 Have you ever wanted to master another language? Are you interested in different cultures? Are you passionate about the arts or do you love reading and writing? If so, then a major in the arts and humanities could be a good fit for you. In general, a degree in one of the arts and humanities majors will provide you with a foundation of writing and critical thinking skills. Arts and humanities students develop these skills by criticizing and understanding the major movements and theories in their chosen area of focus. Most of the majors in the arts and humanities division have a core set of classes common to all students in that major, but also have plenty of room for major elective courses that allow you to explore the specific areas of study within your major that you find most interesting. The Division of Arts and Humanities contains the largest number of majors of the three divisions in arts and sciences, so we will discuss them in larger groups. Foreign languages, historical study, the arts, and culture and literature. The College of Arts and Sciences offers majors in several foreign languages as well as the Romance Studies major. Romance Studies allows you to focus on more than one of the Romance languages, which includes Spanish, Italian, French, Latin, Romanian, and Portuguese. The other foreign language majors offered at OSU are Ancient Greek, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Foreign language students begin by learning the fundamentals of the language itself, developing proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. After acquiring core language competence, students continue to take courses in that language that expose them to aspects of the art, literature, and culture of the people who speak it, presented in that original language. Many students who major in a foreign language choose to study abroad in a country where the language is spoken. If you have an interest in the human language faculty in general or in describing, analyzing, and comparing languages, then you might be interested in a major in linguistics, the scientific study of language. Rather than studying languages to learn them, linguists study languages in order to make and explain observations about their form, meaning, and content. Linguistics draws from and connects a wide range of academic disciplines, including anthropology, psychology, philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. The next grouping of majors we will investigate is historical study, in which students work to understand and explain the past, the relationship between the past and the present, and the implications of the past for the future. If you have a general interest in history, you have four majors to choose from at OSU. History, History of Art, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Ancient History and Classics. The history major gives students the opportunity to learn about a specific time, period, or place while exposing them to a survey of human history. This major also teaches students about historiography, how historians use primary and secondary sources to determine what took place and why. History of Art students study the historical development of the fine arts, including media such as film, architecture, sculpture, painting, and photography. Students learn about major artistic movements, important artists and works, and also how the discipline of art history itself has changed over time. The Medieval and Renaissance Studies major provides a holistic understanding of the development of Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire through the end of the 1600s, including art, music, religion, literature, and philosophy. The Ancient History and Classics major focuses more on the time period immediately preceding Medieval and Renaissance Studies, examining the development of the Greek and Roman Empires, while also teaching students about the language and culture of this time period. If you are creative and enjoy expressing yourself artistically, then a major in the arts might be a good fit for you. Majors in the arts help you develop both technical expertise in a particular art form and an understanding of the theory, philosophy, history, and context of the arts. If you want to master one of the visual or performing arts, consider a major in dance, music, or art. Dance majors learn not only about dance performance, but also about dance history, theory, choreography, and pedagogy. Music is actually a cluster of majors in the following specialization areas. Music theory, composition, history, jazz studies, and performance, including both vocal and instrumental music. Art majors can pursue a general art degree or apply for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in which they refine their skills in one of seven artistic media. Art and technology, ceramics, glass, painting and drawing, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. If you want to teach music or art, then you can pursue a music education or art education degree. With the exception of the general art degree, all of these majors have competitive portfolio-based admissions. If you're interested in one of these majors, contact your advisor to find out more about the admission process. If you consider yourself to be artistic but want to use your creativity to solve practical problems, you can apply your artistic abilities in one of the design fields. Industrial design looks at the tools and products we use and how they can be improved to meet newly identified needs. Interior design examines the layout of spaces to ensure that they are meeting the functional purpose of the space in a pleasing and logical way. Students in this major focus on commercial design which should not be confused with interior decorating or residential design. Visual communication design looks at different approaches to creating packaging, media, and graphics to communicate specific ideas and images about a product, message, or organization. The design majors are highly competitive four-year lockstep programs, so if you think you might be interested