At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The Keystone Certificate for Integrative Humanities includes two foundational courses and two additional courses in a student’s area of interest. Students will take two foundational courses (HUM 101 and HUM 102) where they will engage with transformative texts from the humanities and gain a foundation for understanding how their college and professional careers will benefit from the core skills and knowledge taught in the humanities. Students will take an additional two courses in one certificate pathway. Pathways and connected courses will be designated by each participating campus.
At the heart of many current problems and their solutions are the core skills and knowledge students learn in the humanities, from critical and analytic engagements with human values, worldviews, and culture, to abilities of self-expression. A grounding in the humanities provided in this certificate will help students understand how issues of intersectionality, history, interculturalism, global perspectives, democratic and ethical decision making, and many other areas fundamental to a humanities education will make them better citizens at work and in their local, national, and global communities, regardless of college major.
The certificate prepares students for the high-tech global economy that demands agile and flexible thinkers and actors who will amplify the specialized knowledge of their majors with a deeper, broader, and more complex understanding of how their disciplinary majors and future careers impact, or are impacted by, humanity.
What is the Keystone Certificate for Integrative Humanities?
The Keystone Certificate is a 12-credit certificate program focused on core skills and knowledge in the humanities (for example: critical and analytical thinking; interpersonal and cultural competencies; and effective oral and written communication). Students take two gateway courses (HUM 101 and HUM 102) and two elective courses from a specified pathway to complete the certificate. The program is designed so that most students will able to earn the certificate without having to take additional courses outside of their general education requirements.
You Might Like This Program If...
You are looking for a certificate in the core skills and knowledge that are highly sought after by employers and in advanced degree programs. It is especially useful for students in non-humanities majors in STEM and Business. In a competitive job market, setting yourself apart from other graduates is important. The certificate gives students an edge over other graduates because they will be able to talk about the intersections between their career and humanity, especially how what they produce impacts humanity and how the tendencies of humans should impact decisions related to innovation and creativity. In addition, they can talk about going into depth theoretically and having more practice that others in the core skills and knowledge most in-demand by employers (e.g., oral and written communication, collaborative skills, technological literacy, having a global perspective, ethics, leadership, problem-solving, critical thinking, and an understanding of the importance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging philosophically as well as to the "bottom line").
If you start the certificate early enough, you can easily complete it as part of your general education requirements.
Program Requirements
To earn an undergraduate certificate in Keystone Certificate for Integrative Humanities, a minimum of 12 credits is required.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| HUM 101 | Transformative Texts Part 1: Foundational Knowledge  | 3 |
| HUM 102 | Transformative Texts Part 2: Contemporary Issues & Practical Perspectives | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Black Freedom Struggles | ||
| African American Women | ||
| Racism and Sexism | ||
| Introduction to African American Studies | ||
| Race, Gender and Sport | ||
| The Popular Arts in America: The History of Hip-Hop | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| The Life and Thought of Malcolm X | ||
| Jazz and the African American Experience | ||
| Freedom's First Generation: African American Life and Work, from the Civil War to World War II | ||
| Critical Approaches to Hip-Hop | ||
| The American Nation: Historical Perspectives | ||
| Introduction to American Studies | ||
| American Masculinities | ||
| Women and the American Experience | ||
| The Mass Media and Society | ||
| Religion in American Life and Thought | ||
| America in the 1960s: An Introduction | ||
| Technology and Society in American History | ||
| Introduction to Asian American Studies | ||
| Chinese in America, Americans in China | ||
| Critical Approaches to Hip-Hop | ||
| World Archaeology | ||
| Cultural Diversity: A Global Perspective | ||
| Anthropology and Art/ifacts | ||
| Introduction to Language, Culture, and Social Interaction | ||
| Multilingual Lives: Stories of Language and Culture Learning | ||
| Language and Social Justice | ||
| Introduction to Visual Studies | ||
| Intersections Between Art and Psychology | ||
| LGBTQ+ Identity, Culture and The Arts | ||
| First-Year Seminar in Art History | ||
| Introduction to Art | ||
| Pictures and Power | ||
| Ancient to Medieval Art | ||
| Ancient to Medieval Art | ||
| Renaissance to Modern Art | ||
| Renaissance to Modern Art | ||
