Presented by: Lisa Miller Cristy Beatty Andrea Kingsford Gloria Lopez Britta Morejohn Erica Jamieson What are the Humanities? Humanities are a group of academic subjects united by a commitment to studying aspects of the human condition. The term “humanities” includes, but is not limited to, the study of history, literature, philosophy, languages, linguistics, comparative religion, folklore/folklife, the history theory and criticism of the arts, ethnic studies, international issues, ethics, jurisprudence, cultural anthropology, archaeology, political or social theory, and those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.

Essential Questions for the Humanities What causes history? What makes us the people we become? What determines how we end up living our lives? What qualities are shared by all of the arts and humanities? What characteristics are unique to each?

Humanities in the Primary Grades Arts Studying art of the culture/country you cover Reflective of natural resources Literature Use folktales and other literature to learn about culture of different peoples

Middle Grades In the context of History Art of the times: South Africa: development of music in the gold mines as reflective of the people’s condition Philosophy: Political documents: study for philosophical roots –e. g. Declaration of Independence Literature: South Africa: literature from different perspectives (colonist vs. native African) through history of apartheid

RESOURCES: National Endowment for the Humanities: California Department of Education: Arts and Humanities: Fayette County Schools:

Should Humanities Be a Part of Social Studies? Humanities covers many strands of the California Content Standards. Humanities addresses National Council for Social Studies Standards. Provides students an audio and/or visual representation of history and cultures. Artifacts provide meaningful insight in to how people lived and interacted with one another.