Take your interest in the stories, beliefs, and schools of thought that influence modern society to the next level at Fontbonne. Whether you intend to pursue graduate studies, serve the public good, conduct ethical research or work in any number of professions, you will find faculty and students eager to engage with you in discussion, debate and examination.
The Humanities Department is concerned with the human experience, past and present. From the foundations of Western civilization to the social movements that have remade our country, to the sacred texts of world religions, we study the ways that thought, faith, law and culture have shaped the world. Yet at Fontbonne, we focus on how these traditions affect the way we live today — and will live in the future.
Our faculty are engaged in applying these core principles and beliefs to contemporary issues, and you will have an opportunity to work with them as part of your program. Dr. Brian Matz, our endowed chair in Catholic thought, explores the contemporary debate about healthcare and other social issues through the lens of theology. Dr. Corinne Mason, chair and professor of American studies, has offered a course on the crisis in Ferguson, bringing together threads in American and African-American history, and another on the border crisis between the United States and Mexico to shed light on contemporary social problems. Department Chair Dr. Jack Luzkow has partnered with others at Fontbonne to join his interest in European history and the Holocaust to work with local Bosnian genocide survivors. Dr. Lisa Oliverio teaches science fiction alongside the American classics. Our global studies students have worked directly with refugees resettling in our community. Our major in Communication, Culture, and Change, led by Dr. Heather Norton, goes beyond theories of communication to learn how people have used communication to make concrete change.
In our department halls, you’ll often hear our faculty and students wrestling with issues like these, among ourselves and in interdisciplinary collaboration with peers in other departments. In addition, we work with partners throughout the Saint Louis region — at the Missouri History Museum, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Welcome Neighbor STL, and various law firms and religious institutions, to mention just a few — to ground our intellectual pursuits in the public sphere.
Our department also houses minor programs in African-American studies, American Culture Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies in addition to minor programs in the traditional fields. Our newest minor, Medical Humanities, supports future healthcare providers—and current and future patients—to consider what health and illness mean in the broadest cultural and historical senses.
By providing solid grounding in literary studies, global studies, professional writing, communication and social change, history and history for secondary English and English for secondary education, courses in each major develop the skills and perspective that enable you to adapt to change and devise creative solutions to new problems. We also offer internship opportunities and a variety of extracurricular activities to ensure you receive all the benefits of a well rounded liberal arts education.
Your critical awareness of the world and adeptness in oral and written communications provides a lasting basis for professional success and a fulfilling life. At Fontbonne, we are dedicated to that belief and to helping you achieve your goals with this foundation.
You will be prepared for success with the ability to investigate, research and debate fundamentally important issues, deeply held beliefs and historic events that impact the world in which we live. Our students in pre-law, global studies, religious studies, history, women’s and gender studies, American studies, African-American studies, medical humanities, and philosophy are more than traditionalists. They are questioners, interpreters and creative intellectuals who are informed by tradition but engaged with today.
Dynamic classes, a growing number of majors, and the long-term success of our alumni demonstrate the relevance of our programs to a diverse and changing society. Fontbonne students who have majored in English or communication studies have pursued careers in law, advertising, public relations, teaching, business, politics, and journalism.
