• About
• Admission
• Academic Programs
• News
• Events
• Support Cornish

• Program Home
• Faculty Bios
• Curriculum
• Writing Center
• Course Descriptions
• Schedule of Classes
• Summer Program

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Parents
• Alumni
• Faculty & Staff
• Friends

Humanities and Sciences

"Art is a language ... a way of examining, exploring and translating the experience of human life and the world beyond"
- Sergei P. Tschernisch, President, Cornish College of the Arts

The Humanities and Sciences Department at Cornish gives students an opportunity to explore the philosophical, literary, and historical contexts in which art takes place. It also reveals the word through physical and social sciences, and helps students develop skills, such as writing and research, that are complementary to their artistic development. The goal of the Humanities and Sciences is to provide breadth and depth of study in three broad areas: Memory, Reason, and Imagination (the three organizational categories of Thomas Jefferson’s library). In addition, the program is designed to provide all students with a general foundation of academic skills, while also allowing for a fair amount of flexibility in the curriculum. The Bachelor of Fine Arts and the Bachelor of Music degrees from Cornish are grounded in the study of civilization and culture, in the humanities and the sciences.

Students in their first year at Cornish participate in the Integrated Studies Program. In this year-long interdisciplinary course, students from all departments work in collaboration with faculty to explore selected topics and work on writing. Students take an active role in shaping the learning environment of their section and are involved with two other sections of students in various activities. These activities include field trips to local museums or communities, panel discussions, collaborative projects, and writing workshops. The Integrated Studies faculty includes members of the Humanities and Sciences Department, as well as faculty from the performing and visual art departments. By working with students and faculty from various disciplines, students have an opportunity to experience, first hand, the larger Cornish community. These interdisciplinary connections also open the door to artistic collaboration for students as they move through their years at Cornish. The Integrated Studies Program also provides students with academic skills and experience in active learning, which serve as a foundation for their future study in the Humanities and Sciences.

After the first year, students move on to take other courses of their choosing. Course offerings in the Humanities and Sciences advanced curriculum cover a wide range of topics in the areas of literature, writing, philosophy, political science, history, social science, and physical science. The flexibility of the Humanities and Sciences requirements allows students to tailor their course of study to their needs and interests.

At Cornish, there is increasing integration between the Humanities and Sciences and the work that is done in the performing and visual art departments. The Humanities and Sciences faculty serve on committees for students’ senior projects, as guest lecturers in the arts classes, and on dramaturgy panels for theatrical productions. They also collaborate with students and faculty on artistic projects. In a similar manner, faculty from the arts departments are invited to present in Humanities and Sciences classes. As Cornish moves into the future, further connections are planned between the Humanities and Sciences and the arts.