humanities

HUMANITIES

About the Department
Humanities refers to a broad range of subjects that include — but are not limited to — architecture, journalism and mass communication, languages, literature, philosophy, ethics, and religion. Students who select a major in the humanities, therefore, study the achievements of the human spirit and mind. They work within a variety of disciplines in order to acquire a deeper understanding of themselves, civilization, and the world.

Faculty and students of the Humanities study cultural facets of human identity. They seek to know themselves as symbol-users and meaning-makers. By examining their inherited traditions, students and faculty participate in the artistic life of their community, seeking a dialogue between the intellectual wealth of the past and the expressive possibilities of the present. They seek value, especially those values embodied in literature and art. They attempt to achieve critical thought and purposeful writing; perceive beauty as makers and critics; and gain understanding of the intangible and the spiritual.

During the 1990s, Olivet College completed a comprehensive review of its educational philosophy and programs. The distinctive outcome of this review is an intentional focus on individual and social responsibility and on character as well as competence. All programs offered through the Humanities Department are committed to this vision.

Department Links

2008 Foreign Film Festival
2007 French Film Festival
2008 Sandburg-Auden-Stein Residency (Word file)
2008 Garfield Lake Review (pdf file)
2007 Garfield Lake Review (pdf file)
2006 Garfield Lake Review (pdf file)
2005 Garfield Lake Review (pdf file)
WOCR on the Web

Department Chair

Kirk Hendershott-Kraetzer
Chair, Humanities Department; Associate Professor of Humanities
khendershott@olivetcollege.edu
Conservatory 235
(269) 749-7621

(faculty bio)

Faculty Members

		Laura Barlond-Maas Associate Professor of English; Director of Writing Programs lamaas@olivetcollege.edu (269) 749-7678 (faculty bio)

		Martha Perkins Associate Professor of Humanities; Advisor for the Garfield Lake Review mperkins@olivetcollege.edu (269) 749-7114 (faculty bio)

		John Miller-Purrenhage Assistant Professor of English jpurrenhage@olivetcollege.edu (269) 749-7118 (faculty bio)

		Gary Smith Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication gsmith@olivetcollege.edu (269) 749-7693 (faculty bio)

		Joanne Williams Associate Professor of Journalism and Theatre; Director of the Journalism Program; Advisor of The Echo jwilliams@olivetcollege.edu (269) 749-6630 (faculty bio)