Humanities classes what is it

Because of the importance of good communication skills to success in all endeavors, each student should seek to enhance these skills by the choice of SSH courses. For the purposes of planning your Social Science and Humanities courses SSH , a humanities course or social science course is one within the broad areas of the humanities including foreign languages or the social sciences.

This definition encompasses such fields of study as in the humanities history, English, philosophy, foreign languages, classics, history of art, and in the social sciences sociology, psychology, economics, and political science. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the humanities aim to find wisdom. Their goal is a loftier one than the sciences. Indeed, their goal is to look inwardly at the very fundamentals of what it means to be human. You might ask questions and write essays on issues like:.

Some universities may make the decision to merge humanities and social sciences courses. These two pillars of scholarship have been fundamental to human thought since Ancient Greek times, over years ago.

Philosophy and Religion are so intertwined that at times in history they were one and the same. Philosophers like Spinoza who dared use logic to stray from religious dogma were ostracized by society. Indeed, many were killed. Philosophy and religion aim to use history, tradition, logic and critical reasoning to find meaning in life.

Looking at the history of music and art gives us a greater appreciation of the products of human endeavour. We can see in art and music motifs about what it means to be human, the beauty and terror we see in humanity, and the common threads that bind us. Note that art and music courses primarily associated with design and composition are generally considered performing arts rather than humanities because their focus strays from the interpretation of art to its creation see: Humanities Indicators.

Archaeology involves the analysis and exploration of past cultures. By looking at past cultures Western, Asian, Indigenous, etc. The interesting parts about archaeology to me, at least are the parts that reveal insights about ourselves.

Communication and media studies by and large tend to examine the present day impact of media on our lives although there certainly are media scholars who look at the media of the past. Media studies has enjoyed booming interest in recent decades. The rapid changes in the ways media have impacted our lives has opened up rich scholarly avenues of enquiry. This one would sit well within the overlap of a Venn Diagram between social sciences and the humanities.

Gender studies in particular has had a very heavy influence within academia, although race, ethnic, Black, Indigenous and disability studies have also had strong influences in the past.

Indeed, all of us will have at some time in our lives examined one of the great pieces of historical literature that has examined the human condition. English language and literature may look at the ways different genres of written texts have shaped the world, influenced the ways we see ourselves, our cultures and our societies, and are evolving with cultural change. History classes can span the ages. Students can study modern, ancient, western and new world histories to explore fundamental questions about:.

These questions ask us to deeply and critically examine how we should live our lives in order to hand a better world to our own descendants. The ancient Mediterranean world — including Greek and Roman societies — were great wonders of their eras. These were great and in many ways advanced, even enlightened societies that that were rich in cultural significance. What an ancient Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, politics and culture teach us about democracy, what it means to be human, and the faults that lie within each of us?

Even more interestingly, I am fascinated by how relatively advanced democratic societies managed to shake at their very foundations, crumble, and fall away. War, politics and concentration of wealth and power overcame some of the greatest civilizations in history and saw them fall to dust.

What lessons can we learn from these doomed societies, and how can we prevent a similar slide away from liberalism and democracy? It is believed that the structure of language shapes human thought. By learning a new language, you learn an entirely new way of thinking about the world. Furthermore, languages can have a fundamental impact on the ways societies are structured.

The gendering of objects, the ways we issue commands and requests, and the ways we go about written communication all reveal fundamental messages about who we are and how we got here.

And that has real, tangible and even intangible monetary value. Skip to content What are Humanities Classes? Hopefully this post will clear up that confusion and leave you with a clear, strong understanding of exactly: what counts as humanities; what courses are considered humanities; what you learn in humanities classes; and finally, give you some examples of humanities classes that you could choose to take at college.

What do you learn in Humanities Classes? English, literature and communication majors frequently work in publishing -- for example, as editors. Many humanities graduates complete additional education to qualify for a specific profession. For example, these majors are excellent preparation for law school, where the ability to write, speak and think well is a major asset.

Other humanities graduates earn a teaching credential to qualify as public school teachers, or they earn a master's degree or doctorate to qualify for college teaching. If they also take the necessary science prerequisites, humanities majors qualify for medical school. In fact, medical schools typically require humanities classes for admission.

Whether a student declares a humanities major or only takes the required classes, these studies help a person lead a more satisfying life. The insight you gain from humanities teaches you to question your values and the values of society, according to Professor Mark Edmundson of the University of Virginia. Because you question everything, you can decide for yourself whether success means earning millions or finding fulfillment through family or service to others.

Rather than following the crowd, the person trained in the humanities knows how to live the well-examined life, as Plato recommended.