For students in highly specialized academic fields, the professional path that begins after graduation is often clear-cut. Individuals who earn an accounting degree, for example, generally go on to become accountants. Other students, however, prefer a broader academic focus that spans several disciplines, making them a natural fit for studying humanities. Since the term humanities…
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For writers, narratives are often a synthesis of their real-life experiences and observations. While many writers have had struggles, be their personal tragedies, health issues, lack of acceptance, or economic disadvantages, African American writers have had a much steeper slope to climb. Slavery, racism, discrimination, segregation, and other forms of injustice have often created barriers…
History is a subject rooted in the past, but it’s also connected to today and tomorrow. It informs our present, showing us how we arrived at the nation and world we inhabit today. And, as a topic of study, it can also tell us where we might be headed as a society—or even as individuals….
When people hear “liberal arts,” they often think of subjects like history or literature. In reality, a liberal arts education covers a wide variety of disciplines designed to develop critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills. It’s rooted in a tradition that dates back centuries—but today, it’s a dynamic way to prepare for real-world careers across…
A 2019 research report from the acclaimed Mellon Foundation addressed the overall value of humanities, stating that they’re “useful to society in the preservation and curation of culture” and also that the humanities “contribute to the maintenance and health of democracy via teaching skills of critical reasoning, debate, and evaluation of ideas.” Being part of…
More than 66,000 years ago, Neanderthals pressed their hands against the wall of a cave in what would later become Spain and splashed pigment on them. Their hand stencils have remained visible in the cave, known as the Cave of Maltravieso, to this day. Why did they do it? What were they trying to say?…
The humanities encompass the full range of human thought and creativity, including languages, religion, philosophy, and the broad spectrum of the arts (including the performing arts and the visual arts). Humanities education explores the commonalities and differences in self-expression that humans have exhibited through the ages and continue to demonstrate today. The humanities have always…