HSS
California Institute of Technology
Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Home > Humanities
Research Spotlight

[Einstein Papers Project]Digitizing Einstein
The Einstein Papers Project — a mammoth enterprise that will collect the entire corpus of Albert Einstein's writing under one roof, generating an estimated 29 volumes of correspondence, manuscripts, travel diaries and more — is the single most ambitious publishing venture in the history of 20th century science.

A 'Brain-Based Humanities'
With the construction of a brain imaging center at Caltech, a group of humanists led by Steven Quartz is teaming with social scientists and biologists to create the intellectual foundation of a new interdisciplinary science: a brain-based humanities.

Romantic Revolutionaries? Maybe Not
Were the Romantics really as revolutionary as many assume? Kevin Gilmartin examines the historical evidence and concludes that the arts in late 18th century and 19th century Britain were remarkable more for their conservative zeal.

The Humanities at Caltech

The HSS Division offers four undergraduate options — History, English, History and Philosophy of Science (HPS), and Philosophy Option. There is no Humanities graduate program.

History at Caltech examines the Western and non-Western past to understand the evolution of culture, science, institutions, and behavior. Courses span the medieval, Renaissance, and modern periods; the United States, Europe, and Asia; and special topics such as radicalism and demography. In certain courses, quantitative methods drawn from the social sciences are applied to historical studies.

English at Caltech spans the major periods of American, British, and European writing. Students can pursue interests ranging from Latin literature to a survey of drama; from Shakespeare to romantic and modern poetry; from early fiction to the postmodern novel.

History and Philosophy of Science is concerned with the most fundamental issues involving the nature of the world and of human knowledge, values, and judgment. At Caltech, particular emphasis is placed on philosophy of the natural and social sciences, scientific inference, moral and political philosophy, and philosophy of mind, psychology and the neurosciences. Members of the faculty have a variety of other interests, including philosophical logic, moral psychology, and the history of philosophy. Courses are given at both introductory and advanced levels.

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