Humanities: Culture, Text, and Language in World Societies

Explore the history, society, culture, literature, and languages of people in the United States and around the world.

How do culture, society, and history shape what people do, think, make, and believe? How do people in the United States and around the world shape their cultures and societies? How do humans create webs of meaning to make sense of the world through language, philosophy, literature, music, art, and community? 

In programs on this Path, you’ll learn to examine societies through the lenses of the humanities, the social sciences, and the arts. You can learn a new language, study abroad, dive deep into literary traditions, and much more.

Learn your way

This Path covers many disciplines that you can mix and match to fit what you’re most passionate about. Most programs will cover more than one of these subjects at a time. 

On this Path, you can study:

  • American studies
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Art history
  • Classical studies
  • Cultural studies
  • Environmental humanities
  • Ethnic studies 
  • Gender and sexuality studies
  • History
  • Languages
  • Literature
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Poetry and poetics
  • Religion
  • Sociology
  • Theater

Read, watch, and listen

You’ll learn to interpret literature, philosophy, visual art, historical documents, music, and popular media to become a more critical and creative person in your day-to-day life.

Dig deep into context

You’ll study the historical, environmental, and political contexts for how societies operate and how people resist oppression, particularly in regard to race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.

Become more culturally competent

You’ll learn about cultures around the world through sociology, anthropology, and the arts to explore how social patterns and artistic practices create meaning in our daily lives.

Learn a language

You can learn different languages to explore how societies communicate around the world and add a new dimension to your own voice.

Highlights of this Path

Flexible learning 

This Path has a good mix of daytime, evening, and weekend programs at different credit levels so you can learn around your schedule. 

An interdisciplinary experience

Programs on this Path often include more than one subject at a time. You’ll learn different approaches to the same topic, letting you make connections you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. 

Chart your future

Because you’ll gain advanced research, writing, communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills, studying the humanities is great preparation for almost any career. Learning to view the world in a critical and creative way will help you determine what success means for you and how you can achieve it. 

Students studying in programs on this Path have gone on to successful careers as journalists, lawyers, teachers, researchers, performing artists, and more.

Languages 

Learning a language at Evergreen is a comprehensive and inspiring experience. In addition to learning the language itself, you’ll explore the history and culture behind it. 

You’ll also have lots of interdisciplinary, hands-on experiences that will bring it all to life. Many of these programs include a study abroad option.

You can learn: 

  • Chinese
  • French
  • Irish
  • Japanese
  • Latin
  • Spanish

Study abroad

The study abroad options on this Path are world-class learning opportunities. Travel with a tight-knit community of fellow students and your faculty to explore the cultures and history of people around the world. 

Programs on this Path have traveled to: 

  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Mexico
  • Mongolia
  • Nicaragua
  • Spain
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam

Internships and independent learning contracts

Faculty on this Path are passionate about helping you study what you’re most interested in. Sometimes that means letting you take your learning outside the classroom for an experience such as an internship at a museum or volunteering with a community organization.

With an ILC, you’ll get space to work independently on a project you’re passionate about. This could be writing a piece of music, studying the remains of an ancient city, doing research in an archive, or traveling to study a cultural practice. 

You can also get connected with a local organization like a historical society or production company and gain career skills while earning credit. Flexibility and support for your learning is what it’s all about.

Capstone projects

You’ll have the support and freedom to dive deep into a topic and pursue what you’re most passionate about. With the guidance of faculty, you’ll get to do your own scholarly research and learn what it takes to complete ambitious projects that will look great in your portfolio.

Daniel J. Evans Library and the Writing Center

Whatever your research or writing project, a friendly librarian can help you gain the research skills to track down what you’re looking for. With a rare books room, access to streaming services, and connections with other libraries, everything you need will be in reach. 

Whether you’re working on academic, creative, or personal writing, peer tutors at the Writing Center can help you develop your craft from brainstorming to proofreading. 

This Path can prepare you for careers in

  • Diplomacy
  • Education
  • Entrepreneurship
  • History
  • International studies
  • Journalism
  • Law
  • Performing arts and humanities
  • Politics
  • Social sciences

