The Berkeley Undergraduate Discovery Experience is a campus-wide initiative to engage and support more undergraduate students in scholarly and experiential learning. The broad term “Discovery Experience” intentionally references a wide range of immersive learning projects - from substantial research experiences and artistic production to entrepreneurial initiatives and community-engaged projects.
This portal serves as a launching point to begin exploring the wide range of discovery experiences available in the Arts & Humanities division:
Honors and Senior Thesis
Each major in the Arts & Humanities division offers students the opportunity to conduct an honors thesis in consultation with the department faculty.
- Honors in Art Practice
- Honors in Classics
- Honors in Comparative Literature
- Honors in East Asian Languages and Cultures
- Honors in English
- Honors in Film & Media
- Honors in French
- Honors in German
- Honors in Italian Studies
- Honors in History of Art
- Honors in Music
- Honors in Near Eastern Studies
- Honors in Philosophy
- Honors in Rhetoric
- Honors in Scandinavian
- Honors in Slavic
- Honors in South and Southeast Asian Studies
- Honors in Spanish & Portuguese
- Honors in Theater, Dance & Performance Studies
Academic Discovery Courses in Arts & Humanities
Academic discovery takes place in many classes offered throughout the Arts & Humanities. Below is a sampling of a few specific courses that incorporate immersive learning experiences:
- HUM 196 Mentored-Research and Discovery Courses
- Compass Courses for first-year students
- Arts & Humanities divisional courses
- Art Practice 185: Senior Projects - This studio-based course is required for Art Practice majors.
- Classic N172A and N172B: Archaeological Field School - These summer courses involve travel and hands-on work in archeological excavation and museum study in Greece.
- Film 180 and 181: Screenwriting - These workshop-based courses include development of a feature-length narrative screenplay.
- Film 184-187: Film Production - These practice-based courses focus on the essential techniques of film production, including filming, sound, lighting, and editing.
- Music Performance Courses
- Music 107: Independent Projects in Computer Music - Students in this course will develop, in consultation with the instructor, a semester length project that focuses on creating a piece of music, and/or researching and building new software tools for music
- Music 128V and 128VM: Songs and Song-writing - Students in this course will gain experience writing and recording original songs.
- Advanced Study (Capstone) Opportunities in Theater, Dance & Performance Studies
Undergraduate Research
Read more about research opportunities in the Arts & Humanities. Or enroll in one of our research courses.
Other Academic Discovery Experiences
Global Urban Humanities undergraduate certificate, including interdisciplinary research studio
Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation, including a required advanced design course to address a problem through interdisciplinary design
Course Threads at UC Berkeley, including participation in research symposium
Study Abroad
Study abroad is highly advised for all students studying the Arts & Humanities.
The UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) offers more than 250 programs in over 50 countries.
Berkeley Summer Abroad offers dozens of programs in the summer, including several programs sponsored by Arts & Humanities departments:
- Dutch Studies in the Netherlands;
- East Asian Language & Cultures in Taipei, Taiwan;
- English in London, England;
- French in Paris, France;
- Italian in Trieste, Italy;
- Spanish & Portuguese in Madrid, Spain; and
- Theater, Dance & Performance Studies in Dublin, Ireland.
The Huang Scholars Program provides the opportunity for Chinese language instruction at UC Berkeley and in China, covering travel and living expenses as well as partial tuition.
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program.
Internships
Over 50% of Arts & Humanities majors participate in at least one internship before graduation.
Read more about finding an internship in the Arts & Humanities.
Teach a Decal
Developing and teaching your own class is a fantastic way to expand and reflect upon your educational experience at UC Berkeley. DeCals are offered in most departments in the Arts & Humanities, with dozens each semester. Here is just a small sampling of some DeCals offered in past semesters:
- Art for Animation, offered by the Art Practice department
- Brain Like Berkeley: An Insight into the Artistry of Frank Ocean, taught by an English major and Computer Science major
- UC Hogwarts: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, offered by the English department
- Learn to Play the Sather Tower Bells, taught by the Berkeley Carillon Guild through the Music department
- Philosophy of Friendship, offered by the Philosophy department
- Henna Art: Application and Cultural Perspectives, offered by the South & Southeast Asian Studies department
- Dance the Bay: The Art & Practice of Teaching Creative Movement, offered by the Theater, Dance & Performance Studies department in collaboration with the Luna Dance Institute