Home | UC Irvine School of Humanities

WHY HUMANITIES?

The UCI School of Humanities is where future leaders, communicators, scholars, CEOs, storytellers, creatives, directors, writers, and entrepreneurs come to get their start.

Humanities courses will challenge your thinking and prepare you for some of the world’s most coveted professional positions. But why not also have some fun while learning about what you love? Join us to explore topics ranging from ancient myths and medieval monsters to the history of medicine, the thoughts of existentialist philosophers, the impact of social media, the international cultures of food, and the global influence of hip-hop.

Our students discover in the School of Humanities a wide world of new experiences, in language and culture courses including Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Russian, Spanish and more.

Studying the humanities will enrich your understanding of the human world by introducing you to, and sparking in you, ideas that matter. It will empower your creativity and your ability to innovate. And it will equip you with priceless tools to shape your own unique future.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL DONATE Subscribe for news

NEWS

Learn about the humanities faculty, students, alumni and community members who are making an impact

Ngugi wa Thiong'o receives honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Edinburgh

Honorary degree conferred on Ngugi wa Thiong'o in recognition of his leadership in shifting the focus and language of African writing

Curating 1,000 years of art

A Q&A with visual studies alumna and chief curator at the Autry, Amy Scott

Distinguished Professor is awarded the 2019 Lebowitz Prize for achievement in philosophy

Margaret P. Gilbert will be honored in April 2020

More News

IMPORTANT FACTS

Faculty

170+

Majors

20+

Languages

14

Minors

37

OUR EVENTS

Whether you're interested in author talks, master classes from renowned writers, or skill-sharing workshops,
there's always something new and exciting happening at the School of Humanities!!

24Aug

Featured Event

Shakespeare and Italy

Come learn about theater in Renaissance Italy, its impact on Shakespeare, and the contribution of Jews to the drama of the period. This lively afternoon includes a demonstration of commedia dell'arte techniques.

May 8, 2019

"Ernie Barnes: A Retrospective" curated by Professor Cooks through 9/8/19 at the California African American Museum

July 22, 2019

Pahlavi (Middle Persian) Summer School

July 24, 2019

Educators Day at New Swan

July 24, 2019

Docunight: Iranian Documentary Series - Screening of "Like A Woman"

July 25, 2019

Screening of Documentary "The Secret of Holy Fire" by Ali Shahriaripour

July 26, 2019

Typography Basics with Graphic Designer Ellen Lupton

MORE EVENTS

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Global and historical cultural studies

UCI humanities is a gateway to the world, past, present and future. UCI humanists study culture, language, history and creative expression around the globe. We teach fourteen languages, have expertise in international and diasporic cultures and identities, and bring communities together through our many cultural centers and programs. From archaeological and archival study to digital and globally networked scholarship, UCI opens new perspectives on the human world in all its depth and breadth.

Writing, literary and media studies

Through literary and media analysis, translation, documentary practice and storytelling, humanists at UCI investigate the ways human beings have symbolized their experiences and shared them with others. Examining ancient stone inscriptions and classic orators to texts, mainstream films and social media, humanists at UCI help us understand the voices of the past, present and future. We encourage scholars and creative practitioners—such as novelists, poets, journalists, filmmakers, and digital media producers—to learn from one another. The UCI School of Humanities leads these fields, offering the nation's only undergraduate major in literary journalism, one of the few Ph.D. programs in visual studies in the nation, and the internationally recognized International Center for Writing and Translation.

Philosophy and theoretical inquiry

Humanists at UCI explore and challenge what humans think and know. Philosophy and theory help us ask questions about ourselves, what we take for granted, and the distinctions between truth, falsity and error. Philosophical and theoretical inquiry reach across disciplines to pose challenging questions to law, medicine, technology, race, sexuality, the environment, and digital information. Humanists at UCI lead these fields with a #1 ranking in literary criticism and theory and #9 ranking in epistemology, the study of knowledge and its limits.

Humanities, science, the environment, and technology

Humanists at UCI illuminate the human dimensions of science, technology and the environment. We examine the changes that the sciences and technology have brought to our species, including the ways we have imagined and represented these changes through philosophy, literature, and visual art. We apply humanistic perspectives and methods to the grand challenges of our time—from the mysteries of the brain, to the ethical dilemmas of biomedicine and biotechnologies, to the human elements of climate change and artificial and virtual worlds. UCI humanists lead with strengths in the medical humanities, environmental humanities and digital humanities.