Humanities Summer Series #1: What are the Humanities?

With Paul Christesen, the William R. Kenan Professor of Ancient Greek History. The Humanities are a vibrant and vital part of intellectual life at Dartmouth. In this presentation, we will explore some basic questions: What are the Humanities? What kinds of questions do the Humanities seek to answer? Why do those questions matter? How do we study the Humanities here at Dartmouth? What do I do with a Humanities degree? As we will see, the Humanities are a powerful means of coming to understand both the social worlds in which we are immersed and our place as individuals in those social worlds. The Humanities also invite us to contemplate fundamental questions about the kind of society in which we wish to live and the kinds of lives we as individuals would like to lead. And they offer us opportunities to express how we see the world and to give voice to our personal commitments. The Humanities, in short, are well named since they explore what it means to be human, in the past, present, and future.