HUMANITIES C100c100 humanities study guide.
C100 HUMANITIES STUDY GUIDE
Module 1: Foundations of Humanities
1. What are the humanities? refers to humans and their culture
2. Why study the humanities? better understand the human condition. By
studying literature, music, language, philosophy, religion, history, and the
arts. the study of human ideas.
3. What are the major historical periods covered in this course? Classical,
Renaissance, Enlightenment/Neoclassical, Romantic, Realist.
4. What is a theme? Give a few examples of themes from each period.
Themes* are unifying ideas that are repeated or developed throughout
a literary or artistic work.
• The Classical Period: balance, truth/reason, democracy/republic,
polytheism, humanism
• The Renaissance Period: rebirth of classicism, humanism, rationalism,
scientific expansion, university system, individualism, self-fashioning
• The Neoclassical Period: skepticism, rationalism, empiricism, order, deism,
classicism
• The Romantic Period: nationalism, exoticism, revolution, heroism,
passion, individualism, nature
• The Realist Period: Darwinism, industrialization, individualism, age of doubt
5. Identify and describe two universal themes: love and the hero.
LOVE: The ancient Greeks developed the idea of a distinction between eros*,
or erotic love, and agape*, or platonic love. Platonic love is selfless love of
one person for another on a spiritual level, or love of pure beauty, either
aesthetic or intellectual.
HERO: The hero archetype satisfies a psychological need to see the
individual (to see oneself) as capable of stupendous feats (physical, mental,
or moral) against seemingly insurmountable and antagonistic forces.
6. Define the central concepts in the humanities: humanism, myth,
beauty, aesthetic experience and archetype.
Humanism can be defined as the study of the creative and intellectual
contributions made by all cultures and as an ethical system that emphasizes
human reason, values, and the scientific method.
Myths are traditional stories of a people or culture that serve to explain
some natural phenomenon, the origin of humanity, or customs or
religious rites. These myths often offer practical and spiritual wisdom in
addition to providing entertainment.
Beauty can be defined as those qualities that give pleasure to the senses. An
aesthetic experience is an experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of
pleasure that is its own
,HUMANITIES C100c100 humanities study guide.
justification. For example, the beauty of the moon may cause us to enjoy the
experience of looking at the moon just for the sake of looking at it.
Archetypes are age-old models by which we comprehend human experience.
The concepts of heroes, scapegoats, and heaven are examples of concepts
that have been passed down through generations and have become part of
our cultural subconscious.
Aesthetic experience is an experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of
pleasure, which is its own justification, and this experience is valued
independently of others.
7. Identify and describe the disciplines in the humanities.
Music is an artistic form of auditory expression that incorporates instruments
or human voices in a structured and continuous manner.
Cinema is an artistic medium that uses the motion picture as a vehicle for
storytelling and other creative expression.
The visual arts entail creation of primarily visual works, which can be
two or three dimensional. These include painting, illustration,
photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
Literature is an art form of the written word. It refers to an individual literary
work or collectively to the creative writing of a people, nation, or culture.
Major forms of literature include poetry, novels, plays, and short stories.
Theater is a storytelling art. It often combines speech, music, gesture, dance,
stagecraft, and spectacle to perform a drama or musical before a live
audience.
Dance is an art form involving a sequence of rhythmic movements or steps
usually performed to music. Historically dance has often served ritualistic as
well as entertainment purposes.
Architecture is the science and art of designing buildings and other structures
and is concerned with the aesthetic effect of structures in their surrounding
environment.
8. What is art and how does it function? We can define art as the creation of
beautiful or significant things--or even more broadly, as the product of
human creativity.
There are five broad functions of art:
• Art provides aesthetic pleasure.
• Art offers political and social commentary.
• Art can assist in physical and emotional healing.
• Art can create historical artifacts from a specific time or place.
• Art can be used to enable commerce in advertising products and services.
•
, HUMANITIES C100c100 humanities study guide.
9. How is humanism apparent in Eastern cultures? Both Eastern and Western
humanistic traditions emphasized virtue, or the pursuit of excellence
through self-cultivation. While the Western humanistic tradition generally
focused on pursuing knowledge and truth through rationality, Eastern
traditions such as Buddhism emphasized discipline and self- development
through specialized physical and meditative practices in order to assist
individuals in achieving spiritual enlightenment.
10.What is consilience and why is it significant in higher education? Consilience
is the art and science of exploring the overlaps of what are often considered
quite different subjects, such as the science and Humanities, in search of
commonalities and places of agreement.
Which branch of philosophy deals with the nature and scope of knowledge? Epistemology.
Match each type of love with its definition.
Eros: Passionate love favored by Greek poets
Platonic: Non-sexual love emphasized by ancient Greeks
Courtly: A romantic love emphasized in the medieval period
Module 2: The Classical Period
1. Identify, define, and explain the importance of each of the Major
Themes of the Classical period. (See page 2.05, particularly the blue
tabs on the page.)
The major themes that emerged from the Classical Period included balance,
truth/reason, democracy/republic, polytheism, and humanism.
• Classical artists and philosophers were concerned with harmony and
balance* in their works.
• The great thinkers of the time—including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—
engaged in pursuit of truth* through logic and reason*.
• During the Classical Period, new forms of government known
as democracy* and republic* were created that put the power of decision making
into the hands of the people.
• The majority of ancient Greeks and Romans were polytheistic*, believing in
multiple gods who represented different facets of life.
• At the core of almost every endeavor was humanism*—simply a focus on
2. Study each Discipline for the period using the discipline pages in the module
(Religion, Philosophy, Poetry, Art, Architecture, Music). Study the Example
Works provided on each page. Themes reflected and Innovations.
