Public Humanities: History and Philosophy
Bachelor of Arts Major & Minor
Curious about the big questions—and how the past helps us answer them? In our Public Humanities program, you’ll explore both history and philosophy to better understand the world we live in today. You’ll investigate how people have thought about life, justice, identity, and truth across time—and learn how those ideas still shape our world.
This major is all about connecting deep thinking with real-world impact. You’ll work closely with others in an open, creative, and challenging environment, using what you learn to engage with communities, spark conversations, and make a difference. Whether it’s through writing, speaking, creating digital content, or organizing events, you’ll gain the tools to bring important ideas to a wider audience.
If you’re passionate about ideas, care about the world around you, and want to be part of thoughtful change, this is the program for you.
Why study Public Humanities at Warren Wilson?
- Career Ready: You’ll gain experience-based skills in research, argumentation, and public relations—training essential to the pursuit of the common good and highly valued in a range of professions including law, policy-making, advocacy, nonprofit, and public leadership.
- Create Change: Before you graduate, you will have opportunities to work in the greater community to not only build your resume but create real change around you.
Every student will complete community-engaged coursework, an internship, and original research as part of their major
A Sample of Our Partnerships
- ArtSpace Charter School
- Pisgah Legal Services
- Punch Bucket Lit
- Inclusive Development International
Concentrations in History or Philosophy
After covering the basics of both, you will have the opportunity to concentrate in either History or Philosophy. This allows you to deep-dive into a primary area of interest while maintaining a strong foundation in both disciplines.
- If you choose to concentrate in History, you can expect to delve into both the local and global past, with a particular focus on people of the global majority and how the U.S. interacts with the world.
- Should you choose the Philosophy track instead, you’ll explore a wide range of philosophical interests, with the most emphasis placed on modern through contemporary thought in the Western tradition.
Our aim is to give you the tools for a well-examined life, fruitful career, and success in graduate studies.
See how Public Humanities students put our education into action
Internship
Taylor Smith worked with local non-profit Pisgah Legal. The information they pulled was then used to help clients figure out what steps they need to take to restore their driver’s licenses and what criminal history is eligible for expunction/removal. This work helped clients get jobs, secure housing, and so forth, without judgment and subsequent discrimination.
Community Engagement
As part of their pre-Capstone course, Trevor Nail developed and led a Big Questions Club at Artspace Charter School, meeting with 8th graders twice a week to discuss big questions such as “What makes a good friend?, “What is ‘fair’”? “When is it okay to break the rules?”
Study Abroad
In the Poets & Dictators Study Away Course in Berlin, students undertook an in-depth study of the intersection of culture and politics. They then spent two weeks in Germany touring museums, monuments, and cultural centers, meeting with artists and activists who bring this rich history to life along the way.
Work
You can work on any crew as a student but many Public Humanities majors choose to be on crews such as:
- Inside Out
- The Echo Newspaper
- Writing Studio
Senior Capstone
In her Capstone project, “Intellectual Property and Art: Why We Want to Own our Ideas and Why it Matters,” Hannah Ellison (she/her) examined existing property laws as they relate to creative practice.
Popular Courses
Environmental Ethics
The focus of this course is to encourage you to develop an understanding of the relationship between humans and the non-human entities of the natural world. Explore the major Western approaches to environmental ethics and the central issues of the ethical status of plants and animals, and the meaning of sustainability.
Philosophy of Art
Analyze and philosophically evaluate problems in art appreciation, art criticism, and theories of art. You’ll focus on understanding art in the context of concurrent artistic endeavor or experience. A substantial part of the course includes diverse perspectives in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation.
Propaganda
Examine the history, concept, and use of propaganda for political purposes. Focusing on historical topics ranging from Nazi propaganda to contemporary forms of propaganda, this course aims at a deeper understanding of what propaganda is, how it is used, and how it relates to similar forms of political influence and disinformation.
Jay Miller, Ph.D.
Research Interests
- Philosophy of Art
- Social and Political Philosophy
- European Philosophy
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.”
Sally Fischer, Ph.D.
Research Interests
- Existentialism & Phenomenology
- Feminist Philosophy & Gender Theory
- Contemporary Continental Philosophy
“I love the inquisitiveness of the students at Wilson – it makes fun work of our investigations and discussions of philosophical texts.”
Todd May, Ph.D.
Research Interests
- Ethics and Ethical Issues
- Values in Life
- Political Philosophy
“Teaching the open, inquisitive, and reflective students on the mountain-nestled campus of Warren Wilson is a joy like no other.”
“Jay Miller, my advisor, encouraged me to present papers at conferences and these experiences have of course impacted me. I ended up presenting twice at UNCA’s undergraduate philosophy conference, once at UNCC’s philosophy conference, and once at a Black Mountain College Studies conference. In hindsight, these were helpful in that I was able to dip my feet in the water of academic philosophy beyond just writing final papers for classes. Academic writing is often worked and re-worked for years, and those experiences were my first small exposure to the kind of work required.”
Sam Morkal-Williams
(he/him)
PhD student in the Philosophy Department at Bowling Green State University
Major, Minor, Concentration, Crews
- Philosophy Major
- Crews: Locksmithing, Philosophy Research Assistant, Cycling
Where Our Public Humanities Graduates Go
- George Washington University
- New York University
- American Society of Foresters
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte
- The New School
