Humanities
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Saint Paul College Programs
Liberal Arts and Sciences - Humanities
Program Overview
Humanities courses promote the study of cultural developments. Students gain an increased understanding of the world they live in, how it came to be as it is, and what their place is in it. Students will be asked to consider how they can apply what they have learned about what has come before to what might occur in the future. Humanities is an interdisciplinary subject in that it is an exploration of the influence particular fields have on each other; for example, the influence of political movements on visual art, or the influence of religion on poetry of the same period. The fields included in the Humanities are: art, history, literature, philosophy, religion, politics, law, music, drama and language. Students are encouraged to make comparisons between different fields and different time periods and to consider the significance of similarities and differences.
Humanities courses fulfill Minnesota Transfer Curriculum requirements and College degree program requirements.
| Course | Cr | |
|---|---|---|
| HUMA 1710 | The Art of Being Human: An introduction to the Humanities | 4 |
| HUMA 1720 | The Ancient and Medieval World | 4 |
| HUMA 1730 | The Modern World | 4 |
| HUMA 1750 | Culture and Civilization: Spanish Speaking Cultures | 3 |
| HUMA 1770 | The Art of Film | 3 |
| HUMA 1780 | American Film | 3 |
| HUMA 1790 | International Film | 3 |
Course Description
HUMA 1710 The Art of Being Human: An Introduction to Humanities
This course introduces themes central to human existence, from ancient times to the present. The themes are interpreted through art, music, literature, drama, film and philosophy. This course serves as an introduction to writing, art and ideas conceived throughout history. (MnTC: Goals 6 & 8) 4C/4/0/0
HUMA 1720 The Ancient and Medieval World
This course introduces students to the global humanities and shows the relationship between the culture of the past and life in the present. The course includes an examination of written works, art, architecture, and music from Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Texts, materials and interdisciplinary assignments will examine the arts and ideas of the West in relation to those of other world cultures, including India, East Asia, Africa and Native America. (MnTC: Goal 6 & 8) 4C/4/0/0
HUMA 1730 The Modern World
This course continues to introduce students to the global humanities and shows the relationship between the culture of the past and life in the present. The course includes an examination of written works, art, architecture, and music from the Modern World. Texts, materials and interdisciplinary assignments will examine the arts and ideas of the West in relation to those of the other world cultures, including India, East Asia, Africa and Native America. (MnTC: Goal 6 & 8) 4C/4/0/0
HUMA 1750 Culture and Civilization: Spanish-Speaking Cultures
Taught in English, this course introduces students to the mosaic of qualities that make up the culture and civilization of Spanish-speaking people of the Americas, Spain and elsewhere across the globe. To provide students with an awareness of the cultural, social, religious and linguistic values of Spanishspeaking cultures, multi-media resources (Internet, music, video) will be used to illustrate course topics including the arts, literature and history. This course may include guest speakers and visits to local Latino/Hispanic cultural centers. (MnTC: Goals 6 & 8) 3C/3/0/0
HUMA 1770 The Art of Film
This course is an introduction to film as an art form and as a medium for portraying ideas, myths, human concerns and aesthetic principles. The course includes an examination of film techniques, film theories and artistic styles of films such as formalism, surrealism, expressionism and neorealism. (MnTC: Goals 6 & 7) 3C/3/0/0
HUMA 1780 American Film
A study of American film both as an art form and as a medium of cultural communication and expression. The course is designed to improve “visual literacy” and to cultivate an ability to deal with film in an intelligent and critical way. The works of Edison, Porter, Griffith, Keaton, Chaplin, Ford, Capra, Wells, Hitchcock are examples of works to be studied. The course will offer representative examples of the major film genres and styles: the Western, Film Noir, Comedy, independent films and others. The film work of African American and female directors will be integrated into the course. (MnTC: Goals 6 & 7) 3C/3/0/0
HUMA 1790 International Film
A study of film as an art form and as a means of cultural communication from an international perspective. The course is designed to cultivate an ability to deal with film in a critical way, as well as broaden understanding of film and culture in a global context. Each semester a variety of national cinematic traditions will be examined including film works from Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, Latin America and Canada. (MnTC: Goals 6 & 8) 3C/3/0/0