| Asian Art and Architecture | ||
| Islamic Architecture and Art | ||
| Intersections between Art History and the History of Psychology | ||
| The Comic Book: A History of Sequential Art | ||
| American Art and Society | ||
| Art Since 1940 | ||
| Introduction to the Religions of the East | ||
| What is Asia? | ||
| Introduction to Hinduism | ||
| Introduction to Buddhism | ||
| Asian Traditions of Health, Medicine, and the Body | ||
| Asian Trade: Economy, Industrialization and Capitalism in Asia | ||
| Safe and Sound: The Intersection of Criminal Justice and Public Health | ||
| Bioethics | ||
| Health, Illness, and the Human Condition | ||
| Genetics and Evolution of the Human Species | ||
| Climate Change: Biological Impacts | ||
| What it means to be human | ||
| Greek Civilization | ||
| Hebrew Bible: Old Testament | ||
| Introduction to Human Communication | ||
| Communicating Care | ||
| What is Information? | ||
| Persuasion and Propaganda | ||
| Introduction to Managing Conflict and Bargaining | ||
| Landmark Speeches on Democracy and Dissent | ||
| Foundations: Civic and Community Engagement | ||
| Identity, Citizenship, and the Rhetoric of American Horror Film | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Communicating Gender | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Political Communication and Technology | ||
| Methods of Rhetorical Criticism | ||
| Organizational Communication | ||
| Conflict Resolution and Negotiation | ||
| Organizational Communication Theory and Research | ||
| Health Communication Theory and Research | ||
| Introduction to African Literatures | ||
| Introduction to Asian Literatures | ||
| World Literatures | ||
| The Hero in World Literature | ||
| The Holocaust in Film and Literature | ||
| International Cultures: Film and Literature | ||
| From Beast Books to Resurrecting Dinosaurs | ||
| Video Game Lit Studies | ||
| Critical Media Literacy | ||
| Media and Democracy | ||
| Introduction to Media Effects | ||
| American Journalism: Values, Traditions, and Practices | ||
| Mental Illness and the Movies | ||
| Gaming and Interactive Media | ||
| Gender, Diversity and the Media | ||
| Visual Representations of the Middle East in the US and Middle East | ||
| Social Justice and the Image | ||
| Digital Cultures | ||
| Basic Video/Filmmaking | ||
| Film History and Theory | ||
| Introduction to Multimedia Production | ||
| Cinema and Globalization | ||
| Introduction to Media & Politics | ||
| Organized Crime in Film and Society | ||
| History of the FBI | ||
| Critical Race Theory in the Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Introduction to Digital Humanities | ||
| Earth in the Future: Predicting Climate Change and Its Impacts Over the Next Century | ||
| Climate, Energy and Our Future | ||
| Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society | ||
| Water: Science and Society | ||
| Scientific Controversies and Public Debate | ||
| The Great Traditions in English Literature | ||
| Australian/New Zealand Cultural Perspectives | ||
| The Bible as Literature | ||
| American Popular Culture and Folklife | ||
| Arts of Love | ||
| Difference in Early Literature | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Reading Popular Texts | ||
| Alternative Voices in American Literature | ||
| Contemporary Literature | ||
| Science in Literature | ||
| Everyday Rhetoric | ||
| The Pursuit of Happiness in American Life: Historical Literature and Modern Practice | ||
| Work and Literature | ||
| Exploring the Literature of Food: Current Trends in American Food Writing and Environmentalism | ||
| Literature and the Natural World | ||
| Literature and Empire | ||
| Literature and Empire | ||
| The Cold War in Literature, Politics, and History | ||
| The Short Story | ||
| World Novel | ||
| Science Fiction | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| The Music of the Beatles and American Popular Culture | ||
| Introduction to Writing Studies | ||
| Introduction to General Nonfiction Writing | ||
| Sexuality and Modern Visual Culture | ||
| Latina and Latino Border Theories | ||
| Introduction to Queer Theory | ||
| Introduction to Disability Studies in the Humanities | ||
| Digital Studies | ||
| Chemistry and Literature | ||
| Inequality: Economics, Philosophy, Literature | ||
| Introduction to LGBTQ Studies | ||
| Design for Global Society | ||
| Visions of Nature | ||
| Paris: Anatomy of a Global City | ||
| France and the French-speaking World | ||
| The Art and Science of Virtual Worlds | ||
| Apocalyptic Geographies: How can we prevent the end of the world? | ||
| Environment and Society in a Changing World | ||
| Globalization | ||
| Global Pathways | ||
| Art and Science of Human Flourishing | ||
| Western Civilization I | ||
| Western Civilization II | ||
| Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations | ||
| World History to 1500 | ||
| World History since 1500 | ||
| History of Pennsylvania | ||
| American Civilization to 1877 | ||
| American Civilization Since 1877 | ||
| Introduction to U.S. Environmental History | ||
| Introduction to Global Environmental History | ||
| Introduction to U.S. Food History | ||
| Introduction to Public History | ||
| Historical Perspectives on HealthCare Innovations | ||
| Family and Gender Roles in Modern History | ||
| Women in United States History | ||
| History of Modern Europe since 1789 | ||
| History of the Holocaust 1933-1945 | ||
