The Humanities—History, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, and the Arts

The Bachelor of Humanities is Carleton’s Great Books program. Humanities students read the world’s most influential books and explore the world’s most exciting ideas in philosophy, literature, religion, history, art, music, and political theory. They study everything from Plato to Gandhi, from Medieval architecture to the Tao Te Ching, and from Italian Opera to contemporary film.

Tao Te Ching medea image — cover of Shakespeare's Tempest Nietzsche

For Prospective Students

Please see our Program Overview. You can also find more detailed information on our Curriculum page, Humanities Social and Cultural Life page, and our page on whether the Bachelor of Humanities is right for you.

You are encouraged to meet Humanities professors and students by attending a recruitment event or sitting in on a Humanities class.

Combine the Humanities with a Particular Discipline

The Bachelor of Humanities may be taken as an Honours degree, where most of a student’s courses will be within the Humanities program. Normally, however, Humanities students pair Humanities with another discipline, such as English or Philosophy, and receive a Combined Honours degree or a Minor in another subject.

Humanities may also be taken in two special degree streams:

For Current Students

Current students in the Bachelor of Humanities program may find degree resources on the following pages:

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Land Acknowledgement

Carleton University acknowledges the location of its campus on the traditional, unceded territories of the Algonquin Nation. The College of the Humanities also acknowledges the Kinàmàgawin Final Report and we are committed to working on responding to the Calls to Action.

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