Humanities (Intellectual Inquiry)

Course Template

The Humanities are united in their reflection upon the human condition as embodied in works of art and literature (including folklore, popular culture, film and digital media), philosophical and religious contemplation and argumentation, language systems, and historical narratives and the activities and events they relate. The principal activities of humanists and, therefore, the principal skills to be inculcated in students relate to interpretation and analysis, and the evaluation of competing interpretations of the same or similar texts and phenomena. In a course fulfilling the Humanities Gen Ed requirement students should learn to interpret, evaluate and analyze such creations of the human intellect.

Students will demonstrate the ability to construct their own artistic, literary, philosophical, religious, linguistic, and historical interpretations according to the standards of the discipline. It is hoped that students learn to recognize (a) the validity of different points of view – whether these points of view devolve from differences of class, race, gender, nationality or even historical period – and (b) a degree of tolerance and mistrust of dogmatism. Further it is hoped that students will be able to recognize some aspects of human life that might be considered eternal and constant and distinguish these aspects from those which are contingent products of history and culture.

1. Demonstrate the ability to present and critically evaluate competing interpretations through analysis and argumentation in writing and orally.

2. Demonstrate the ability to distinguish different artistic, literary, philosophical, religious, linguistic, and historical schools and periods according to the varying approaches and viewpoints characterized therein.

3. Demonstrate the ability to identify the values and presuppositions that underlie the world-views of different cultures and different peoples over time as well as one's own culture. Students will therefore analyze and interpret at least one of the following: works of art, literature, folklore, film, philosophy and religion, language systems or historical narratives (or the primary sources of historical research).

4. Demonstrate disciplinary literacy (vocabulary, concepts, methodology) in written work, oral presentations and in classroom discussions.

5. Demonstrate the ability to conduct a sustained piece of analysis of some work of art, literature, folklore (or popular culture), film (or other digital media), philosophy, religion, language system, or historical event or existing historical narrative that makes use of logical argument, coherent theses, and evidence of that discipline, with use of library sources when applicable. The student’s analysis should demonstrate appropriate information literacy in a particular discipline of the humanities, which, depending on the nature of the assignment might include, for example: