Department of Humanities

Whether you long to read good books, debate ideas, or travel the world — all while training for career success — the Department of Humanities has something for everyone.

Our faculty are distinguished experts and passionate teachers. We offer small classes where the professor knows your name and wants to hear you speak your mind.

The department offers an undergraduate major in Humanities, an undergraduate major in Science and Technical Writing, plus an exciting variety of minors, from Children’s Studies to Medical Humanities

We teach courses in interdisciplinary humanities (HUMN), foundational/expository writing (WRIT), literature (LITS), creative writing (CREW), philosophy (PHIL), religion (RELI), language and culture (LANG), Spanish (SPAN), French (FREN), American Sign Language (SIGN), and more. (History, HIST, is also a Humanities subject, but those courses are housed in FDU’s Department of Social Sciences and History, here.)

Almost all of our courses satisfy one of FDU’s General Education Requirements. For example:

The Foundational Writing Program is an essential part of everyone’s first year at FDU, giving you the skills you’ll need to succeed in any writing task at college and in life. WRIT 1002 and 1003 satisfy the gen ed requirement in Written Communication.

Literature explores what it means to be a human being in this world, as expressed in artful language. It pushes us to read ever more closely, and at the same time to confront the largest questions that humankind has wrestled with for centuries: issues of fate and free will, of our role in the universe and our relationship with the divine and the supernatural, the environment, and other people. A LITS course normally satisfies the gen ed requirement in either Humanities or Cross-Cultural Understanding.

Philosophy, from the Greek for “love of wisdom,” is the traditional liberal-arts discipline that emphasizes questioning, reasoning, and inquiring into human values, the human condition, and the workings of the mind. Philosophy provides the mental tools and discipline to thrive in almost any intellectually demanding field, including higher education, business, and law; our courses would be mind-enriching for anyone regardless of major. Some PHIL courses (e.g. 1103, 1440, 2008) satisfy the gen ed requirement in Ethical Reasoning. Others satisfy the requirement in Humanities.

Except in a few specialized programs, there is no requirement at FDU to study languages, but language study is a perfect complement to any career path. Language skills will always confer a unique advantage in global and domestic markets, in education, in health professions, in hospitality and tourism—the list is endless. That’s not to mention the untranslatable beauties and new habits of mind that you’ll discover in the encounter with a new language. We regularly run courses in Spanish, French, and American Sign Language, and we offer a minor in Spanish. Other languages are offered based on student demand and in the context of our reciprocity agreements and Study Abroad: see the department chair to discuss options.

Humanities (HUMN)

The Humanities major offers a wide-ranging liberal arts education and an integrated interdisciplinary experience that draws on Literature, History, Philosophy, the visual and performing arts, and culture courses in modern languages. Teaching (through the QUEST program) is a favorite career path for our majors, but others have found success in a wide array of jobs, especially in editing, publishing, and corporate communications.

Learn More about this program [in a box the way it is now]

BA degrees in Literature, Philosophy, and Creative Writing, and a graduate MA in Creative Writing and Literature for Educators, have been discontinued as of 2025. They are linked here for the benefit of current students enrolled in those programs. Courses in those areas will continue to be offered and will count towards the Humanities major going forward.

Science and Technical Writing

The bachelor’s degree in Science and Technical Writing is suitable for students with an interest in the sciences, health, medicine, and communication, and works well as both a standalone and a second major. There are many possible career paths for this major. The science technical writing for professionals track prepares students for writing/edit for technical journals, policy work with government agencies like the FDA or NIH, editing science and art books or websites, editing textbooks, grant proposal writing, assisting scientists in writing review articles, and clinical medical writing. The science for the general public track prepares students for working with a science museum, hospital communications office, science journalism, and science-fiction editing/consulting for mass media.