Humanities sequence will no longer require applications

The Humanistic Studies Program will no longer require prospective freshmen students to apply to the intensive year-long Humanities Sequence.

Students, including non-freshmen, can instead reserve a spot by emailing Lin DeTitta,the program manager for Humanistic Studies and Journalism.

The Humanities Sequence is a year-long sequence of courses that is designed to represent an interdisciplinary approach to examining Western literature from antiquity to the 20thcentury.

Originally, the emphasis on faculty-led precepts forced limits on the number of students who could enroll, saidKathleen Crown,executive director of the Council of the Humanities.

The program has evolved over time in regard to the number of faculty and students involved with the program, she added.

“There is nothing in the origins of the sequence to indicate that the HUMSequence should be limited to a select group," Crown said. "The goal was to reach as many students withdiverse disciplinary interestsas possible and bring them together.”

Kelly Rafey ’16, an alumna of the Humanities Sequence, said the decision to move away from an application would ultimately allow more people to take the class.

“On another level, having the application is a clear indicator that course requires a bit more than a standard course, due to the incredible work load,” she said.

Rafey said her experience with the Humanities Sequenceinspired her to take Latin, to be able to read texts in their original language and continue to learn additional languages. She said the Humanities Sequenceaided in her decision to independently concentrate in linguistics.

Both Luke Gamble ’18 and Robert Marshall ’18, who are currently in the program, said the application process was fairly easy and short. The application itself consisted of a prompt to write a one-page analysis on a book of their choosing.

The faculty-led precepts are one of the defining aspects of the Humanities Sequence, Gamble said, adding that professors have always been open and inviting to interact with students.

“It seemed foolish to go through the motions of a selective process when it was becoming clear that we should trust to know whether they have the intellectual ambition and motivation to join this special community of scholars,” Crown said.

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Tess Bissell ’17 took part in the full sequence her freshman year. As a student who was not accepted to the sequence at first, Bissell said she was motivated to participate in the course because it offered her a liberal arts foundation.

Bissell said the application itself was not very robust but rather designed to ensure students know what they are getting into.

“Students have already self-selected," Bissell said. "People have thought long and hard about why they are taking this class even before filling out the application.”

The Humanities Sequencewas the biggest reason Marshallcame to Princeton, he said.

Julia Herrle, a prospective freshman who was admitted to the class of 2019, said she believedthe community of scholars found within the Humanities Sequencewould extend learning into social life. If she chooses to attend Princeton, the HUM sequence would factor into her decision, she said.

Jamal Johnson ’16, another alumnus of the Humanities Sequence, said he participated in the Humanities Sequencebecause of the exposure, community and his desire to read.

“I felt that [the Humanities Sequence] was a critical component of the Princeton experience,” he said.

Johnson said the exposure he received in the Humanities Sequencewas something he could not have gained from any other experience at the University. He said he can appreciate the sentiment of extending this opportunity and allowing larger numbers to take advantage of it.

"We are committed to finding the resources to allow as many students as possible to enroll,while continuing to have the faculty lead small, high-quality precepts,"Crown said.