This minor brings together course offerings from the departments of Art, English, Global Studies and Languages, History, Music, Philosophy, Religion, Theatre, and Women’s and Gender Studies. The program studies the diverse peoples and cultures of western civilization during ancient, medieval and early modern eras, an overview of each time period and how scholars from different disciplines approach these eras.

Electives are chosen from at least three disciplines, and off-campus study counts as a discipline. Students gain an understanding of ideas and developments that shaped western civilization and culture.

Latest News

Lane Brown '20

We’re still here: Lane Brown ’20

A job in the history field, hopefully in the national parks, is the aim of Lane Brown ’20 of Avondale, Arizona. He is a history […]

Photo of Harwood Memorial Union with clouds and sun

Ripon No. 1 in state for how much graduates earn, according to U.S. Department of Education

Ripon College has been named the No. 1 school in Wisconsin whose grads earn the most in mean wages 10 years after graduation. The study, […]

Hannah Metz ’17

Study trip to Italy opened students’ eyes to the world

Getting the chance to travel to a different country for two weeks with one of the best professors and the president of your college is […]

Faculty

Paul Jeffries

Jeffries, Paul

Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair of Philosophy Department

Travis Nygard

Nygard, Travis

Associate Professor of Art History, Director of the Caestecker Art Gallery

Ann Pleiss Morris

Pleiss Morris, Ann

Associate Professor of English

Dominique Poncelet

Poncelet, Dominique

Professor of French and Francophone Studies

Brian Smith

Smith, Brian

Professor of Religion Emeritus

Advising

Ripon College faculty and professional staff are dedicated to helping you reach your goals, whatever they may be and however often they may change along the way. It’s part of our value statement to you.

As a student at Ripon, you will be assigned a faculty adviser based on your area(s) of interest. You will meet with your faculty adviser throughout your time as a student to discuss your current aspirations, plan your course schedule and plot a future trajectory. We also work collaboratively with Ripon College Career and Professional Development to help match your interests and skills to concrete goals and construct a plan for professional success offering personalized career counseling, off-campus learning opportunities and an online job board with potential to connect with local, national and international employers. Our collaboration with Student Support Services provides tutoring and additional academic and skill development, as well as tools to help with note-taking, exam preparation, goal-setting and time management. Likewise, Mentors in the Franzen Center provide in-depth, one-on-one or group mentoring for students about class projects and college-level writing, and can share problem-solving strategies to overcome academic obstacles.

Advising at Ripon

Career Tracks

  • Teaching English, history, art, theatre and classics at all levels
  • Careers in library services and museum and arts management
  • Excellent preparation for several single-subject and interdisciplinary graduate programs

Unique Opportunities

  • Introductory students host ARMS-related events on campus, such as the trebuchet pumpkin launching.
  • ARMS students have presented at national conferences such as the Blackfriars Shakespeare Conference at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia.
  • As part of the In-Focus Course “Old Italy, New Italy,” students have the opportunity to travel to Italy and experience first-hand the art, architecture and culture discussed in ARMS courses
  • The ACM Newberry Library program in Chicago allows students to tap in to the millions of books in the collection of this leading center of research.