Founded in 2019, the Institute of Humanities at ShanghaiTech University seeks to cultivate world-class researchers and students with interdisciplinary knowledge, curiosity, and analytical skills. Advantageously located in a Shanghai neighborhood devoted to science and innovation, we are uniquely positioned within China to explore and shape the relationship between the sciences and humanities.     

The Institute of Humanities is a small, high caliber research and teaching institution, serving as the cornerstone of the liberal arts at ShanghaiTech. In addition to producing cutting-edge international research and providing instruction in areas of the liberal arts and general education, the Institute is scheduled to soon offer an interdisciplinary undergraduate major in the humanities.     

At ShanghaiTech we consider the study of humanities to be a critical complement to the skillsets developed in STEM disciplines. By learning how to closely read, critically analyze, and compare evidence in different languages, from different cultures, philosophies, and eras of history, students learn how to make nuanced and compelling arguments that guide their studies and propel them in any future field.

       The undergraduate general education aims at shaping students with enlightened values and comprehensive knowledge system. With interdisciplinary research and cross-field work, the students are expected to adapt to changes and challenges in a better way.