Bachelor of Arts

Humanities

The humanities are about people, culture, and ideas. This program is for students who want to study the disciplines of English, history, philosophy, Bible, and theology in conversation with each other to better understand our human experience.

Choose a concentration in either English, history, or philosophy while studying broadly across the other two disciplines and core biblical and theological courses

Along the way, you will learn to read thoughtfully, write skillfully, and think carefully—skills that will serve you well wherever you go next.

Briercrest’s BA Humanities is provincially authorized as a university-level degree, making it a perfect first step to a career or to graduate studies.



Rebekah Fehr ('18)

History, philosophy, and literature are important lenses through which we come to see the complexity and beauty of the world we live in. My studies have set me on a lifelong journey of learning. God has used them to change the way I see the world.

  • Overview
  • Requirements

The humanities are about people, culture, and ideas. The BA Humanities ensures that students are initiated into the rich cultural legacy we share as human beings. Since a BA Humanities is interdisciplinary and multicultural, students learn not only about their place in this heritage, but also how they can relate to others who may not share it.

The BA Humanities offers a significant biblical and theological basis from which to engage this legacy as well as an opportunity to undertake significant study in English, History, and Philosophy.

The professors have good reasons to believe that if students thrive in this program, they will indirectly develop competencies that enable them to live well and succeed in their professions, whatever those might be. What employer would not be interested in graduates who communicate clearly, think precisely and imaginatively, learn continuously, adapt easily, and work productively with others?

Education can be a source of permanent delight. Why settle for anything less? We believe that if students learn to love what is good and pursue it wholeheartedly, they will find themselves with characteristics, motivations, and ways of living that enable them to serve well in contemporary society.

This program is offered with the written authorization of the Minister of Advanced Education effective July 1, 2013. This authorization was provided after the program underwent a quality assurance review and was found to meet the standards established by the Minister. Prospective students are responsible for satisfying themselves that the program and the degree will be appropriate to their needs.

Outcomes

Graduates of the BA Humanities will be able to:

  • Interpret societal issues with concepts drawn from several humanities disciplines.
  • Demonstrate the intellectual virtues of humility, delight, responsiveness, and respect in relation to a diversity of texts and people.
  • Articulate a mature understanding of the historical and intellectual heritage of western culture and its relationship with majority world contexts.
Saskatchewan Higher Education Quality Assurance
The program is offered with the written authorization of the Minister of Advanced Education effective July 1, 2013. This authorization was provided after the program proposal underwent a quality assurance review and was found to meet the standards established by the Minister. Prospective students are responsible for satisfying themselves that the program and the degree will be appropriate to their needs.

The BA Humanities requires 63 credit hours of disciplinary study, largely in English, History, and Philosophy, complemented by courses that present a distinctly interdisciplinary methodology. In addition, this degree requires 3 credit hours of cognate requirements in the fine arts. Like most Briercrest programs, the BA Humanities requires a minimum of 39 credit hours of 300+ course work within the context of a 120 credit hour degree.

Credit Hours: 120

Major Requirements (66 credit hours + 3 credit hours of cognate requirements):

I. Required Courses (30 credit hours)
ENG 100 Literature and Composition I
ENG 101 Literature and Composition II
HIS 237 History of Christianity I
HIS 238 History of Christianity II
PHI 100 Introduction to Philosophy I
PHI 101 Introduction to Philosophy II
CLS 201 Literature of Greece and Rome
IDST 200 Interdisciplinary Studies: Modernity and Postmodernity
IDST 400 Advanced Studies in Christian World Views
HUM 490 Senior Humanities Seminar

II. Area of Concentration (18 credit hours)
Students must take 18 credit hours (including at least 6 credit hours at the 300+ level and 3 credit hours at the 400+ level) in either English, History, or Philosophy.

III. Breadth Requirements (18 credit hours)
In the two remaining Humanities disciplines, students must meet the following requirements:
English: 9 credit hours, including 6 credit hours at the 300+ level;
History: 9 credit hours, including 6 credit hours at the 300+ level;
Philosophy: 9 credit hours, including 6 credit hours at the 300+ level.

IV. Cognate Requirements (3 credit hours)
Students are required to take 3 credit hours of cognate courses in fine arts selected from:
FIN 110 Introduction to Fine Arts
FIN/MUS 216 History of Western Music I

V. Free Electives (to bring credit hour total to 120 credit hours)

PRT 400 Senior Portfolio (non-credit)
SL 1-6 Service and Experiential Learning (non-credit)

In addition, all Bachelor of Arts degrees require the completion of Briercrest's core curriculum.

Faculty

Brenda Beckman-Long
Brenda Beckman-Long PhD
Associate Professor of English
Rhoda Cairns
Rhoda Cairns PhD
Assistant Professor of English Literature
Darren E. Dahl
Darren E. Dahl  PhD
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Joy Demoskoff
Joy Demoskoff PhD
Associate Professor of History
Alan M. Guenther
Alan M. Guenther PhD
Assistant Professor of History
David Miller
David Miller PhD
Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism
Chance Pahl
Chance Pahl PhD
Assistant Professor of English
Grant Poettcker
Grant Poettcker PhD
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Matthew Zantingh
Matthew Zantingh PhD
Associate Professor of English
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Your Future

 
Possible Careers
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Potential Graduate Programs
  • MA Humanities
  • MA Anthropology
  • MA Anthropology
  • MA Interdisciplinary Humanities
  • MA History
  • MA English
  • MSc Interdisciplinary Studies

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