Departments
Ancient History - Explore the Ancient History Department's rigorous study of antiquity through the Classical Period, examining Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Early Middle-Eastern civilizations with grave scholarly depth. Continue reading
Anthropology - The discipline of anthropology at Miskatonic University is, in its truest sense, an ongoing meditation upon the riddle of humanity’s place amongst the unfathomable procession of ages. Here, inquiry is directed not merely toward cataloging the observable characteristics of our … Continue reading
Archaeology - The Archaeology department maintains an accredited program for the study and discovery of the physical remains of ancient civilizations, and their documentation of cultural, historical, scientific and religious development. Unlike many university archaeology departments, Miskatonic’s Archeology Department provides students with … Continue reading
Classical Languages - Classical Languages, an austere pillar of venerable tradition, invites the scholar to traverse the labyrinthine corridors of Latin and Greek—tongues that echo the vanished empires and shadowed sanctuaries of human antiquity. Here, the pursuit of these ancient languages is more … Continue reading
Cthulhu Mythos - Within the shadowed halls of Miskatonic University, the Cthulhu Mythos Studies course invites earnest inquirers to a disquieting examination of the obscure and dreadful lore threaded through the world’s forgotten places. This rigorous survey undertakes a multidisciplinary exploration of legendary … Continue reading
English - The English Department is divided into two subunits: Language and Literature. The Language subunit focuses on expression in English, training students to write clearly and effectively. Style and diction are emphasized and coursework involves the application of these elements in … Continue reading
Fine Arts - The Fine Arts Department offers instruction in an array of visual art mediums. The department has an impressive eight studios: two sculpture studios, one painting studio, one drawing studio, one printmaking studio, two ceramics studio, and a large metalworking studio. … Continue reading
Geography - In the shadowed halls of our institution, the Geography Department stands as guardian to a domain at once familiar and profoundly alien—the earth’s varied surface, whose intricacies belie the illusion of terrestrial stability. While allied in spirit to Geology, the … Continue reading
Medieval Metaphysics - The Medieval Metaphysics Department originated as a single course in Philosophy department, but this area of study has become such a strength at Miskatonic University that creating a department devoted entirely to philosophical and scientific thought in the Medieval Period … Continue reading
Medieval Philosophy - Medieval philosophy of the period will be considered in relation to Hellenic and Hellenistic ideas. In addition to considering how classical thought shaped medieval philosophy, students will study medieval permutations of these ideas and their bearing on modern ideas.
Metallurgy - Man has worked metal since pre-historic times. Early man learned to combine copper and tin to form bronze, thus beginning both the Bronze Age and the technology of metallurgy. An offshoot of chemistry, metallurgy today is the study or metallic … Continue reading
Modern History - Although the Modern History Department is so-called to distinguish its focus from the Ancient History Department, the title is something of a misnomer, as the department is home not only to scholars of modern history, but also to scholars of … Continue reading
Modern Languages - In the modern world, knowledge of at least two languages, and better yet three or four, is requisite for all individuals wishing to consider themselves educated and worldly. The Modern Languages Department offers introductory through advanced study in each of … Continue reading
Music - Within the ancient halls of Miskatonic University, the Department of Music stands as both sanctuary and crucible, shaping not merely an appreciation of harmonious sound but an acute awareness of the inscrutable forces that music can summon forth. It is … Continue reading
Occult Studies - Across the somber halls and shadowed alcoves of Miskatonic University, the Department of Occult Studies stands as a solitary beacon for those who would press beyond the perimeters of sanctioned knowledge. Here, under the relentless scrutiny of tradition and taboo, … Continue reading
Old English Prose and Poetry - A focused study of Anglo-Saxon language and literature. Students will begin with Sweet’s Anglo-Saxon Primer to gain an understanding of Old English vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. The second portion of the class will be devoted to translation and analysis of … Continue reading
Philosophy - Philosophy is the search for truth, the quest for answers to those questions that have gripped mankind since the dawn of intelligent thought: questions about our existence, morality, and the essence of reality. Courses in the Philosophy Department consider the … Continue reading
Psychology - The inner workings of the human mind are complex and often mysterious. The study of psychology seeks to explain the mysteries and understand the complexities of human thought and emotion. Fundamentally, psychology asks why we think what we think, and … Continue reading
Religion - The Religion Department offers a wide variety of courses on global and comparative religion, religious history, and religious philosophy. From primitive Germanic religions to modern Christianity, students have the opportunity to discover and discuss the multitudinous ways that man has … Continue reading
Sociology - The Sociology Department is committed to forming students who are able to address social problems and institutions through critical thinking and scientific analysis. What makes a society? How do social influences affect the individual? What are the sources of social … Continue reading
Class Listings
- Abnormal Psychology - Lectures will cover a variety of psychological abnormalities and their relation to development, mental function, and criminality. Each lecture will focus on a specific case study of aberrant behavior as a starting point for discussion.
