Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon

Signature Humanities Courses are faculty-led classes in the humanities or humanistic social sciences that offer distinctive and impactful learning experiences and “allow students to sample the best that the various humanistic disciplines and fields have to offer.” Five of these courses will be offered this autumn.

In an interview with the Maroon, Anand Venkatkrishnan, who will be teaching Philosophy and Literature in India, told students taking the courses to “be open to being surprised.”

A professor in the Divinity School, Venkatkrishnan designed the course to explore the rich literary and philosophical traditions of South Asia, spanning over 2,000 years of history. Venkatkrishnan’s favorite part of the course is “the idea of the self—is the self-something stable? Is it ever one? Is it multiple? Is it perceptible?” His course will examine how philosophical ideas are articulated in literary forms and how literature raises profound philosophical questions.

Mind, Brain, and Meaning, co-taught by Jason Bridges, Leslie Kay, and Chris Kennedy, addresses a fundamental question: “How do physical processes in the brain lead to thought and consciousness?”

“This course is open to anyone, and we don’t assume anything in advance. Come into it with an open mind, and be willing to be challenged in how you think about [the mind],” Kennedy said in an interview with the Maroon. “This is a course that can send you off in a bunch of different directions across the University. Unlike core classes, which are focused on certain areas, this can serve as a basis for going into any of them and demonstrate how they are linked together.” He is also particularly excited about weaving discussions on artificial intelligence into the course.

The other courses offered this quarter are Audience, Algorithms, and Ingenuity, which explores theatrical and digital performance with a focus on surprise as a key element; Monumental Buildings and Sculptures in the Past and Present, which examines the cultural significance of monumental architecture; and Queering the American Family Drama, which reimagines traditional family narratives through a queer lens.

Whether you are intrigued by the mysteries of the mind, the richness of South Asian literature, or the dynamics of live performance, this autumn’s selection of Signature Humanities Courses offers exciting opportunities for intellectual rigor and personal enrichment.