Every Undergraduate Should Study the Humanities

RosieandherMaw

Lathyrus3

Well, we know people can be swayed by the written word - the pen is mightier than the sword.

But not to develop empathy per se.

Literature can also develop intolerance, hatred and spur on evil acts. So it isn’t in itself a tool for developing empathy.

Those who love Jane Eyre should also read The Wide Saragossa Sea 😬

It's The Wide Sargasso Sea ,(not Saragossa) and frankly a much more meaningful book, exploring themes of colonialism and cultural identity.
Actually why anybody should be attracted to a man who locks his wife in an attic (because of her mental health "the madwoman in the attic" ) to marry a much younger girl, is questionable morality to me.
If you love Jane Eyre this book might come as a shock especially to those who swoon over Mr Rochester

Children and adults need to hone their critical faculties to evaluate which literature tells lies about human nature and which is honest to facts of human nature. Arguably the most obvious example of dishonest fiction is pornography, and political propaganda comes a close second.

Interesting critique of 'Jane Eyre'.

Both Jane Eyre and The Wide Sargasso Sea are true to life. The sequel does not negate 'Jane Eyre' but expands the reader's vision, particularly how to be wary of Romantic ideas.

When I’d read it, it went on my list of why did nobody ever tell me how good this book is!

Yes sorry, auto correct 😳

I read it after actually sailing through the banks of weed and thinking omg I know what this is😂

Many people think novels or reportage are “just” for enjoyment or passing the time. But research — and common sense — shows that stories are one of the most powerful ways humans learn to understand feelings, relationships, and ourselves. That’s what psychologists now call emotional intelligence.

Lathyrus3

Well, we know people can be swayed by the written word - the pen is mightier than the sword.

But not to develop empathy per se.

Literature can also develop intolerance, hatred and spur on evil acts. So it isn’t in itself a tool for developing empathy.

Those who love Jane Eyre should also read The Wide Saragossa Sea 😬

It's The Wide Sargasso Sea ,(not Saragossa) and frankly a much more meaningful book, exploring themes of colonialism and cultural identity.
Actually why anybody should be attracted to a man who locks his wife in an attic (because of her mental health "the madwoman in the attic" ) to marry a much younger girl, is questionable morality to me.
If you love Jane Eyre this book might come as a shock especially to those who swoon over Mr Rochester

Having worked in a private school that ran both IB and 'A' Level courses, the general consensus amongst teaching staff was that students who wanted to become doctors; engineers; physicists etc were better off doing 'A' Levels.

Well, we know people can be swayed by the written word - the pen is mightier than the sword.

But not to develop empathy per se.

Literature can also develop intolerance, hatred and spur on evil acts. So it isn’t in itself a tool for developing empathy.

Those who love Jane Eyre should also read The Wide Saragossa Sea 😬

Please don’t insult my empathy or education. Or indeed my knowledge of literature.
Do you actually know what Historiography means?
( the writing of history, especially the writing of history based on the critical examination of sources )
Jane Eyre really doesn’t come into it. .

'To Kill a Mockingbird' may increase your empathy. Literature.

Learning how it feels to live under a repressive regime helps kindness towards foreigners . Honest reportage.

'Death of a Salesman ' can show how an obscure life is full of pathos. Drama.

That cultures change through time help us to sympathise with our parents and grandparents. Historiography.

With all due respect - no.
Never liked Jane Eyre myself or Wuthering Heights.
The humanities include the academic study of philosophy, religion, history (sometimes considered part of the social sciences instead), language arts (literature, writing, oratory, rhetoric, poetry, etc.), the performing arts (theatre, music, dance, etc.), and the visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography
If only that was all it took to be a decent human being….

Caleo

RosieandherMaw

I actually think that all Arts students should study a compulsory Science element. And Science students study a History/Humanities element.
I suspect many of us are woefully undereducated in the broader sense of the word!
I had to do a year of Moral Philosophy or alternatively Logic and Metaphysics as part of my MA degree at St Andrews which was fascinating.
However to go back to OP there is no link whatsoever between humanity and an awareness of it or indeed practising it in our lives, and studying what we loosely refer to as the Humanities.
Not the same word!

