HSA Blog

In a speech delivered at Harvey Mudd College’s Presentation Day in 2015, Richard Olson ’62, professor of history emeritus, highlights the challenge of engaging a liberal arts approach to STEM education at Harvey Mudd College. When Bob Keller (HMC professor of computer science) asked if I would be interested in giving the keynote speech for […]

How does one develop students’ ability to think critically, read carefully, recognize their own and others’ assumptions and understand multiple points of view? Three professors at Harvey Mudd College have recently developed innovative courses that—each in its own way—are providing students with engaging and effective ways to think deeply, critically and openly about the subject […]

On Friday, December 13, 2019, my #MeToo Shakespeare course at Harvey Mudd College culminated in a conference where my undergraduate students presented their research. The conference was a perfect encapsulation of the critical investigation we had undertaken over the course of the semester. This work entailed examining what Shakespeare’s plays might tell us about #MeToo […]

The Caryll Mudd and Norman F. Sprague Jr. Gallery located in the R. Michael Shanahan Center for Teaching and Learning is the main art gallery of Harvey Mudd College. Adjacent to Drinkward Recital Hall, which hosts the College’s concert series and lectures, the gallery experiences considerable foot traffic and is frequented by both students and […]

Inevitably Toxic: Historical Perspectives on Contamination, Exposure, and Expertise is a collection of essays examining the exposure of humans to radiation, industrial waste and pesticides, often in spaces where these toxic agents are invisible or appear innocuous. My colleagues Brinda Sarathy (Pitzer) and Janet Farrell Brodie (Claremont Graduate University) and I wrote the book in […]

I am passionate about bringing research discoveries into the classroom with students of HMC and the other Claremont Colleges. I especially enjoy drawing out connections among the Abrahamic faith traditions in courses like Islam, Christianity and Judaism. My students and I have been discussing how we can better understand the cultural connections between the Greek […]

Harvey Mudd College is known for being a bit unconventional, so it’s not unusual for its concert series to follow suit. The lineup for the 2019–2020 Ken Stevens ’61 Founding Class Concert Series promises more engaging and eclectic performances that support the College’s humanities programming, enhance the music scene among The Claremont Colleges and give […]

Alfred P. Flores, assistant professor of Asian American studies at Harvey Mudd College, writes about his Asian American History course, in which he encourages students to rethink how they understand history. – Inspired by the teaching and pedagogy of historian Jean-Paul deGuzman, I have students conduct historical research to excavate their family’s or a specific […]

Isabel Balseiro, professor of humanities and comparative literature in the HSA department, describes digital humanities and how this field is impacting her teaching. What is digital humanities, and how have you utilized this within your courses? The digital humanities (DH) integrate computing or digital technologies and traditional disciplines of the humanities, such as history, literature […]

Karen Morrison ’08 (chemistry), assistant director at the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, describes her career path and why she wouldn’t change a thing. Could you describe your career path and how it and your interests intertwine? I graduated from Harvey Mudd in 2008 (chemistry) and went from there to grad school to get my […]