WHY TAKE HUMANITIES

CLASS?

Mrs. SchneiderIntro to Arts & Humanities

DEFINITION OF HUMANITIES humanity

[hyoo-man-i-tee]

1. all human beings collectively; the human race; humankind.

2. the quality or condition of being human; human nature.

3. the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence.

4. the humanities. the study of classical languages and classical literature.

the Latin and Greek classics as a field of study.

literature, philosophy, art, etc., as distinguished from the natural sciences.

the study of literature, philosophy, art, etc.

SO WHAT DOES HUMANITIES HAVE TO DO WITH THE ARTS?“The Arts” are a subset of the greater set called humanities.

If you go to college and take philosophy – it is in the humanities.

If you take an ancient language (Greek, Latin) – it falls within the humanities.

If you study literature or religion – it is part of humanities.

And if you study “The Arts,” it falls within the umbrella term “humanities.”

So we call this class “Arts & Humanities” because you are studying the specific subset of the arts and we’ll tie that into the broader term humanities.

WHY STUDY THE ARTS? Let’s start with a definition . . .

Study of the Arts includesthe study of the history of the visual and performing arts

“The Arts” include:

MusicDance DramaVisual Arts

WHY THE ARTS?The arts relate to

EVERY class and subject taught at

Simon Kenton.

You don’t believe me?

Let’s see.

WHY THE ARTS?

1. The arts are a science.

Music is the study of acoustics and frequency.

Color theory is tied into ROYGBIV (the spectrum of light).

Dance involves kinesiology.

WHY THE ARTS?2. The arts use mathematics.

Measures of music are related to fractions. Architecture uses applied geometry. Dance rhythms are counted. Tessellations | Vitruvian Man | Golden Rectangle

WHY THE ARTS?3. The arts use

foreign language vocabulary. Most of the

terms used in the arts come from German, French, Italian (Latin-based languages.)

Examples:

Opus (Latin)

A work of art

Ballet (French)

To dance

Chiaroscuro (Italian)

Dramatic use of light and dark in a painting

Sturm & drang (German)

Stress and turmoil

WHY THE ARTS?4. The arts reflect history.

Visual & dramatic arts reflect the environment, feelings and specific times of the creation.

WHY THE ARTS?5. The arts are physical

education. Most of the arts

require hand/eye coordination and control of the body.

Dance is a strenuous physical activity.

WHY THE ARTS?6. The arts are a social science. They can be

researched and studied like many other social sciences.

WHY HUMANITIES?7. The arts allow individuals to be creative.

WHY HUMANITIES?

Students who are involved in the arts…typically have higher SAT test scores.read and write better.are more involved in school activities.are less likely to drop out of school.

Sources: The College Board