C100 HUMANITIES STUDY GUIDE
Module 1: Foundations of Humanities
1. What are the humanities? refers to humans and their culture
2. Why study the humanities? better understand the human condition. By
studying literature, music, language, philosophy, religion, history, and the
arts. the study of human ideas.
3. What are the major historical periods covered in this course? Classical,
Renaissance, Enlightenment/Neoclassical, Romantic, Realist.
4. What is a theme? Give a few examples of themes from each period.
Themes* are unifying ideas that are repeated or developed throughout
a literary or artistic work.
• The Classical Period: balance, truth/reason, democracy/republic,
polytheism, humanism
• The Renaissance Period: rebirth of classicism, humanism, rationalism,
scientific expansion, university system, individualism, self-fashioning
• The Neoclassical Period: skepticism, rationalism, empiricism, order, deism,
classicism
• The Romantic Period: nationalism, exoticism, revolution, heroism,
passion, individualism, nature
• The Realist Period: Darwinism, industrialization, individualism, age of doubt
5. Identify and describe two universal themes: love and the hero.
LOVE: The ancient Greeks developed the idea of a distinction between eros*,
or erotic love, and agape*, or platonic love. Platonic love is selfless love of
one person for another on a spiritual level, or love of pure beauty, either
aesthetic or intellectual.
HERO: The hero archetype satisfies a psychological need to see the
individual (to see oneself) as capable of stupendous feats (physical, mental,
or moral) against seemingly insurmountable and antagonistic forces.
6. Define the central concepts in the humanities: humanism, myth,
beauty, aesthetic experience and archetype.
Humanism can be defined as the study of the creative and intellectual
contributions made by all cultures and as an ethical system that emphasizes
human reason, values, and the scientific method.
Myths are traditional stories of a people or culture that serve to explain
some natural phenomenon, the origin of humanity, or customs or
religious rites. These myths often offer practical and spiritual wisdom in
addition to providing entertainment.
Beauty can be defined as those qualities that give pleasure to the senses. An
aesthetic experience is an experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of
pleasure that is its own
,HUMANITIES C100c100 humanities study guide.
justification. For example, the beauty of the moon may cause us to enjoy the
experience of looking at the moon just for the sake of looking at it.
Archetypes are age-old models by which we comprehend human experience.
The concepts of heroes, scapegoats, and heaven are examples of concepts
that have been passed down through generations and have become part of
our cultural subconscious.
Aesthetic experience is an experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of
pleasure, which is its own justification, and this experience is valued
independently of others.
7. Identify and describe the disciplines in the humanities.
Music is an artistic form of auditory expression that incorporates instruments
or human voices in a structured and continuous manner.
Cinema is an artistic medium that uses the motion picture as a vehicle for
storytelling and other creative expression.
The visual arts entail creation of primarily visual works, which can be
two or three dimensional. These include painting, illustration,
photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
Literature is an art form of the written word. It refers to an individual literary
work or collectively to the creative writing of a people, nation, or culture.
Major forms of literature include poetry, novels, plays, and short stories.
Theater is a storytelling art. It often combines speech, music, gesture, dance,
stagecraft, and spectacle to perform a drama or musical before a live
audience.
Dance is an art form involving a sequence of rhythmic movements or steps
usually performed to music. Historically dance has often served ritualistic as
well as entertainment purposes.
Architecture is the science and art of designing buildings and other structures
and is concerned with the aesthetic effect of structures in their surrounding
environment.
8. What is art and how does it function? We can define art as the creation of
beautiful or significant things--or even more broadly, as the product of
human creativity.
There are five broad functions of art:
• Art provides aesthetic pleasure.
• Art offers political and social commentary.
• Art can assist in physical and emotional healing.
• Art can create historical artifacts from a specific time or place.
• Art can be used to enable commerce in advertising products and services.
•
, HUMANITIES C100c100 humanities study guide.
9. How is humanism apparent in Eastern cultures? Both Eastern and Western
humanistic traditions emphasized virtue, or the pursuit of excellence
through self-cultivation. While the Western humanistic tradition generally
focused on pursuing knowledge and truth through rationality, Eastern
traditions such as Buddhism emphasized discipline and self- development
through specialized physical and meditative practices in order to assist
individuals in achieving spiritual enlightenment.
10.What is consilience and why is it significant in higher education? Consilience
is the art and science of exploring the overlaps of what are often considered
quite different subjects, such as the science and Humanities, in search of
commonalities and places of agreement.
Which branch of philosophy deals with the nature and scope of knowledge? Epistemology.
Match each type of love with its definition.
Eros: Passionate love favored by Greek poets
Platonic: Non-sexual love emphasized by ancient Greeks
Courtly: A romantic love emphasized in the medieval period
Module 2: The Classical Period
1. Identify, define, and explain the importance of each of the Major
Themes of the Classical period. (See page 2.05, particularly the blue
tabs on the page.)
The major themes that emerged from the Classical Period included balance,
truth/reason, democracy/republic, polytheism, and humanism.
• Classical artists and philosophers were concerned with harmony and
balance* in their works.
• The great thinkers of the time—including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—
engaged in pursuit of truth* through logic and reason*.
• During the Classical Period, new forms of government known
as democracy* and republic* were created that put the power of decision making
into the hands of the people.
• The majority of ancient Greeks and Romans were polytheistic*, believing in
multiple gods who represented different facets of life.
• At the core of almost every endeavor was humanism*—simply a focus on
2. Study each Discipline for the period using the discipline pages in the module
(Religion, Philosophy, Poetry, Art, Architecture, Music). Study the Example
Works provided on each page. Themes reflected and Innovations.