- Alloy Composition and Production - Lectures and laboratories are focused on the composition of important alloys, means of producing various alloys, and their practical applications. Physical properties of alloys will be studied at length, including weight, tensile strength, melting points, conductivity, anti-corrosive properties, and magnetic … Continue reading
- American History - This course provides a foundational survey of the building of our nation, from colonization through today. An historical perspective of American politics will form the basis of a significant portion of the lectures.
- Ancient and Medieval Magics - A survey of the mystical and magical beliefs of early religious sects, including alchemical and divination techniques.
- Classical Philosophy: Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates - This course provides a survey of the three greatest Greek philosophers, whose works have shaped Western thought for over two millennia.
- Climatology - This course provides a close study of world climates and the atmosphere. The relationship between climate, crops, and industry will be of primary importance.
- Composition - Students will study the fundamentals of musical composition through actual practice of composition. Topics covered include modern counterpoint, canon and fugue, and free harmony. Students must be proficient in at least one instrument in order to succeed in this course. … Continue reading
- Composition and Rhetoric - An intensive writing course designed to prepare students for all types of writing, academic and otherwise. This course is a requirement for all students at Miskatonic University.
- Egyptology - An intensive study of Egypt, her history, and her people, culminating in a week-long excursion to participate in on-going archeological digs in Egypt.
- Ethics - A critical study of the fundamental concepts of ethics with the aim of understanding human conduct. Lectures will cover the nature of ethics, the history of ethical systems, and the applications of ethical theory to the individual and the state.
- Experimental Psychology - This course familiarizes students with modern psychological methods, including technological advances in the field. Experiments focus primarily on the senses and the results of isolation, sensory deprivation and sensory overload, and sleep deprivation. Note: all students enrolled in this course … Continue reading
- Extractive Metallurgy - Lectures and laboratories are focused on processes relating to the extraction and purification of metals. Students will complete small scale extractions and purifications during laboratory and will have the opportunity to participate in a field excursion to a mining operation.
- General Psychology - This introductory course covers the fundamental laws of psychology and aspects of normal mental development. This course is a pre-requisite for all other psychology courses.
- Geography and War - In this course, students will consider the effects of various geographical features on the outcomes of major battles throughout history. Students will study historical accounts of battles alongside topographical maps of regions. In addition, students will examine the causal relationships … Continue reading
- Global Philosophy of Religion - In this foundational survey, students will traverse the shadowy breadth of humankind’s spiritual inheritance, engaging rigorously with the principal traditions whose creeds and mysteries persist like phantoms through the corridors of human culture. The course assumes the vantage of critical … Continue reading
- Introduction to Archaeological Fieldwork - This course, designed for students in their first semester of archaeological studies, introduces students to practices in the field through a series of short excursions to local sites. Students must successfully complete this course before enrolling in higher level archeology … Continue reading
- Introduction to Archaeology - The first course required of all students interested in pursuing archaeological studies. This course provides a survey of major civilizations as well as practical training in the classification and handling or artifacts. Introduction to Archaeological Fieldwork is a co-requisite for … Continue reading
- Introduction to Sociology - A general course designed to introduce the students to key concepts and prominent issues in sociological studies today. This course will the development of social institutions, including the family, education, religion, and governments, and the development of the individual within … Continue reading
- Logic - In this course students will study the two branches of logical reasoning: deductive and inductive logic. In studying deductive logic, students will learn to interpret arguments and test their validity. In studying inductive logic, students will learn proper methods of … Continue reading
- Modern Occult Practices - A survey course in occult practices that remain relatively common today, including astrology, divination, and reported psychic abilities. This course engages students in a scientific study of occult practices in an effort to determine the potential validity of occult claims. … Continue reading
- Occult History and Practical Application - Occult in History as it pertains to religion and science, and the modern practical application of some rudimentary occult practices of magic. This course is offered to further the knowledge of magic; metaphysical and paranormal activities. The study of some … Continue reading
- Old English Prose and Poetry - A focused study of Anglo-Saxon language and literature. Students will begin with Sweet’s Anglo-Saxon Primer to gain an understanding of Old English vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. The second portion of the class will be devoted to translation and analysis of … Continue reading
- Physiography - The study of the atmosphere, water, and resulting geographic changes of the earth’s surface. The development of present day features will be examined at length.
- Primitive Religions of Early Europe - Within the shadowed annals of time, before the dawn of recorded certainty or the measured rhythms of modern faith, there loomed a multitude of half-remembered rites and spectral beliefs among the tribes that once roamed the vast and twilight-haunted landscapes … Continue reading
- Social Control - What social and political institutions regulate behavior, and how? How do humans internalize the rules set forth by mechanisms of social control? What causes social conformity and, perhaps more interestingly, what occurs both internally and externally when individuals begin to … Continue reading
- Social Problems - An in-depth look at social problems and their causes, particularly aspects of social maladjustment. This course will focus on issues of crime, immorality, feeble-mindedness, and insanity and their relation to social institutions.
- Survey of European History - This course is devoted to the major events that have shaped Europe over the past millennium, from the Norman Invasion of England in 1066 through the Great War.