About us

The Humanities and Social Sciences Division develops future naval officers to communicate clearly and understand the context and lessons of history. Our faculty introduce midshipmen to the realm and influence of politics, government, and the role of economics in national security strategy while expanding their understanding of the human experience, foreign cultures, and languages. Our faculty are outstanding teachers to Midshipmen, recognized scholars in their fields, and leaders at the Naval Academy. 

The unique strength of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the Naval Academy is laying the foundation for strategic thinking. Our ability to inculcate abstract and inductive critical thinking to complement the Academy’s core technical curricula with the cognitive, creative, and social aspects of a traditional liberal arts education results in Navy and Marine officers who are prepared to be, in the words of the Education for Seapower Study, “steeped not only in the art of war, the profession of arms, and the history and traditions of the Naval service, but also in a broader understanding of the technical and strategic complexities of the Cognitive Age.”