ARTISTIC FRAMEWORKS and SYSTEMS OF THOUGHT illuminate the roots

and range of our beliefs and actions. They stimulate the imagination to extend us beyond surface thinking, conventions, and tacit assumptions.  Through the humanities we can develop our own aesthetic--learn about what we appreciate and why.


AS AN AREA OF STUDY, a general humanities class is intended to provide interdisciplinary knowledge and intellectual skills.  It is based on the premise that by studying and reflecting on creative and intellectual expressions of humankind and seeing their connections, we can grow in understanding and make more sense of the world and ourselves. 


The humanities have much to offer the senses, mind and spirit.  We will explore the possibilities and questions that have been part of the art of being human in the more distant past, and today, in a complex, technological world.

The humanities make up a broad range of human endeavors and learning whose subject is human experience as interpreted through arts and ideas.  The humanities include:

  1. •  the arts: visual, literary, musical, performing arts, and crafts 

  2. •  philosophy, history, religious studies, and language

  3. •  our aesthetic responses to the world

  4. •  our experience of life as meaningful and significant.


The humanities also make up a field of academic study that links those branches of knowledge which concern themselves with CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS and INSIGHTS about human experience and the world we live in.  Different forms of knowledge emerge from people in diverse communities and cultures. 

Topics we will investigate:

  1. •  how the humanities function in society and in our personal lives,

  2. •  what the arts can offer us beyond entertainment,

  3. •  what philosophy can offer beyond speculation,

  4. •  how to apply critical & creative thinking skills to support assessments

  5. •  how to communicate our views and arguments clearly and effectively.