| History of Western Medicine | ||
| Introduction to U.S. Latina/o History | ||
| History of Fascism and Nazism | ||
| The World at War: 1939-1945 | ||
| Native American History | ||
| Vietnam in War and Peace | ||
| Latin-American History Since 1820 | ||
| Introduction to the Middle East | ||
| Early African History | ||
| Modern African History | ||
| Witches and Witchcraft from the Middle Ages to the Present | ||
| Foundations in the Humanities: Understanding the Human Experience | ||
| World Mythologies in the Arts | ||
| The Arts | ||
| Reception of the Arts | ||
| Performing Arts | ||
| The Popular Arts in America: Mass Media Arts | ||
| The Dramatic Arts in the Mass Media | ||
| The Popular Arts in America: Popular Music | ||
| The Popular Arts in America: The History of Rock and Roll-The 1950s | ||
| Introducing the Beatles | ||
| Critical Approaches to Hip-Hop | ||
| Information, People and Technology | ||
| Invasion of Technology from a 21st Century Perspective | ||
| Italian Culture and Civilization | ||
| The Historical, Cultural, and Social Dynamics of Sport | ||
| College, Work, and Citizenship in the 21st Century | ||
| Children's Picture Books as Multimodal Texts | ||
| Introduction to Latina/o Studies | ||
| Spanish and Spanish-speakers in the U.S. | ||
| History and Weather: How Weather Played an Instrumental Role in Great World Events | ||
| Ethics of Climate Change | ||
| Film Music | ||
| An Introduction to Western Music | ||
| Evolution of Jazz | ||
| Introduction to World Musics | ||
| The Big Questions | ||
| Ethical Life | ||
| The Human Condition | ||
| Asian Philosophy | ||
| Race, Racism, and Diversity | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Nature and Environment | ||
| Love and Sex | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Ethical Leadership | ||
| Media Ethics | ||
| Ethics and the Design of Technology | ||
| Happiness and Well-Being | ||
| Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies | ||
| Introduction to Disability Culture | ||
| Introduction to World Religions | ||
| Comparative Religion | ||
| Buddhism and US Society | ||
| Introduction to Islam | ||
| Art in the Natural World | ||
| Plants, Places, and People | ||
| History of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology | ||
| Race, Ethnicity and Culture | ||
| The Science of Sustainable Development | ||
| Performance and Society | ||
| Introduction to Theatre | ||
| Critical Theory for Performance | ||
| Workshop: Theatre in Diverse Cultures | ||
| Introduction to Women's Studies | ||
| Sexualities, Gender and Power: Feminist Thought and Politics | ||
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
Berks
E. Michele Ramsey
Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Franco 132
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6148
emr10@psu.edu
Cheryl L. Nicholas
Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Franco 136
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6168
cnic@psu.edu
Abington
Friederike Baer
Division Head, Arts and Humanities; Associate Professor, History
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001
215-881-7593
fbaer@psu.edu
Erie
Matthew Levy
Associate Professor of Art History
Kochel 126
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6078
mll33@psu.edu
Harrisburg
Adam Gustafson
Associate Teaching Professor of Music; Program Chair, Bachelor of Arts in Humanities; Program Coordinator, Minor in Music Studies; Multidisciplinary Studies
Olmsted Building, W355
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6675
arg18@psu.edu
Lehigh Valley
Margaret Christian
Professor of English
2809 Saucon Valley Road
Center Valley, PA 18034
610-285-5106
mrc1@psu.edu
Career Paths
The core knowledge and skills students will learn through the Keystone Certificate are essential viable in all a variety of professional contexts as well as within advanced degree programs. Students will understand how issues of intersectionality, history, interculturalism, global perspectives, democratic and ethical decision making, and many other areas covered in the humanities. This knowledge will make them better and more effective citizens at work and in their local, national, and global communities.
The Keystone Certificate is offered at several Penn State campuses, and each campus offers unique career/educational pathways. Sample pathways include: 1) Science & Technology; 2) Environment & Sustainability; 3) Healthcare & Medicine; 4) Management & Organizations; 5) Conflict & Justice; and 6) Culture & Globalization.
Professional Resources
Contact
Berks
DIVISION OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Franco Building
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6148 or 610-396-6168
emr10@psu.edu or cnic@psu.edu
https://berks.psu.edu/academics/keystone-certificate
Abington
DIVISION OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001
215-881-7593
fbaer@psu.edu
Erie
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
170 Irvin Kochel Center
4951 College Drive
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6108
HSSOffice@psu.edu
https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-humanities-social-sciences
Harrisburg
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES
Olmsted Building, W355
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6675
arg18@psu.edu
Lehigh Valley
2809 Saucon Valley Road
Center Valley, PA 18034
610-285-5106
mrc1@psu.edu