Blending Computer Science And The Humanities In A Degree Program

Computer Science, Meet Humanities: in New Majors, Opposites Attract

Corinne Ruff | January 28, 2016

Hannah Pho grew up playing the piano and went to a magnet high school for technology. When she applied to colleges and looked for programs that blended her seemingly disparate interests, she didn’t find many options.
She chose Stanford University, where she became one of the first students in a new major there called CS+Music, part of a pilot program informally known as CS+X.
Its goal is to put students in a middle ground, between computer science and any of 14 disciplines in the humanities, including history, art, and classics. And it reduces the number of required hours that students would normally take in a double major in those subjects.

1. Is a CS+Humanities Joint Major the right choice for me?

That is a decision that you must make for yourself after carefully considering your academic priorities and interests and after consulting with your Pre-Major advisor. What does your heart tell you to do? What does your head tell you? As you contemplate the possibility of a Joint Major, you should also contact the departments you would be majoring in. They can offer you detailed advice about curricular and intellectual choices. (A list of faculty and staff contacts for students with questions is available at the VPUE’s Undergrad website.) Remember: a CS+Humanities Joint Major is an exciting new possibility for Stanford’s undergraduates, but it is only one of many paths through the university. For some students it will be an ideal educational opportunity. For others, a different path will make more sense. Think about it, and talk it over with, at a minimum, your advisor.

2. Is there a list of approved CS+Humanities Joint Majors?

A list of approved Joint Majors is available at the Joint Major page of the Undergrad website. This site also includes contact details for participating departments and links to other relevant information.

Some of the frequently asked questions at Stanford. Source: https://undergrad.stanford.edu/academic-planning/majors-minors/joint-majors-csx/csx-faqs-students

<more at http://chronicle.com/article/Computer-Science-Meet/235075/; related links: https://undergrad.stanford.edu/academic-planning/majors-minors/joint-majors-csx (Joint Majors: CS+X. June 2015) and http://college.usatoday.com/2014/05/13/stem-vs-the-humanities-one-the-other-a-combination-students-discuss/ (STEM vs. the humanities. One, the other, a combination? Students discuss. May 13, 2014)>