Welcome from the School Director
Welcome to the School of Humanities! We are not a single place or department, but a group of extraordinary people teaching vital skills for careers and life after college. These people – our humanities faculty – teach courses in American Studies, studio art, art history, communications, English, foreign languages, history, Jewish studies, philosophy, media and film studies, music, museum studies, philosophy, religious studies, theatre, women’s studies, and writing.
The skills we teach are central to your education at Penn State. Some of these abilities are fundamental to learning in college - the abilities to write clearly and persuasively, to read and understand complex texts, to listen and communicate effectively, to solve problems creatively, and to connect domains of knowledge. Other skills we teach are central to the careers we are training students to pursue:
- Documentary film making
- Broadcasting and mass media production
- Historical research and writing
- Public relations strategies
- Creative, journalistic, and technical writing
- Working with artificial intelligence
- Effective teaching methods
After you learn these skills, you can begin internships that will give you practice in a professional setting as you network and plan your career. We also offer graduate programs at the master’s level in communications and American Studies. And our nationally-recognized doctoral program in American Studies guides students toward careers in higher education and beyond.
Please do look at our website. Along with finding information on our programs and faculty, you will see notices of cultural events, lectures, and musical or theatrical performances. Creativity, communications savvy, community engagement - you will find these qualities here, as you prepare for a rewarding career.
John Haddad, Ph.D.
Interim Director, School of Humanities