Proposal for new or revised HASS subjects
The Subcommittee on the HASS Requirement (SHR) provides oversight of the HASS Requirement and
will review proposals for newly designated subjects from within SHASS and other Schools to be part of the
HASS Requirement. The SHR will review proposals when they are in session. Proposals will be accepted
in the fall semester for the next Academic Year. Please see the HASS Requirement website for more
information on the process and deadlines: http://web.mit.edu/hassreq/administrators.html.
This form should be sent with a copy of the syllabus via email to hassreq@mit.edu. Please contact Lauren
Weitkamp at 253-6309 or hassreq@mit.edu with questions.
Note: If proposing CI-H/HW or CI-M status for this subject, please contact Kathleen MacArthur, Associate
Dean for Curriculum and Faculty Support (253-2783, commreq@mit.edu) or Lauren Weitkamp, Staff to
the Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement (253-6309, commreq@mit.edu).
Subject Number/Name:
Instructor Name:
Contact Name:
Contact Email:
Date submitted:
General Subject Info
Subject status:
Subject is new
Subject is revised from previous version
Number of units:
9
Other (please explain):
Will the subject be
taught in AY2017?
Yes
Are you requesting
HEX status?
12
No
If no, when do you expect to teach this subject?
Yes*
No
*If yes, you must also complete the HEX portion of this proposal (see reverse).
Requested Designation
Please see the HASS Requirement website for category definitions: http://web.mit.edu/hassreq/administrators.html
Arts
Social Sciences
Humanities
HASS Elective
Distribution Rationale
For subjects taught outside of SHASS or those requesting a distribution category that is non-standard for
their department or teaching unit, please provide a rationale for this subject’s inclusion in the requested
distribution category (e.g., why this subject is an Arts subject):
Please send the syllabus with this form to hassreq@mit.edu
HASS Exploration (HEX) Subject Information
Complete this page of the proposal if you wish to request HEX status for the subject. Please address
questions regarding HEX subjects to Jason Donath, Staff to the Subcommittee on the HASS Requirement
(617-715-4960, jdonath@mit.edu).
HASS Exploration Program Definition
HEX subjects are team-taught courses that explore a major concept or topic from multiple viewpoints
found across or within disciplines in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. By showcasing the
generative value of dialogue and debate among diverse disciplines, specialties, theoretical frameworks, or
methodologies, HEX subjects allow students to approach a given problem, phenomenon, or topic from
multiple vantage points. Emphasizing close interaction with faculty, the courses encourage the
development of foundational skills such as critical reading and analysis of primary materials. More
broadly, they provide a pathway into modes of thinking that are central to the HASS curriculum and offer
students an opportunity to explore concepts, topics, and histories that are crucial to understanding and
inhabiting the complex world in which we live.
HEX subjects are open to undergraduates of all years. Class sizes vary but student enrollment should not
exceed 25 students per faculty instructor. (Faculty here includes senior lecturers. Classes will not be
taught by graduate students or temporary lecturers.)
Instructor names:
Briefly describe how the proposed subject meets the HEX Program definition. Comment on: a) the
subject’s big idea/concept; b) the foundational nature of the curriculum; c) the type of student-faculty
interaction; and d) how multiple viewpoints/disciplines will be represented. Please be sure to include
anything that is not evident in the syllabus.
Please send the syllabus with this form to hassreq@mit.edu