Feinstein School of Humanities, Arts and Education Programs

American Sign Language

Chinese

Immerse yourself in the world’s most widely spoken language by studying Chinese at RWU. You’ll not only develop proficiency in speaking, reading and writing Chinese, but you’ll also explore China’s rich history, philosophy and politics, gaining valuable knowledge that can help broaden your career path in business, journalism, education, the arts and more.

Civic Media and Community Engagement

The Civic Media and Community Engagement minor is perfect for students who want to learn how to use their best skillsets to improve quality of life in different communities. As part of this program, students will learn to research and find solutions to real social problems, many of them extremely complex such as how to solve the housing crisis, how to improve our capacity to welcome refugees, how to adapt local communities to the consequences of climate change, how to mitigate toxic and hazardous pollution through environmental justice, and much more.

Communication & Media Studies

Investigate the relationship between culture and communication in our globally diverse society through the Communication & Media Studies program at RWU. Our students learn how to apply their writing, research and problem-solving skills to public advocacy and building community across cultures, cultivating a strong sense of social justice and civil responsibility that prepares them for work and life in an ever-changing world.

Corporate Communication

The minor and certificate in corporate communications provide you the opportunity to learn, practice, and hone your skills so you are ready to make an impact in the organization of your choice. Throughout the program, you’ll gain knowledge and acquire important professional skills with hands-on exercises, and industry connections and participate in community-based projects.

Creative Writing

Pursue the art of writing with a degree in Creative Writing from RWU, where students study with a practicing faculty of published authors and produce a national literary magazine. Through writing and analyzing creative works, you’ll learn how to express your ideas, tell stories and apply creative thinking to careers in writing, publishing, journalism, advertising and more.

Cultural Studies

Have you ever wondered ... Where the "Me Too" Movement really began? Why so many people went to see Black Panther? The true impact of hip hop in America? How transgender rights will be affected by the current political climate? How to have a successful protest?

Cultural Studies peers beneath the surface of the pop culture you consume, the music you listen to, the clothes you buy, the​​ foods you eat, the places you visit, the speeches you hear, the things you read, and the art you see. We invite you to examine​​​​ impact of identity on American culture. Through lenses of race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, region, class, immigration, nationality, age, dis/ability, and religion, we study the ways that positionality affect the lived experiences of people. You will have the opportunity to craft your own interdisciplinary program of study that concentrates on aspects of American culture and society that will best prepare you for life after college.

Dance/Performance

Discover the full breadth of professional dance through Dance/Performance at RWU, where you’ll study technique and theory, collaborate with composers and work internationally during our semester-long Dancing in London Program. Our faculty -- all working professionals in the field -- give individual attention and guidance to broaden your career options beyond performance and choreography with additional coursework in fields such as education, therapy and management.

Educational Studies

A degree in Educational Studies from RWU opens the door to a variety of rewarding teaching careers outside of the classroom, such as family and child services, program development, community outreach and educational publishing. Through coursework, internships and service projects, you’ll examine the roles that teaching, learning, education policy and community organizations play in our society and culture.

Elementary Education

When you study Elementary Education at RWU, you’ll prepare to educate the next generation by exploring a broad spectrum of classroom subjects and school settings, both urban and suburban, through four years of field experiences integrated into your curriculum. With small class sizes, individual attention from faculty and specialized training in educating high-needs youth, our program will provide you with the skills to become a certified elementary school teacher.

English Literary Studies

This interdisciplinary major invites students to read, discuss, analyze and write about texts from Beowulf to #BLM. Whether we are reading or viewing Shakespeare’s plays, Lord of the Rings, or watching plays on the London stage, we consider relationships between great texts of the past to popular texts of the present.

Film Studies

Film Studies at RWU explores the history, theory, criticism and aesthetics of cinema and the connections that movies have to broader social, cultural and political issues. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum that includes courses in film production, humanities and social sciences, you’ll learn how to use stories to communicate ideas in your career and everyday life.

Film, Animation and Video

Film, a widely interdisciplinary subject, is located in both the Communications Program and the Visual Arts Program. Both programs work closely together to host a film curriculum that is both diverse and focused. The Film Studies Minor emphasizes film culture and history while the Visual Arts: Film, Animation and Video Minor emphasizes film production.

Food Studies

As a Food Studies minor, you will examine the essential role of food in the formation of identity, history, politics, communities, cultures, and the environment by critically studying foodways and food systems. You will learn how to apply your writing, research, and problem-solving skills to building communities across culture, and develop a strong sense of civic responsibility that prepares you for work and life in an ever-changing world.

Gender and Sexuality Studies

Gender and Sexuality Studies at RWU bridges subjects like literature, psychology, justice and politics to explore gender and sexuality issues in society. By investigating topics such as race, class, ethnicity and religion in sexual identity and the representation of gender in media, you’ll learn how to think and respond critically to social justice issues and civil discourse -- an essential skill for any career in our diverse global community.

Graphic Design

A degree in Graphic Design from RWU blends solid communication theory with technical training in graphic arts skills, taught in the campus’ most sophisticated computer labs. Through courses in typography, brand identity, publication and web design combined with real-world internship experience, you’ll learn the best professional practices to prepare you for a career in the in-demand graphic design field.

History

A degree in History is the key to critical, independent thinking -- leading you to careers in education, law, government and more. At RWU, our students learn how to interpret the past so they can better understand the present and intelligently anticipate the future. Through the Great Cities Program, you’ll also have the opportunity to deepen your study of history and culture by traveling the world.

Italian Language

Journalism

Students in our Journalism program become more than just great writers. Through rigorous coursework and real-world experience at internships and the weekly student newspaper, you’ll learn how to gather news, report current events in an ethical manner and use a variety of different platforms, including emerging digital media, to communicate with the world as a reporter, editor, broadcaster or correspondent.

