Experience the Humanities at Rice

The School of Humanities faculty are fiercely committed to critical engagement and rigorous analysis of the world’s most pressing problems past, present and future. Our classrooms are small, personal and dynamic, and many of our faculty are leading scholars in their fields and passionate and innovative teachers.

The humanities curriculum is vibrant, featuring courses in history, philosophy, English, religion, art history, modern and classical literatures and cultures, art, theatre, and transnational Asian studies that are the heart of humanities inquiry.

Our interdisciplinary minors bring disciplines together to offer the critical humanities training that is in rising demand in the medical, scientific and engineering professions. Focal points include history; ethics and values; social justice and social inequality; race, ethnicity and religion; the arts, literature and creative writing; and global citizenships and cultures, among others. Minors in Medical Humanities (pre-med/pre-health); Politics, Law and Social Thought (pre-law); Environmental Studies; African and African American Studies; Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities; and Museums and Cultural Heritage encompass research and internship opportunities in medicine and public health; in law, government and nonprofits; in the sectors of energy and environmental change; in public policy, educational and social justice projects; in the fields of the art; theatre; and in museums, memorials and public history projects.