The word humanities originally meant the "good arts," for it was recognized that poetry, history, and philosophy serve ends beyond knowledge. The humanities are concerned with human values: people at work; people in society; and people who learn; and the humanities constitute a way of teaching, or of learning, or of living, and are not necessarily confined to the limits of course titles or outlines.

Humanities 201-202 is a two-semester interdisciplinary course that will introduce sophomore students to western and non-western cultural history with specific emphasis on literature, philosophy, history, religion, music, and art. The course is organized around a theme, Enduring Human Values and Cultural Connections.

Western and non-western traditions are emphasized in both semesters so as to underscore the interrelatedness of cultures, and to make clear how men and women of diverse origins have interacted to produce rich cultures in the modern world. Therefore, it is expected that students will understand that knowledge is not a disconnected series of specialized subjects but interrelated domains of thought; that, by analyzing works that express fundamental and influential ideas in compelling ways, students will ask significant and pertinent questions of their classmates and teachers in discussion groups; and that, by studying the literature, philosophy, history, and arts of their own and other cultures, they will be able to recognize the elements that inform the present and make the past meaningful; recognize the tensions between continuity and change; and recognize the rewards and limitations of a cultural heritage.