Engaging Humanities is a comprehensive program for incoming UCSB first year and transfer students to grow as thinkers, develop skills that will contribute to success in college and in desirable careers, and build on their desires to make a difference in the world. Engaging Humanities is supported by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Incoming first year or transfer students
Learn more about Engaging Humanities Learning Communities (20 students, 2 faculty, 10:1 student/faculty ratio) or Engaging Humanities Discovery Courses (100 students, 4 faculty and graduate fellows, 25:1 student/instructor ratio).
Faculty and graduate students
Learn more about becoming an Engaging Humanities Fellow and teaching Learning Community or Discovery Courses.
View Engaging Humanities courses offered in 2019-2020, and see frequently asked questions for more information on the initiative. You can also listen to an interview with Dr. Linda Adler-Kassner about Engaging Humanities.
Engaging Humanities for Undergraduates
In Engaging Humanities Learning Communities and Discovery Courses, students work closely with UC Santa Barbara faculty and predoctoral fellows to dig into exciting questions about what it means to be human.
Engaging Humanities Mentoring
Engaging Humanities courses are opportunities for faculty to collaboratively develop innovative curriculum, try different pedagogies, and stretch the boundaries of humanities learning and teaching. See the faculty and graduate students page for more information.
Engaging Humanities Pedagogical Institute
In the Mellon Pedagogical Institute, HFA faculty members and graduate students will be named Mellon Teaching Fellows.
"Exposure to literature, philosophy, and history will inspire young people to seek a life of richness—one that includes making creative, innovative contributions to society."
—Edmund Phelps, Nobel Laureate in Economics, Director of Columbia University's Center on Capitalism and Society
"I’m fascinated by learning from peoples’ pasts and applying those lessons to the present. It’s up [us] to start a new trend in a new country…. So much was given to me, it’s only fair to give back."
—Angélica Quirarte, UC Santa Barbara History of Public Policy Major, Policy Analyst, California Government Operations Agency