Do you not think that reading Jane Eyre can help you to be a little more understanding of how others feel?

No.

I can't imagine my DB ever reading Jane Eyre but he was one of the most empathetic people you could ever have met.

RosieandherMaw

I actually think that all Arts students should study a compulsory Science element. And Science students study a History/Humanities element.
I suspect many of us are woefully undereducated in the broader sense of the word!
I had to do a year of Moral Philosophy or alternatively Logic and Metaphysics as part of my MA degree at St Andrews which was fascinating.
However to go back to OP there is no link whatsoever between humanity and an awareness of it or indeed practising it in our lives, and studying what we loosely refer to as the Humanities.
Not the same word!

Do you not think that reading Jane Eyre can help you to be a little more understanding of how others feel?

Allira

I think it depends, too. For example, at the university I attended, the practice was that just because a discipline fit into one category, it did not follow that every course in that discipline fit into that category. Logic was an example. Logic is part of philosophy, which is one of the humanities, but the logic courses (and some of the metaphysics courses) were considered science courses. Similarly, political science is a social science, but the political philosophy courses were listed under fine arts & humanities.

Oh I love a good non sequitur, (rushes off to find out what it means)🤭

Allira

^However to go back to OP there is no link whatsoever between humanity and an awareness of it or indeed practising it in our lives, and studying what we loosely refer to as the Humanities.^
Not the same word!

I kept trying to point that out but alas, my posts are probably ignored.

It seems to come down to, or emanate from, a fundamental misunderstanding of the two words.
Humanity and the Humanities are NOT the same thing, so the whole thread is based on a non sequitur .

Lathyrus I can’t quote your reply to my earlier post but the purpose is to provide a more rounded education. He is in the US and I believe it’s quite a common thing there. He teaches English and history in various forms and pretty much all his students enjoy it. He set them Wolf Hall to read last year and despite it being a huge tome it went down a storm, they loved it!

The problem I have with Baccalaureate type exams is you either pass the lot or fail.

They are really good for all rounders but you could be the most brilliant mathematician or the most gifted linguist in the world and come away with nothing.

Allira

Lathyrus3

No, all us logical thinkers keep trying to say that😬

Is logic a Science or a Humanity?

Asking for a friend.

I think it’s a Science.

I’m open to counter arguments 🙂

A couple of young members of my family are taking the International Baccalaureate instead of A levels.

Perhaps 16 is too young to choose a more narrow curriculum.

Ps, like Geography, it could be both, I suppose 😁

Lathyrus3

No, all us logical thinkers keep trying to say that😬

Is logic a Science or a Humanity?

Asking for a friend.

I agree that there is no real link between being humanitarian and studying Humanities, but I also think that a broader education would benefit everyone.

I know Some People don't agree, but I firmly believe that education should be about the 'whole person', rather than a training for work, and have no qualms at all about people studying a subject for interest then working in an entirely different area. I don't see what's wrong with someone getting a degree in, say, Literature then working as a decorator or a gardener. I also think that scientists who study even one module on Arts, and Historians who study Maths or Physics will be more 'rounded' individuals.

The right (or even obligation) to do that used to be commonplace on many degree courses, but over the years the silo mentality encouraged by the need for financial accountability has meant that departments are less likely to offer modules to other students or allow their students to boost numbers outside of their home department. It's a shame.

No, all us logical thinkers keep trying to say that😬

However to go back to OP there is no link whatsoever between humanity and an awareness of it or indeed practising it in our lives, and studying what we loosely refer to as the Humanities.
Not the same word!

I kept trying to point that out but alas, my posts are probably ignored.

I actually think that all Arts students should study a compulsory Science element. And Science students study a History/Humanities element.
I suspect many of us are woefully undereducated in the broader sense of the word!
I had to do a year of Moral Philosophy or alternatively Logic and Metaphysics as part of my MA degree at St Andrews which was fascinating.
However to go back to OP there is no link whatsoever between humanity and an awareness of it or indeed practising it in our lives, and studying what we loosely refer to as the Humanities.
Not the same word!