into the character of civilizations past and present, and into cultures and experiences that differ from our own.

Environmental Humanities

Your assignment: convey your vision for the future of Mount Hood National Forest through a written public testimony—and a 15-second Instagram video. This is just one of the projects for the introductory environmental humanities course. It’s a different way to study the environment—through creative approaches that just might be what’s needed to address the world’s biggest natural challenges.

Learn More About Humanities Humanities Majors

Ava Jamerson

Majors: Chinese and Finance
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
Class: 2018

Language and data, college town and massive metropolis, theory and practice—Ava has spent her college career exploring intersections. As a Chinese major, Ava participated in the capstone year of the Chinese Flagship program, spending six months at Nanjing University and six months interning at a marketing agency in Shanghai. After working with brands like Starbucks and Lay’s in China, Ava’s ready to turn her international résumé into a career.

Ben Saunders

Professor of English

Ben is fascinated by the ways powerful forms of representation can change how we see the world. He has analyzed a wide variety of these in his books, ranging from the theater of Shakespeare to the ironies of Marvel’s Iron Man. He founded the first-in-the-nation undergraduate minor in comics and cartoon studies and recently curated the largest transmedia museum exhibition ever devoted to the Marvel Universe.