Core

Peter Cooper believed that a practical education should offer students a means of livelihood and a sense of intellectual curiosity as well as encouraging involvement in the cultural and political life of the city and the nation. So important did he hold the education of the citizenry to be that courses in the social sciences were to be considered preeminent. The core curriculum offered by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences continues Peter Cooper's commitment to liberal learning and social awareness. Through critical examination and discussion of primary materials students develop a broad understanding of the origins of modern society and the conflicts within it. The courses encourage conversation and collaboration to engender a community of inquiry and expertise, preparing students for professional careers and for active participation in society.

Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS1-4)

All four semesters of the HSS core curriculum stress communication abilities: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The four-semester sequence of seminar classes and occasional lectures progresses from shorter writing assignments to longer independent projects and oral presentations. Faculty meetings determine and continue to renew common readings, shared topics and uniform requirements.

HSS 1: Literary Forms and Expressions
Offered in the Fall semester
A literature course concentrating on poetry and drama. Selected texts from the Renaissance are common to all sections, with works from other genres, periods, and cultures chosen by individual instructors. The course develops aesthetic appreciation of literary texts and encourages a range of critical responses. Through close reading and extended discussion students learn to articulate their responses in written and spoken form.

HSS 2: Texts and Contexts: Old Worlds and New
A study of texts and topics from 1500 to 1800, with emphasis on literary expression and cultural context. Topics include the formation of states, exploration, the encounter with the New World, the crises in religious orthodoxy, the origins of modern science, and the beginnings of political and economic individualism. This semester develops both cultural and political understanding through close reading, class discussion, and careful writing.

HSS 3: The Making of Modern Society
Offered in the Fall semester
A study of the key political, social and intellectual developments of modern Europe in global context. This course is organized chronologically, beginning with the Industrial and French Revolutions. Students develop an understanding of the political grammar and material bases of the present day by exploring the social origins of conservatism, liberalism, feminism, imperialism and totalitarianism. In discussions and in lectures students learn to study and to respond critically in written and spoken form to a variety of historical documents and secondary texts.

HSS 4: The Modern Context: Figures and Topics
A study of an important figure or topic from the modern period whose influence extends into contemporary culture. The figures and subjects are chosen from a broad range of disciplines (including literature, history, politics, technology, and art history, among others). Through concentration on a single figure or focused topic students are encouraged to develop a deep awareness of works of great significance and to understand them in the context of modernity. Guided independent writing projects and oral presentations give students an appreciation for what constitutes research in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Art History (HTA 1-3)

The three-semester sequence introduces students to the history of world art and visual culture, both Western and non-Western, spanning prehistory to the present. The material is divided into broad chronological units, with semesters one, two and three covering, respectively: Origins to the Middle Ages, Renaissance to Revolution and Modern to Contemporary. In common to the entire sequence is a focus both on the inventory of canonical works (art, architecture and artifacts) and their critical evaluation, while taking advantage of the extensive museum resources of New York City. The Art History core curriculum is designed to place artistic products and practices in a broader historical context, which includes the geo-political, social and cultural backgrounds of the art, often unique to each period and region. Lectures, class discussions and examinations call on students to learn proper chronological sequence and context. Papers and oral presentations typically involve the utilization of both primary (museum visits) and secondary (library research) materials.

HTA1: Origins to the Middle Ages
A study of the artifacts, architecture and visual culture of ancient civilizations that also assesses their continuing significance. Topics include: prehistory, ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, China, pre-Columbian Americas, Islam, the Byzantine Empire and medieval Europe. Special attention is given to cross-cultural relationships and affinities. The production, use and meaning of artifacts are considered, as well as their archaeological role as evidence for the lives, beliefs and thoughts of pre-modern peoples.

HTA2: Renaissance to Revolution
A study of Western painting, sculpture and architecture produced from the 14th through the mid-19th centuries, a body of material that constitutes the foundations of modern European and American cultures. Topics include: High Middle Ages, Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, neoclassicism and romanticism. Emphasis is placed on the artist as individual creative genius and on the political and ideological climates in which these works were commissioned, conceived and made.

HTA3: Modern to Contemporary
A study of modern and contemporary art through a survey of major movements from the early-19th century on. Topics include: romanticism, realism, impressionism, post-impressionism, symbolism, expressionism, cubism, suprematism and constructivism, dada and surealism, abstract expressionism, situationist art, pop art, minimalism, conceptualism and recent trends. With assigned readings and museum visits, the course leads students to engage critically with issues of modernism and modernity.