in one of them, talk to your advisor immediately. Theater and film studies are also great options for the artistically inclined. Theater students master the craft of acting while learning about theatrical production and management. The film studies major concentrates on cinema as an international social practice. Students complete core courses in basic film analysis, history, theory, pre-1950s multicultural and experimental traditions, develop a focus area and consultation with an advisor, and complete an intensive senior seminar. This major can also give students a basic understanding of the process for creating a film through a special focus area on production. It's important to note that overall, the major does not have a film production emphasis, but is focused more on critical analysis of film. If you want to combine a love for the arts with general business principles, then a major in arts management might be of interest to you. Arts management looks at the place arts have in our society and how the arts are promoted through nonprofit and community organizations. Arts management graduates have a foundation in both business and public policy, skills needed to successfully manage an arts-based organization. The final theme area within arts and humanities is culture and literature. All of the majors within this category have a strong emphasis on critical reading, writing, and analytical skills. Students who enjoy reading, writing, and analyzing works of literature have many majors to choose from. The English major provides students the opportunity to survey major works of literature written in English, understand the social context of those written works, and become familiar with critical theory. Students in the English major can also learn about creating works of literature, including creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. English majors choose a specialization from among four tracks, literature, pop culture, and film, professional writing, rhetoric, and literacy, creative fiction, non-fiction, and poetry writing, and folklore studies. If you are interested in the literature of the Greek and Roman period, then a major in classics could be a good fit for you. Classics majors can choose to focus on ancient Greek and or Latin and take courses in classical literature, culture, and history. The world literature's major is designed for students who are interested in both literature and globalization. In this major, students explore a wide range of literary texts and English translation produced across the major geopolitical regions of the world — Africa, East and South Asia and the Pacific Islands, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. If you're interested in the study of ideas and the quest for truth and meaning, you may find a good fit in the philosophy major. Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, and the major also includes courses in the history of philosophical thought. Philosophy students focus on a particular area within philosophy, such as morality and ethics, philosophy of law, philosophy of the mind, and metaphysics. If you are interested in studying culture more broadly, then you should look into the focus areas within the comparative studies major. Comparative literature focuses on the study of literature from different cultures, nations, and genres and explores relationships between literature and other forms of cultural expression. Comparative cultural studies draws on social and aesthetic theory to understand how social identities, actions, and desires are produced and practiced in everyday life. Comparative ethnic and American studies examines the cultures of the Americas and the relationship between American culture and issues like sexuality, race, and gender. Folklore focuses on how cultural ideas are expressed and passed on through everyday life, examining topics such as fashion, gestures, and language. Finally, science and technology studies examines the many relationships between science, technology, and culture, including how attitudes about technology have changed over time, as well as how scientific and technological developments have changed the way culture is produced and consumed. Outside of comparative studies, students can also choose to study a specific population through the African American and African studies, Islamic studies, Jewish studies, religious studies, sexuality studies, or women's gender and sexuality studies majors. Each of these programs studies the history, culture, literature, and collective experience of the peoples in question, as well as their interaction with other communities. In any arts and humanities major, you will develop significant critical thinking and analytical skills. And many of these majors also heavily emphasize the development of writing and communication skills. Students in these majors can pursue careers in professional, technical, or creative writing, editing, graphic design, marketing, teaching, journalism, business, and administration, to name a few. The College of Arts and Sciences Career Services Office, FutureLink, provides arts and sciences majors with career development advice and connects them to internships and job opportunities. If you're interested in any of these majors, the general education is a terrific way to explore one or more of them while still keeping your doors open. The history, literature, visual and performing arts, and cultures and ideas GE categories include a number of courses directly applicable to exploring arts and humanities majors. You can find more detailed recommendations using the freshman GE guide and the courses to explore majors guide available at go.osu.edu slash love your classes. For more information about arts and humanities majors or to declare a major or pre-major, call 614-292-6961 or stop by the Arts and Sciences Advising Office in 100 Denny Hall. As always, you're welcome to meet with any advisor in university exploration if you have follow-up questions. You can schedule an appointment by calling 614-292-0646 or by stopping by our office in 352 Denny Hall.