Humanities Scholars program

English alumna Tiffany Chan
For her capstone English project, Tiffany Chan trained a bot to write like a 19th-century author.

Through small classes taught by award-winning Humanities faculty, the Scholars program offers exceptional students a clear path of discovery that leads to success through unique learning opportunities, hands-on experiences, and direct mentorship.

Our scholars gain transferable critical thinking and leadership skills that are essential for life in the 21st century by learning from the Faculty’s top instructors and working closely with world-class researchers on cutting-edge research projects.

“The breadth of research in the Humanities the program introduced me to has been so inspiring. After my placement with the Map of Early Modern London during my first year, I was offered the opportunity to continue working on the project. I’ve now been working there for two years. An opportunity like this can be pretty life changing!"
— Third-year Humanities Scholar student Maya Linsley

2024/2025 Courses

HUMA 180: Examining Humanities Research (Fall 2024)
Taught by Adrienne Williams Boyarin

Being human is complicated. The Humanities are concerned with questions about what it means to be human, and research is the systematic inquiry into these questions. Through guest lectures and discussion of the disciplines represented by the Faculty of Humanities, this seminar explores the nature, issues, and methods of contemporary research in the Humanities. The course introduces outstanding first-year Humanities students to leading current research and researchers from across the Faculty. Students engage first-hand with humanities projects, in the form of a practicum. By conducting their own investigation within the Faculty, they also examine the themes that unite Humanities research across disciplines and fields of humanistic inquiry.

HUMA 480: Sharing Humanities Research (Spring 2025)
Taught by literary theorist Stephen Ross

Work directly with a faculty mentor to plan and run an undergraduate student research conference. Learn how to communicate research effectively to both academic and public audiences. Share original research through podcasts, social media, newspapers and other public-facing platforms.

Eligibility

This program is by admission only. Students entering their first year of study with an average of 90% or higher are invited to apply starting March 1 each year. The application period will remain open until spaces are full.

Current Humanities students with a GPA of 7.0 or higher may apply to enter directly into upper-year courses and are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applications

Applications for the Scholars program are accepted from March 1 every year. Please see the eligibility requirements listed above before deciding to apply.

Along with their academic transcripts, eligible applicants will be asked to submit a letter of intent that outlines their demonstrated characteristics of leadership, community engagement, intellectual openness, public service, and/or depth of character.

Current Humanities students applying to enter into upper-year courses may be requested to submit a letter of recommendation from a supervisor or faculty member.

For more information about the Scholars program and how to apply, please email