INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES

OVERVIEW ON HUMANITIES

1. Meaning of Humanities
1.1. Humanus, Humanitas – Human, Humanity – it refers to the quality of being a human;
civilized, cultured)
1.2. Branch of Learning – it refers to the study of the arts. As a study, its material object is
“artwork” and its formal object is “creativity and appreciation.”
The Humanities can be described as the study of how people process and document
the human experience. Since humans have been able, we have used philosophy, literature,
religion, art, music, history and language to understand and record our world. These modes
of expression have become some of the subjects that traditionally fall under the humanities
umbrella. Knowledge of these records of human experience gives us the opportunity to feel
a sense of connection to those who have come before us, as well as to our contemporaries.
(shc.standford.edu)
Every creation around you which is made by human beings represents someone's
humanity. The chair you're sitting in, the clothes you're wearing, the building you're in, or
your home, even the time of day which people created, all are representative of someone's
humanity -- their human-ness. In other words, everything that human beings have created
can be classified as part of the humanities.
(--How people created their world and how they in turn are created by it
--Study of human expressions)

2. Misconceptions on the term Humanities:

It should not be confused with the terms:
2.1. Humanism – specific philosophical belief
2.2. Humanitarianism – concern for charitable works.

3. Humanities: Art and Science

3.1. Art: Skills (Greek techne or technical)
3.2. Science: Involves a process.
3.3. Social Science: Man as the focus. Art is the subject matter, but art is created by man for
man.

4. Humanities vs. Philosophy

Comparison:
Humanities: Man is the source and fountain of all creativity. (Creating Subject)
Philosophy: Man is the starting point of knowledge. (Inquiring Subject)
Contrast:
Humanities: Explicit understanding of artworks – extensions of his being (man).
Philosophy: Implicit understanding of himself as composed of body and soul.

5. Why Study Humanities?

1. Through Humanities, we can be connected to places we have not visited, understand the
past or history which has significance to the present. It makes us encounter great minds
and hearts of human history.
2. Through Humanities, we will be studying what humans have found valuable or good
throughout the time.
3. Through Humanities, we experience connection between culture and community
through different art exposures.
4. Through Humanities, we increase our respect for cultural and individual differences
through a knowledge of achievements and of world civilization.
5. Through Humanities, we gain a global perspective through the knowledge of world
cultures.
6. Through Humanities, we will be able to build up your career, focus our life, minimize
frustration, and most importantly, be able to work as part of an effective team.

“The humanities—including the study of languages, literature, history, jurisprudence,

philosophy, comparative religion, ethics and the arts—are disciplines of memory and
imagination, telling us where we have been and helping us envision where we are going.”
-The Heart of the Matter (Report of the American Academy of Arts and Science’s
Commision on the Humanities and Social Sciences to the US Congress in June 2013)

Introduction to Humanities includes study of

1. Philosophy
2. Religion
3. Arts
4. Architecture
5. Music
6. Literature
7. Theatre
8. Film
Outline
1. What is Humanities?
2. Creation and Humanities
a. Genesis 1-2
b. Pico de Mirandolla’s View on Man
3. Philosophy
a. What is Philosophy?
b. Survey of Philosophical Anthropology
4. Religion
5. Arts
a. Overview on the Arts
b. Representing the Human Form
6. Architecture
7. Music
8. Literature
9. Theatre
10. Film