Mathematics Education

The Mathematics Education minor is an opportunity for undergraduate students across the University to explore an interest in the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Middle School Certification

When you become certified to teach middle school, you’ll learn how to help students at this critical age build upon fundamentals learned in elementary school and prepare for high school. RWU’s Middle School Certification provides Elementary and Secondary Education graduates with additional tools to succeed in the middle school classroom, including how to build a curriculum, instruct students and assess their development.

Modern Languages

When you learn a foreign language, you open up a world of job possibilities, from translator to educator to a career abroad. At RWU, you can major in one of three modern languages: Italian, Chinese or Spanish. With training in our state-of-the-art interactive language lab and abundant opportunities to study abroad, you’ll master your foreign language and become an asset in our globalized workforce.

Music

RWU’s unique and intimate Music program layers the exploration of world cultures on top of a solid foundation in theory, history and composition. All Music students take private lessons, perform with an ensemble and specialize in either technology or culture. With opportunities to take additional coursework in professional fields like business, communication or computer science, you’ll be prepared for a wide range of music careers.

Mythology and Folklore

The 15-credit minor in Mythology and Folklore examines the essential role of cultural myths and folk stories for various communities around the world. Thus, it is deeply imbedded in an exploration of intangible and tangible cultural heritage. Narrowly, the term “folklore” has been traditionally considered the oral tales of a society. More broadly, the term refers to all aspects of human culture - beliefs, traditions, norms, behaviors, language, literature, jokes, music, art, foodways, tools, objects, etc.

Painting, Drawing and Printmaking

Beginning with drawing, VARTS students learn to translate their experience of the world around them into mark, line and tone. Painting, both water-based and oil, provides an exploration of color principles and behaviors. Printmaking offers a bridge between drawing and painting in graphic form. In all media, contemporary practices as well as art-historical precedents are emphasized.

Philosophy

At RWU, our Philosophy students learn to think critically and build logical arguments: about our assumptions and values as a society, about the positions of history’s major philosophers and about the nature of knowledge itself. The writing, reading and problem-solving skills you develop through discussions, debates and your senior thesis will lay a foundation for success in fields like law and academia.

Photography and Digital Media

The idea that light forms an image is central to the discipline of photography, beginning with film-based camera and darkroom work. Traditional and digital photography are the means to focus on content, process, conceptualization, and innovation in photographic image making.

Professional and Public Writing

This minor aims to prepare students to write confidently and effectively in professional and public situations. Students can choose to focus on professional writing, where they analyze and produce genres required by employers; public writing, where they study and engage in meaningful social action through written texts; or a combination of courses tailored to the student’s own interests. Students will write purposefully, imaginatively, and persuasively in, across, and beyond their college courses. The minor provides excellent preparation for students whether they are pursuing graduate school, law school, or want a significant edge in the professional world or within their communities.

Public Humanities and Arts

Students will discover relevant principles and practices in Public Humanities and Arts, including scholarship, pedagogy, production, exhibition, preservation, and administration.

Public Relations

A degree in Public Relations gives you the strategic communication skills to create, promote and maintain the reputation of brands, people and organizations. You’ll build your portfolio with real clients, network with professionals through RWU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and complete an internship to gain real-world experience in corporate, nonprofit and agency public relations.

Sculpture and Ceramics

Students develop an understanding of materials and form in the sculpture as well as ceramics studios. The student’s conceptual intentions and how they take place in form are expanded and challenged in all 3-dimensional media as we connect making to meaning. The relationship of site to space and inquiry into the nature of contemporary sculptural issues are important explorations for the sculptor and student.

Secondary Education

A degree in Secondary Education gives you the foundation to become a high school teacher in math, science, English, dance, foreign language, history or social studies. At RWU, all of our Secondary Education students double major in a discipline related to their area of certification. Combined with field experiences and student teaching, you’ll gain the deep subject matter knowledge and real-world teaching experience needed to succeed.

Spanish

The study of Spanish at RWU goes beyond language acquisition. Students will develop their cultural sensibilities and demonstrate an awareness of cultural differences.

Special Education

The Master of Arts in Special Education program is designed to prepare teachers for supporting students of all abilities. Available with full-time and part-time options, the program provides flexibility for both recent graduates and working educators who seek additional licensure in elementary special education or secondary special education.

STEAM Education

The STEAM Education minor provides opportunities to explore the connections between Science (S), Technology (T), Engineering (E), the Arts (A), and Mathematics (M) from the perspective of working with children and adolescents. The mission of this minor is to prepare students to work in a variety of settings, such as after-school programs, science centers, community-based organizations or schools to inspire, mentor and motivate young learners to aspire to 21st Century careers. This minor is open to all students.

Theatre

Theatre at RWU is an intensive program that blends classroom, backstage and performance experience to give our students a well-rounded general mastery of all areas of the theatre arts. Through specialization options in acting, design and production and a semester-long London Theatre Program, you’ll learn the practical and professional skills needed to pursue careers in film, television, live theatre, education and business.

Undeclared

From planning your path to finding it, RWU's Academic Exploration Program supports you whether you have an idea of your major, are split between majors, or still searching for the perfect program for you!

From Day 1, undeclared students are intentionally matched with career and academic advisors to help you find the best program and path for you.

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts department at Roger Williams University prepares students for future careers in the arts with an interdisciplinary spirit and a global perspective. The Visual Arts faculty consists of active artists who share their experience with students through lively and challenging discussions and critiques. Media exploration is encouraged throughout the program and culminates in the creation of a cohesive body of work that reflects the individual student’s interests.