Graduate school opportunities beyond this Path

  • Master of Arts in:
    • History
    • Literature
    • Philosophy
    • Classics
    • American Studies
  • Master of Fine Arts in:
    • Music
    • Writing
    • Theater
    • Dance
    • Media
  • Professional degrees in:
    • Humanities
    • Social sciences
    • Education
    • Library sciences
    • Performing arts
  • Master in Teaching
Faculty on this Path
Title Expertise
Alexandria, Catherine (Jehrin) Dance, ballet, movement therapy
Balaram, Arita Psychology, critical race and feminist studies, community-engaged methods
Beck, Stephen Philosophy
Benson-Quaziena, Marcella Human and organizational systems
Blakeslee, Steve English, writing, literature
Buchman, Andrew Music composition
Crowley, Lin Media and Chinese studies
Davis, Stacey European history
Diamant, Hirsh Visual arts, Chinese studies, human development
Eamon, Kathleen Aesthetics and philosophy, critical theory, psychoanalysis
Elliott, Marla performance, voice, community studies
Featherly, Lynarra Creative writing, philosophy, critical theory
Flores, Hugo Spanish language
Gullickson, Andrea Music
Hardy, Tara
Hastings, Rachel Linguistics, mathematics
Hendricks, Steven Book arts, literature, creative writing
Hurst, Mark Psychology
Katsanis, Vuslat Writing, comparative literature, film and visual culture
Koppelman, Nancy American studies
Krotscheck, Ulrike Classics, archaeology
Mellis, Miranda Fiction, nonfiction, and contemporary literature
Proctor, Bradley U.S. history, African American history, American studies
Reece, Andrew Classical art and literature
Rognas, Liza American history, information resources and library science
Rogol, Ethan Spanish Language
Sandoz, Joli Academic and creative nonfiction writing, community studies, analog game design
Simons, Suzanne poetry and literary arts, community studies/Middle East studies, journalism
Stein, Eric Cultural anthropology
Towles, Stokley performance art, public art, urban systems
Tsultrim, Jamyang Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies, East-West psychology, philosophy of consciousness
Williams, Sarah Feminist Theory, Cultural Studies
Williams, Sean Ethnomusicology
Catalog Offerings for 2022-23
Title Paths Class Standing Credits
A Question of Character: Psychology and Performance
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Advanced Studies in Music and Humanities
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Ancient Greek I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Ancient Greek II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Antisemitism Revisited: Post-Pandemic Hands-On Learning
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
2
Antisemitism Revisited: Post-Pandemic Hands-On Learning
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
2
Beautiful Ideas: The Art and Science of Music and Biology
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Capstone in Humanities
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Chinese - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Chinese - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Chinese - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Community Mental Health and Art in Social Contexts
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Comparative Literature and World Cinema: Reading Globalectically
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Creative Piano Keyboard Skills: Post-Pandemic Hands-On Learning
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
2
Creative Writing: Playing with Words and Worlds
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
14
Electronics in Music: Projects
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Fables, Fairy Tales, and Other True Stories
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Forest, Farm, Shellfish Garden: Experiential Learning
  • Freshman
8, 14, 16
French - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - Second Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - Second Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - Second Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
From the Ground Up: Natural History Writing and Experiential Learning
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Gender and Sexuality History: 1800-Today
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Gender History: Ancient and Medieval Europe
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
14
Gender History: Europe and America, 1650-1850
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
14
Greece and Italy: An Artistic and Literary Odyssey
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Ireland in History and Memory
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Japanese - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - Second Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - Second Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - Second Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Literary Arts: Capstone
  • Junior
  • Senior
12, 16
Marx's Capital: Capital, Crypto-, and the Mystery of Money
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
12, 16
Moving Towards Health: Psychological and Social Determinants of Well-Being
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
14
Poetry New York
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Psychology and Popular Music
  • Freshman
14
Reimagining the Body: Psychology, Art, and Health
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Ruins: Archaeology, Ethnography, and History
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Spanish - Accelerated Second Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
6
Spanish - Accelerated Second Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
6
Spanish - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Spanish - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Spanish - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
The Animal Anthropocene: The Psychology of Animals and Our Changing Environments
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
The Spanish-Speaking World: Cultural Crossings
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Travel, Health, Food, Business, Culture
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Undergraduate Research with Eirik Steinhoff
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Undergraduate Research with Eirik Steinhoff
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Unmasking the Material World: Constructing Narratives in Archaeology and Creative Writing
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Virtual Tourism
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Washington State Legislative Internships
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
What Think You of Falling in Love? Writing, Literature, Storytelling, and Cultural Perspectives on Love
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8, 12
Writing Resilience
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Writing Visual Culture: the Image in Cultural and Critical Theory
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8, 16
Writing, Communication, and Leadership for the Common Good: Creating Change
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8, 12
Catalog Offerings for 2023-24
Title Paths Class Standing Credits
Advanced Studies in Music and Humanities
  • Junior
  • Senior
4, 16
After the End: G. W. F. Hegel and the Ends of Art, History, and Knowledge
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
America to 2025: Expressive Culture, History, and Identity
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Chinese - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Chinese - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Chinese - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Core Ballet
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
2
Electronics in Music: Projects
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Epic Journeys from Homer to Milton
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
12
French - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - Second Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - Second Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
French - Second Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Heaven and Earth: Myth, Religion, and Archaeology in Ancient Greece
  • Freshman
14
Humanities Capstone: Advanced Work in the Arts and Humanities
  • Senior
16
Japanese - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - Second Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - Second Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Japanese - Second Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Land-Based Learning: Foodways
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Literary Arts and Studies Capstone
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Music in Myth and Literature
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
On Reading Well
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Paris Muse: Evoking Place in Literature, History and Music
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Power from the Margins: History and Culture of Two mid-20th Century Revolutionary Movements
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Reimagining the Body
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Self and Story: Studies in Psychology, Literature, and Writing
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Seminar on the Poetics and Politics of Space: Reading Kojin Karatani & Gaston Bachelard
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Spanish - First Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Spanish - First Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Spanish - First Year III
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Spanish - Second Year I
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Spanish - Second Year II
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Spanish: Conversacion y Composicion
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
Student-Originated Studies: Music
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Student-Originated Studies: Poetics
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Stylistic Choices: Reading the Works of Melville and Morrison
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
The Journey: Art of Pilgrimage in Writing, Literature, and Life
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8, 12
The Truth and Life of Myth
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Time Past: Earth Processes and Human History
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Troy: City of Memory and Song
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
12
Virtual Tourism
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8
Writing, Literature, and Storytelling to Change the World
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
8, 12

Programs planned 2021 – 25

Exploratory

  • Dangerous Reading
  • In Sickness and in Health
  • People/Power in the U.S., 1800 – 2020

Intermediate (includes study abroad or other travel)

  • America to 2025
  • The French Program: History, Literature, Language and Culture
  • Greece and Italy: An Artistic and Literary Odyssey
  • Ireland in History and Memory
  • The Spanish-Speaking World: Cultural Crossings

Other intermediate programs

  • Russian Language and Culture
  • Reproduction: Gender, Race and Power
  • When You Wish Upon an Archetype: Psychology, Folklore, and Creativity in Disney Animated Films

Advanced

  • Advanced Writing: Capstone in Literary Arts and the Humanities
  • Capstone in the Humanities
  • Student Originated Studies: Music

Fields of Study related to this Path