Arts and Humanities | SLU Digital Viewbook

A major in the arts and humanities at Saint Louis University will give you the knowledge, skills and flexibility you’ll need to not only be successful, but to transform our world for the better.

Explore the nature of human creativity, learn about the world’s social and institutional structures, and see them through new perspectives.

Professors across SLU are nationally recognized teachers, practitioners, researchers and mentors, so no matter what you decide to study, your academic experience will be rigorous and collaborative.

Majors to consider

Personalize your degree

Your major is only part of what makes your academic experience unique. Minors let you explore an interest or add expertise that can make you more attractive to future employers.

At SLU, you can choose from more than 100 undergraduate minors, so there’s something to fit just about any academic interest you have. To view a sampling of the unique courses we offer, be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page!

Explore Minors

Get Experience in Real-World Settings

No matter what you choose to study at SLU, you’ll have opportunities to take what you’re learning in the classroom and apply it in a real-world setting. For example:

Showcase Your Talents

Display your work at the McNamee Gallery, which hosts exhibitions of art by SLU students and faculty from the Fine and Performing Arts Department.
Set the Stage

Design costumes or sets for productions at SLU’s U Theatre, or take to the stage in productions four times a year.
Take an Inside Look at History

Participate in internships at the Missouri History Museum.
Find Your Political Voice

Work on political campaigns in St. Louis and Washington, D.C.
Blend Past and Present

Explore the impact of technology on historical studies at SLU’s Center for Digital Humanities or decipher medieval manuscripts in SLU’s Vatican Film Library.
Help New Neighbors

Help immigrants and refugees adapt to life in St. Louis though work at the International Institute.

Learn by Doing

SLU prepares you for post-graduation success with opportunities to apply what you're learning to real-world settings.

Research Isn't just for STEM Majors

Our students travel to Ireland to study the connection between the Celtic Church and environmentalism and Belize to find solutions for an epidemic of high school dropouts. They explore the role health care and criminal justice institutions play in prescription drug abuse. And each summer, they cross the Mississippi River to the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site to be part of one of the world’s largest archaeological explorations of a prehistoric native civilization.

Looking for an extra challenge?

You may be interested in SLU’s Honors Program. A fit for any major, the University Honors Program offers honors-only courses and smaller, seminar-style classes. In addition to selective internships, independent research projects and study abroad semesters, the program also offers grants for students who want to pursue scholarly research or creative practice projects with the support of a faculty member.

Explore Your resources

SLU is full of resources to help you grow and reach your goals. From academic advising and career planning services to student organizations, clubs and fraternities, SLU’s got you covered.

Many first-year arts and humanities students also join one of SLU’s Learning Communities. Learning Communities offer a way for students with shared academic goals and interests to live on the same residence hall floors, take classes together and learn from guest speakers and field trips.

Scholars Programs

At SLU, you don’t have to wait until you finish your bachelor’s degree to start pursuing your career goals. Our scholars programs help you find a clear path to post-graduation success. Thinking about going to law school someday? In SLU’s Pre-Law Scholars program, students who maintain the program’s requirements are guaranteed admission to SLU’s highly regarded School of Law, home of the No. 1 health law program in the country.

Join the Club!

SLU makes it easy to form connections with other arts and humanities students.

Anthropology Club
Pi Delta Phi French National Honors Society
German Club
Italian Club
- Model United Nations
- Philosophy Club
- SLU TV
- Society of African American Studies
- Theology Club
- Urban Planning Association
- UNA, the Feminist Voice at SLU
- University News
- University Theatre
More

The arts at SLU

Communication Media Lab: From filming to finishing, produce media projects using the latest technology.
University Theatre: U Theatre is home to student productions each year. Student productions also take place in Grand Center Arts District venues, including the Grandel and Kranzberg Arts Center.
Vatican Film Library: The largest collection of its kind outside of Italy, the library houses microfilms of more than 38,000 manuscripts from the Vatican Library in Rome.
SLUMA: Among other treasures, the Saint Louis University Museum of Art contains artifacts of the earliest Jesuit missions to the New World.
Walter J. Ong, S.J., Center for Digital Humanities: This resource advances scholarship in the humanities by finding solutions to questions arising from the unique character of the digital environment.
SLU Ensembles: Join the University Chorale, Mastersingers and Billiken Pep Band, as well as the string orchestra, concert band, jazz ensemble, piano ensemble and string quartets.

Campus tech

SLU’s 8,500-square-foot digital media center gives you access to the latest technology, such as a green screen and audio equipment for interviewing and creating sound clips. Plus, the new Academic Technology Commons in Pius XII Memorial Library offers 3D printers, 360-cameras, recording studios, video editing and creation software, along with Idea Labs collaboration spaces.

Already thinking about graduate school?

In addition to programs at the prestigious Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Law, SLU offers more than 100 graduate programs to choose from, with many ranked in the nation’s top 50 in their disciplines. Many of our graduates also go on to pursue graduate degrees, medical degrees or law degrees at top-ranked institutions.

Explore programs >

We’ve Got Unique Courses

Explore

Hollywood and History: Storytelling through History and Film

Through the use of storytelling from both history and film, explore the wide diversity of narratives in American culture. Movies and field trips connect the topics to local events and historical sites.

