HUMANITIES:

INTRODUCTION
There is a need. It is a basic human need.
Sense of iden5ty reinforced by signs and
symbols
Conrma5on of inner perplexi5es
Need to be assured that inner ambivalences,
doubts, and anxie5es can give shape
All these func5on in an unconscious level
(Dudley, Faricy and Rice, 1978, p.1)

HUMANITIES: INTRODUCTION 2
There is a need. It is a basic human need.
Sense of iden5ty reinforced by signs and
symbols
Conrma5on of inner perplexi5es
Need to be assured that inner ambivalences,
doubts, and anxie5es can give shape
All these func5on in an unconscious level
(Dudley, Faricy and Rice, 1978, p.1)

How the Humani;es evolved?

Humani5es was rst applied to wri5ngs of ancient
La5n authors, which were read for their clarity of
language and forceful literary style and more
specically for their moral teaching.
Medieval age (1100-1453): the humani5es dealt
with metaphysics of the religious philosopher.
The goal was the cul5va5on of spiritual life and
the prepara5on for the hereaVer.

How the Humani;es evolved? 2

During the Renaissance (14th-16th c.), refers to the
sets of disciplines taught in the universi5es,
which include grammar, rhetoric, history,
literature, music, philosophy, and theology a
body of knowledge aimed to make man human,
cultured, and rened. This concept which
recognized mans essen5al worth and capacity
for self-advancement in this world.

How the Humani;es evolved? 3

In our century, the humani5es serve to provide the
student with certain skills and values through
the arts. Instruc5on places his area of
specializa5on within the broader perspec5ve of
the human condi5on and ideal as imagina5vely
rendered in pain5ng, sculpture, architecture,
photography, dance, drama, and cinema as well
the tradi5onal component of humani5esareas
in which human values and individual
expressiveness are celebrated (Dudley et al,
1978, p.v)

How the Humani;es evolved? 4

It aims to shape your (the students) subjec5ve
energies (his/her feelings, a_tudes, and
aspira5ons) in accordance with a par5cular view
of the social world in which s/he dreams, acts,
and fullls himself. The view of man and his/her
world changes so too the content and the
direc5on of humani5es.

How the Humani;es evolved? 5

BUT in all cases the principal task remains the
same, which is to make (wo)man conscious and
cri5cal of, and sensi5ve and responsive to the
norms and hopes of his society.

The Humani;es and the Sciences

Humani5es is dis5nct from the sciences.
The sciences studies with the external world of
man as well as the facets of mans being that can
be subjected to observa5on, measurement, and
experimenta5on. It also enables man to
understand and control nature and to harness its
energy to make life more comfortable and
convenient.

The Humani;es and the Sciences 2

Humani5es deal with the internal world
personality, experiences, mabers that cannot be
measured, classied, and controlled.
The study of humani5es cannot be as precise or
well-structured and uniform as the study of
biology or physics. The humani5es approach is
subjec5ve it makes use of percep5on, feeling,
intui5on, and insight.

The Humani;es and the Sciences 3

Humani5es focuses on the individual while social
sciences concern is on types and groups of
human beings and ins5tu5ons and processes in
society.
Is it necessary?

The Humani;es and the Sciences 4

Yes, as much as the sciences are. Man needs an
image of him/herself, and understanding of his/
her nature. Through words, tones, mass, line,
color, or design, the arts provide man with a
measure of his/her own passions and desires,
his/her rela5ons with other persons and
environment and his poten5als.

The Humani;es and the Sciences 5

Both the sciences and humani5es are necessary for
the development of the complete and social
man, ready to take on his responsibili5es in this
rapidly changing world and to enjoy life as he
lives it.
We will concern ourselves with the arts as
expressions of man.

Humani;es and the Arts

The humani5es engage both our intellectual and
our intui5ve, emo5onal selves. They do so
inten5onally and without apology.
Delight and pleasure in the arts can arise from
casual sensualism in the aural, tac5le, or visual
experience they evoke.

Humani;es and the Arts 2

But the knowledge of how the works which aord
us these pleasures come into being, the
understanding of the ar5sts use of a medium in
making personal statement, and the sharing of
that experiencethese deepen and broaden our
enjoyment at the level of understanding and the
level of feeling.

Humani;es and the Arts 3

It focuses, rather, on that most human act, an ar5st
interac5ng with an experience or subject,
transla5ng it into a medium, using the elements
of the medium and the techniques for working it
to the produce the nished work.

Humani;es and the Arts 4

It is even necessary that students acquire, keep,
and use the informa5on that allows them to
examine works of art personally and at rst
hand, and to make their own evalua5ons and
judgments of them:
1. Studying the arts together;
2. Centering aben5on on individual arts
themselves;

Humani;es and the Arts 5

3. Cul5vate the students personal responses and
percep5ons;
4. Outlining a process of interac5ng with the arts
observa5ons and intui5ve responses, dialogue
with the arts; star5ng with surfaces and
studying it deeply and widely as possible

Ten reasons why Humani;es maGer

1. The humani5es help us understand others
through their languages, histories and
cultures.
2. They foster social jus5ce and equality.
3. And they reveal how people have tried to
make moral, spiritual and intellectual sense
of the world.
hbp://curt-rice.com/2014/02/25/here-are-9-reasons-why-humani5es-maber-whats-your-number-10/
Why_humani5es_rev2015-11-11.pptx

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Ten reasons why Humani;es maGer

4. The humani5es teach empathy.
5. They teach us to deal cri5cally and logically
with subjec5ve, complex, imperfect
informa5on.
6. And they teach us to weigh evidence
skep5cally and consider more than one
side of every ques5on.
hbp://curt-rice.com/2014/02/25/here-are-9-reasons-why-humani5es-maber-whats-your-number-10/
Why_humani5es_rev2015-11-11.pptx

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Ten reasons why Humani;es maGer (2)

7. Humani5es students build skills in wri5ng
and cri5cal reading.
8. The humani5es encourage us to think
crea5vely. They teach us to reason about
being human and to ask ques5ons about
our world.

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Ten reasons why Humani;es maGer (2)

9. The humani5es develop informed and
cri5cal ci5zens. Without the humani5es,
democracy could not ourish.
Can you think of another one? Whats your
tenth reason?

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