Chair: Richard E. Wener

MISSION STATEMENTThe Department of Humanities and SocialSciences is an interdisciplinary departmentthat focuses on critical engagement withtechnology through research and teaching.This mission is fulfilled in part by our degree programs, such as undergraduateprograms in digital media, technical communications, science and technologystudies, sustainable urban environments,and liberal studies, and graduate programsin digital media, Specialized Journalism, History of Science and technology and environment-behavior studies. The Depart-ment of Humanities and Social Sciences isalso responsible for the Polytechnic core cur-riculum, including writing, communica-tions, and general education requirementsof engineering programs, designed to giveour students a breadth of knowledge andperspective necessary for careers in technol-ogy and the sciences.

DEGREES OFFEREDBachelor of Science• Integrated Digital Media• Liberal Studies (Concentrations in

Philosophy, Literature, Psychology, History and History of Science)

• Science and Technology Studies• Sustainable Urban Environments• Technical Communication

Accelerated BS/MS Program• Technical Communication/

Specialized Journalism• Liberal Studies/Psychology,

Organizational Behavior

The Department of Humanities and SocialSciences offers BS/MS honors programs forexceptional first-year students and advancedundergraduates. Through these unique pro-grams, students can earn both a Bachelor ofScience and a Master of Science in Techni-cal Communication/Specialized Journalismor a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studieswith a Concentration in Psychology and aMaster of Science in Organizational Behavior in just four to five years.

The accelerated programs allow studentsto take up to 9 credits that fulfill both un-dergraduate and graduate degree require-ments. In addition, credit may be granted

for high school advanced placement courseswhere a student earns a 4 or 5 on the APtest. Students accepted into the programmay also earn up to 18 credits through oneor more undergraduate and graduate in-ternship opportunities.

All candidates for the program mustpass an entrance examination administeredby the department and be interviewed by aprogram adviser. Once enrolled in the pro-gram, students are expected to maintain a3.0 GPA.

Graduate CertificateAwarded for successful completion of a 15credit sequence at the graduate level. Stu-dents must take two core courses, and threeelectives.

• Environment–Behavior Studies• History of Science and Technology• Integrated Digital Media• Technical Communication

(also available online)

Master of Science• Environment-Behavior Studies• History of Science• Integrated Digital Media• Specialized Journalism

MINORS A 15-credit sequence, approved by the de-partment, in any one of the subjects listedbelow:

• AH Art History• AN Anthropology• DM Digital Media• EC Economics• EN English/Literature• HI History• LW Law and Technology• MU Music• PO Political Science• PS Psychology• SO Sociology• TC Technical Communication/

Specialized Journalism

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIRED COURSESAll humanities and social science coursesused to fulfill the graduation requirementare organized according to principles of

breadth and depth into three categories:1. Level I Basic Courses required of all

students2. Level II Elective Courses3. Level III Elective Courses

To fulfill the general education requirement,students must complete the following:• Three basic courses (EN 1014 / EN

1034, EN 1204 and HI 2104, taken inorder)

• Two Level II Elective Courses• One Level III Elective Course cognate

with at least one Level II Course (i.e.,which has a Level II Elective Course as aprerequisite)

Courses that carry the following prefixesmay be used to fulfill the general humani-ties/social science requirements:

AH Art HistoryAN AnthropologyEC EconomicsEN English/LiteratureHI HistoryMU MusicPL Philosophy PO Political SciencePS PsychologySO Sociology

Courses that carry the following prefixesmay NOT be used to fulfill the general hu-manities/social science requirements:

DM Digital MediaLA Liberal ArtsLW Law TC Technical Communications

ELECTIVESAll of our courses may be taken as free elec-tives, as provided for in a student’s BS orMS degree program, subject to prerequisitesfor advanced courses. DM and TC coursesmay also be used to fulfill a “technical elec-tive” requirement. Consult your home de-partment’s academic adviser for details.

DEPAR TMENT OF HUMAN IT I ES AND SOC IAL SC IENCES

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RESEARCH CENTERSCENTER FOR HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE STUDIESThe center was established to encouragediscussion among philosophers, engineers,computer scientists and other practitionersfrom the scientific and technological pro-fessions on the ethical, political and generalcultural connotations of contemporarytechnological activity, as well as straightfor-ward research in the traditional philosoph-ical questions concerning technology. Thecenter also fosters various types of interdis-ciplinary education.

By bringing the humanities, communi-cations and social science disciplines closertogether and reaching out to other aca-demic departments in the University, thecenter helps facilitate the exploration of in-tellectual common ground.

INTEGRATED DIGITAL MEDIA INSTITUTE

The Integrated Digital Media Institute hasbeen established to set up and support cre-ative partnerships:• Between our students and faculty• Between Polytechnic University and

leading individuals, organizations, andenterprises in electronic media

• Between the most advanced thinkers andpractitioners in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and communicationstechnologies

FACULTYPROFESSORSMyles W. Jackson, Dibner Family Professorof History of Science and TechnologyPh.D., Cambridge UniversityHistory of science and technology

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORSJonathan Bain, Assistant Professor ofPhilosophy of SciencePhD, University of PittsburghQuantum theory, philosophy of space andtime

Teresa Feroli, Assistant Professor of EnglishPhD, Cornell UniversityRenaissance literature, Shakespeare, women’sstudies

Jean Gallagher, Associate Professor ofEnglishPhD, City University of New York Graduate CenterFeminist theory, 19th- and 20th-centuryAmerican literature, composition and rhetoric

Sylvia Kasey Marks, Associate Professorof EnglishPhD, Princeton UniversityShakespeare, Samuel Richardson, the 18th-and 19th-century British novel, publicspeaking, expository writing

Francis David Mulcahy, Associate Professor of AnthropologyPhD, University of MassachusettsLanguage and culture of China and Spain

Lowell L. Scheiner, Associate Professor ofHumanities and CommunicationsMS, Columbia University GraduateSchool of JournalismMA, Columbia UniversityTechnical writing, journalism

Jonathan Soffer, Associate Professor ofHistoryPhD, Columbia UniversityJD, University of DenverTwentieth-century American political andforeign relations history, urban history witha specialization in the history of New YorkCity since 1945

Romualdas Sviedrys, Associate Professorof History of TechnologyPhD, Johns Hopkins UniversityTechnology forecasting and technology assess-ment, history of technology and science

Richard E. Wener, Associate Professor of Environmental Psychology, Head ofDepartment of Humanities and SocialSciencesPhD, University of Illinois at ChicagoEnvironmental psychology

ASSISTANT PROFESSORSNancy H. Kwak, Assistant Professor ofHistoryPhD, Columbia UniversityUrban history

Tara Pauliny, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and CompositionPhD, Ohio State UniversityRhetoric and composition

Carl Skelton, Assitant Professor of DigitalMedia, Director of Integrated DigitalMedia InstituteMVA, University of Alberta (Canada)Digital media

INDUSTRY FACULTYJerry MacArthur Hultin, Industry Professor of Law, Management and PublicPolicy; President of Polytechnic UniversityJD, Yale UniversityInnovation management, global develop-ment, modern university education, technol-ogy policy

Noel N. Kriftcher, Industry Professor ofHumanities, Executive Director of DavidPackard Center for Technology and Educational AlliancesEdD, Hofstra UniversityTeacher development in math and science

Ann Lubrano, Industry Associate Professorof Sociology, Associate Director of Othmer Institute for InterdisciplinaryStudies, Director of Honors CollegePhD, City University of New YorkTechnology and social change, organizations

Harold P. Sjursen, Industry Professor ofPhilosophyPhD, New School UniversityHistory of philosophy, ethics, philosophy ofscience and technology

LECTURERSDonald S. Phillips, Lecturer of PsychologyBS, Polytechnic UniversityExperimental and physiological psychology,physical anthropology, paleontology

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D E PA R T M E N T O F H U M A N I T I E S A N D S O C I A L S C I E N C E S

INSTRUCTORSAlph Edwards, Instructor of EnglishMA, Hunter CollegeDevelopmental writing

Alan Goldstein, Instructor of EnglishBA, University of DenverEnglish as a second language

Sadrul A. Khan, Instructor of HistoryPhD, Ludwig Maximillian University(Germany)World history, Asian history, political science

Christopher LesliePhD, City University of New York Graduate CenterEnglish, technical ommunications, mediastudies

James P. Lewis, Instructor of PsychologyMA, Stony Brook UniversityHumanistic psychology

Elisa Linsky, Instructor of TechnicalCommunicationsBA, Wittenberg UniversityTechnical writing, technical presentations,writing across the curriculum

Alan M. Nadler, Instructor of EnglishMFA, Columbia UniversityContemporary poetry, the European novel

Meredith Schuman, Instructor of EnglishMFA, Brooklyn College

ADJUNCT FACULTYKenseth ArmsteadBFA Corcoran School of Art, WhitneyMuseum of American Art (IndependentStudy Program)MS Polytechnic University

Mary Ann BenedettoMS, Polytechnic University

Asya Blue, Adjunct Instructor of Techni-cal and Professional CommunicationBFA, Parsons School of Design

Keith BuninMA, Columbia University

Joshua GoldbergMPS, New York University

Erin HayesMA, City University of New York

John KlimaMS, Polytechnic University

Michael LadermanDMA, Stony Brook University

Frank MeolaB.A., Columbia University

David MermelsteinPhD, Columbia University

Andrew MillerBA, Columbia University

Naomi NemtzowMFA, American University

Michael SchumacherDMA, Juilliard School

Daniel VatskyMS, Polytechnic University

James WallerMA, Columbia University

Shannon WelchMFA, University of Iowa

FACULTY EMERITUSLester BumasJohn G. CavannaWolhee ChoeDuane DeVriesAnne EisenbergMarvin GettlemanHelmut GruberLouis MenasheDavid MermelsteinBernard RechtschaffenThomas B. Settle

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