Madonnas, Witches, Rebels: Women and Gender

Explore the work of female Italian writers, thinkers, filmmakers and artists through the lens of gender and feminist theory. Study women’s changing roles and experiences in Italian history, as well as class, ethnic and racial differences among Italian women.

Spirituals, Motown and Hip Hop: African American Social History and Music

The history and evolution of African-American music is rich and complex. Explore music genres within historical time frames to fully understand the origins, growth and development of black music and the experiences of African Americans.

Jewelry and Metalsmithing

Explore the basic techniques of traditional and non-traditional metalsmithing. The course includes reviews of current and historical jewelry concepts. Take part in demonstrations, critiques, projects and concept development.

The New Flamenco Experience

Traditional Spanish dance with a contemporary flair. Learn rumbas, tangos and bulerias, and then show them off at modern flamenco clubs around Madrid, Spain. The perfect choice for a student interested in mastering Spanish dance in only one semester.

Irish Cinema

Focus on how Irish film engages with and complicates familiar Irish cultural issues, including nationalism and postcoloniality; the Catholic / Protestant divide; gender and sexuality; nostalgia and landscape; exile and emigration. In addition to exploring modern Irish history and culture, students study Irish cinema in terms of genre and aesthetics.

Superheroes and Social Justice

Comics allow for a suspension of disbelief that renders philosophical thought experiments about morality not only accessible but riveting. Examine some of the best and most pertinent morality plays the medium has to offer as you learn the fundamentals of bioethics and explore the practical implications for modern health care ethics.

Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll: Morality Politics in the United States

Morality politics is defined as the legal sanction of right and wrong. Examine the historical foundations of legislating morality in the United States, including the prohibition of alcohol, the war on drugs, capital punishment and same-sex marriage.

Soviet Agents/Spies on Screen: Filming Espionage in the East and West

Explore ways in which Soviet and post-Soviet directors examined Russia’s history of espionage in connection with Russia’s extensive secret police network by comparing their works with those of their Western counterparts in an effort to explore political and cultural dimensions to the portrayal of espionage on screen.

Archaeology

Get an introduction to archeology as a subfield of anthropology, as well as the scientific methods and procedures, tools and techniques used by archaeologists to investigate, reconstruct, interpret, preserve and learn from artifacts, features and ecofacts.

Psychology and the Soul

Consider the intersection between psychology and theological conceptions of the "soul" and "self." Gain the critical means by which to think about the relationship between psychology and religious beliefs and experiences.

A Post-Human Future? The Ethics of Technology

Technological advances are changing the way we understand human nature. This course provides the forum for asking if this is a change for the better. Identify and understand key issues in the development and use of technology.

Latin American Business

Focus on the cultural, historical, economic, social, political and business environments in Latin America and on the activities of multinational corporations therein.

Asian Business

Become acquainted with Asia’s basic business environments, styles and practices of Asian management and the implications of the Asian business environment. Get practical knowledge of the complexity of the business environments of the region and incorporate the analytical skills and strategic thinking into the reality of the Asian markets.

Talent Management

Explore human resource planning, recruitment policies and practices at all organizational levels, including pre-employment selections, interviewing and testing techniques and tools, appraisals and development of employee resources, internal personnel administration and equal employment opportunity affirmative action programs.

Astrodynamics

Explore space environment and two-body problem and get an introduction to orbit mechanics, rigid body dynamics, satellite dynamics, rocket performance and re-entry dynamics.

The Air Force Today

Designed to introduce you to the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, this course explores the mission and organization of the Air Force, officership and professionalism, military customs and courtesies and other skills.

Airport Planning

Become acquainted with the basic concepts of airport planning and construction, as well as investigation of various community characteristics and resources.

Aviation Weather

This course will provide the fundamentals of meteorological theory with a specific application to aviation and flight. Appropriate weather services that are available to the pilot will be covered.

Spanish Civil Architectural Infrastructure: Ancient and Modern

This study of civil engineering, architectural and construction practices within the Spanish civilization is focused on interrelationships between humans and structures such as aqueducts, canals, dams, bridges and highways. Includes a two-week field trip in the Spanish countryside.

Foundations in Traditional European Cuisine

Get an introduction to the cuisine of Europe with an emphasis on classical French cuisine and the theories, techniques, recipes and formulas for cooking developed principally by Chef August Escoffier. Learn about the production of stocks, sauces, soups and various entrees, along with traditional cooking techniques and knife skills, in hands-on labs.

Human Growth and Development through the Lifespan

Explore the basic theories and principles of development, influences on the developing person, and norms of development from birth through old age, including physical, mental, emotional, social and moral-spiritual characteristics.

Criminology: The Nature of Crime

Begin to understand the nature of crime by exploring theories of why criminals offend, considering both individual and contextual level factors that contribute to or facilitate propensities toward criminal behaviors.

Education of the Exceptional Individual

Study the concept of exceptionality and specifically address the implications of atypical educational development. Explore alternative instructional strategies, educational decision-making, special education resources, inclusive programming, and related issues.

Children’s Literature and Media

Examine a wide variety of literature and media created for children, considering genres, how children’s literature and media is used to develop literacy, notable authors and illustrators, and ways to critically analyze literature and media from diverse perspectives.

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