Center for Humanities Approach

What makes the Center for Humanities unique?

At the Center for the Humanities, we interrogate the relationship between humanistic inquiry and artistic, ethical, and political issues in the contemporary world. We foster an awareness of the importance of the humanities for a more informed understanding of our own and other cultures.

The Center for the Humanities hosts the annual MUSE Humanities+ Conference. At this day-long event, undergraduate scholars from all over the Midwest come together to share their research and creative work and learn about career opportunities in the humanities.

Students can use the space at the Center for the Humanities to extend what they learn in the classroom. Whether it be a small group discussion, a workshop, a film screen, or a party to celebrate a new student publication, the Center for the Humanities is a hub of creativity, intellectual inquiry, and community engagement.

What opportunities are there for students?

At IWU, humanities students take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world. Our students have had internships at the Hans Christian Andersen Center in Odense, Denmark, Sourcebooks Publishing in Naperville, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, WGLT Radio, and the Immigration Project. Our humanities students go on to graduate school, law school, and business school at Cornell, the University of Chicago, Cambridge University, and many other excellent institutions.

Where can the humanities take you?

The humanities disciplines prepare students for a lifetime of critical thinking, creativity, and engaged citizenship. Students who graduate with degrees in humanities disciplines work in all professions and fields, including law, education, editing and publishing, marketing and advertising, journalism, politics, museum curation, and librarianship.

The study of Philosophy, English, Languages, and History prepare students to:

Imagine ethical solutions to the world’s most pressing problems
Read, write, and appreciate the complexities of literature from a range of periods and styles
Communicate across cultures with clarity, empathy, and awareness
Consider the relevance of the past as we address problems in our current moment

Alumni in the Humanities

Studying the humanities has introduced me to a world of perspectives. This foundation has prepared me to engage thoughtfully with questions of how the law and morality intersect. My study of English and Philosophy has enabled me to effectively study the law’s application on an international scale.

- Celina El Ghossaini ‘26

Graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

My humanities education asked me every day to become a student of the world and of the diverse identities within it. It challenged me to consider the perspectives and stories of others, whether they are across the table, aisle, or globe. Now, because of that education, I can challenge and inspire my students with those same questions.

- Tyler Engel ‘26

English teacher, Olympia High School

The humanities awakened a passion in me that I cannot fully comprehend, and I would choose that feeling over and over again. The humanities gave me purpose, initiative, and the drive to create these opportunities for me and for others. They took me to a place I never imagined and handed me keys to doors I’ve yet to open. So yes, I choose to feel what I cannot understand, to live a life I feel deeply, a life I can’t wait to wake up to.