You are about to embark on a yearlong course that is the gateway to the Honors experience. This page will help you get started by explaining the basic course organization and by giving you some tips on how to use this site. For a fancier introduction to the course, see our Mission Statement.

Lecture and Discussion

The Human Situation is a six hour course in the Fall, with time split evenly between a 3 hour plenary lecture course (Mon-Wed-Fri, 11am-12pm Alpha, 12-1pm Omega) and a weekly discussion section which meets two or three times, depending on your schedule. You will receive two separate grades for these segments, and the details on how the grades are calculated will be in the syllabus handed out in class.

The professors will team-teach the lecture section, and you will be exposed to different styles, disciplines, and approaches over the term.  One of these professors will also lead your discussion section. Another of these professors will administer your oral examination.

Alpha and Omega

All Hum Sit professors and students are divided into two teams: Alpha and Omega.The course organization, grading, and policies are the same for both teams, but the syllabi will be different.  However, there are always some texts in common (such as Homer's Iliad this year) and the fall focus is always on Antiquity, drawing from Hebrew, Greek, Latin, early Christian and Islamic texts. The team organization continues into the spring, though the focus will be on Modernity.

Please note the following locations for your plenary lecture class (Mon-Wed-Fri)

Alpha: Melcher Hall 170    11-11:50 am        

Omega: Cemo Hall 100D  12-12:50pm

Please note that it is very important to use the correct editions and translations as assigned. This is a reading intensive course, and you will want to have the right page references for discussion and paper writing.

The book lists are already available to you on this site: Alpha booklist, Omega booklist.

This Site

This site not only supports the course, but also serves as a gateway to the Honors Community.  You will find a Survival Kit, which includes study aids, writing resources, tips from faculty and students, and information on the oral final examination. The Policies and Notices page will orient you to the rules and guidelines followed in the course. The Schedule and Events page will inform you about lecture and examination schedules, but also about events tied to the course in some way.

Lastly, you can learn more about the faculty at the Faculty Roundhouse, a clearing house of information and embarrassing photographs of your profs!