Courses & Programs

Educational offerings for scholars, students, and the public

The Western Humanities Institute offers a range of educational programs designed to advance humanistic inquiry and foster critical thinking. Our courses are taught by distinguished faculty and visiting scholars who bring expertise and innovation to the study of humanities disciplines.

Whether you are a graduate student, faculty member, or lifelong learner, our programs provide opportunities to engage with enduring questions and contemporary challenges in the humanities.

Graduate Seminars

Advanced courses for graduate students exploring specialized topics in humanities disciplines.

Summer Institutes

Intensive programs for faculty and advanced students focused on emerging approaches and methodologies.

Public Humanities

Lectures, workshops, and reading groups open to the broader community.

Digital Humanities Training

Workshops and courses on computational methods for humanities research and teaching.

Current Offerings (Spring 2025)

Ancient Texts and Contemporary Problems: A Seminar

Graduate Seminar

Instructor: Dr. Eleanor Wright

Tuesdays, 2:00-4:50 PM | Hamilton Hall 302

This seminar examines how ancient philosophical texts can illuminate contemporary ethical and political problems. Through close readings of works by Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, and Epictetus alongside modern commentaries and applications, we will explore the enduring relevance of classical thought to current debates about justice, virtue, and the good life.

The course will emphasize both historical contextualization and creative appropriation, asking how ancient wisdom can be critically engaged rather than uncritically venerated.

Requirements:
  • Weekly response papers (20%)
  • Seminar presentation (25%)
  • Research paper (40%)
  • Participation (15%)
Course Syllabus

Digital Methods for Textual Analysis

Digital Humanities

Instructor: Dr. Thomas Wright

Wednesdays, 1:00-3:50 PM | Digital Humanities Lab

This workshop introduces computational approaches to analyzing literary and historical texts. Participants will learn techniques for distant reading, topic modeling, stylometric analysis, and network visualization through hands-on projects using open-source tools.

No prior programming experience is required, but basic digital literacy is expected. The workshop will balance theoretical discussion of digital methodologies with practical training in relevant tools and techniques.

Topics Covered:
  • Text encoding and preparation
  • Computational stylistics
  • Topic modeling with MALLET
  • Network analysis of textual relationships
  • Visualization techniques for textual data
Workshop Details

Great Books Reading Group: Epic Poetry

Public Humanities

Facilitator: Dr. James Martinez

Every other Thursday, 7:00-8:30 PM | Community Room

This reading group invites community members to explore epic poetry from diverse traditions. Over the course of the semester, we will read and discuss selections from Homer's Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, Dante's Divine Comedy, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Derek Walcott's Omeros.

The group will consider both the distinctive features of each work and the continuities across the epic tradition, with attention to questions of heroism, journey, cultural identity, and poetic form.

Schedule:
  • Feb 6 & 20: Homer, Odyssey (Books 1-12)
  • Mar 6 & 20: Virgil, Aeneid (Books 1-6)
  • Apr 3 & 17: Dante, Inferno
  • May 1 & 15: Milton, Paradise Lost (Books 1-4)
  • May 29: Walcott, selections from Omeros
Register for Reading Group

2025 Summer Institute: "Humanities in a Digital Age"

Summer Institute

The Western Humanities Institute is pleased to announce our 2025 Summer Institute, a two-week program exploring the challenges and opportunities for humanities scholarship and teaching in an increasingly digital environment.

The institute will bring together faculty members from diverse institutions for a combination of seminars, workshops, and collaborative projects addressing questions of digital literacy, computational methods, media theory, and the future of humanistic inquiry.

Program Highlights:

  • Seminars on digital humanities theory and practice
  • Workshops on digital tools and methodologies
  • Guest lectures by leading digital humanists
  • Collaborative project development
  • Discussions of pedagogy and curriculum development

Dates: July 7-18, 2025

Application Deadline: March 31, 2025

Institute Details Apply Now