Humanities Program Mission Statement

The Humanities Program seeks to raise university and community awareness of expressions of human imagination and creativity.  The distinguishing characteristic of the program is an interdisciplinary approach, focusing on connections between works of visual art, architecture, music, theater, dance, and literature in a social and historical context.  By exploring a range of imaginative assumptions across disciplinary borders, students and community members may become more fully prepared to accept and appreciate cultural diversity in a global environment.

Humanities Course Offerings

Boise State University offers two introductory courses in Humanities, the first ranging from Prehistoric times through the Middle Ages, and the second covering the Early Modern Era through today.  These courses satisfy the university's Area I core requirement in Arts and Humanities, so students come from a wide range of disciplines and interests.  Housed in the Department of English, the Humanities courses offer an overview of a liberal arts education.  The two surveys explore representative works of music, art, architecture, and literature that express in some way what it is to be human, what it is to create.

Learning Outcomes Expected in HUM-207
(Introduction to Humanities I)

Students who successfully complete this course should be able to demonstrate the skills and knowledge listed below.
1. Knowledge of works from the humanities, that is, expressions of human imagination and creativity, in Western culture from early cultures of the Mediterranean through the European Middle Ages.
• A familiarity with selected works of the imagination drawn from the visual, musical, theatrical, and literary arts.
• A familiarity with the social and historical contexts that produced these works.
2. Communication skills
• The ability to use both spoken and written language in interpreting works of the imagination and discussing their significance.
3. Critical Thinking
• The ability to identify similarities and differences in the ways the different art forms express ideas and values.
• The ability to understand and appreciate the complexity of the arts in presenting ideas.
4. Cultural Perspective
• The ability to analyze these works and see them in the broader context of the cultures that produced them.
• An increasing self-awareness as reader, viewer, and listener in understanding the assumptions of the culture from which the student comes.
• An understanding of the ways in which works of the imagination reflect their culture, or sub-culture, and the limits of that "reflection."
• An understanding of how these works of art from other times, places, and cultures might, or might not, be meaningful to us today.

Learning Outcomes Expected in HUM-208
(Introduction to Humanities II)

Students who successfully complete this course should be able to demonstrate the skills and knowledge listed below.
1. Knowledge of works from the humanities, that is, expressions of human imagination and creativity, in Western culture from the Renaissance to the present.
• A familiarity with selected works of the imagination drawn from the visual, musical, theatrical, and literary arts.
• A familiarity with the social and historical contexts that produced these works.
2. Communication skills
• The ability to use both spoken and written language in interpreting works of the imagination and discussing their significance.
3. Critical Thinking
• The ability to identify similarities and differences in the ways the different art forms express ideas and values.
• The ability to understand and appreciate the complexity of the arts in presenting ideas.
4. Cultural Perspective
• The ability to analyze these works and see them in the broader context of the cultures that produced them.
• An increasing self-awareness as reader, viewer, and listener in understanding the assumptions of the culture from which the student comes.
• An understanding of the ways in which works of the imagination reflect their culture, or sub-culture, and the limits of that "reflection."
• An understanding of how these works of art from other times, places, and cultures might, or might not, be meaningful to us today.

The Future of Humanities at Boise State University

The Humanities Program is at an exciting juncture.  New interest in the program is propelling faculty to consider:
• Extending course offerings
• Providing enrichment opportunities for faculty
• Collaborating with community institutions and programs
• Exploring grant opportunities