What is studied in Humanities?

What do we understand by "Humanities" and what is studied in this type of career? In an increasingly specific and specialized world, it seems that interdisciplinary studies such as the Humanities are doomed to disappear.

Using an expression quite widespread in the university world, we can say that the Humanities "touch many keys, but do not hit any of them strongly." Well, a priori, it may seem that way.

Humanistic studies are polyvalent and do not focus on any specific discipline. But, paradoxically, that is his best cover letter. Because? Because reality is not made up of autonomous and separate pieces, but is an organic network of elements that not only touch, but also intertwine and form an endless chain of causes and consequences.

Thus, delving into a specific subject and not leaving it is something similar to staying locked up at home. Yes, we know all the furniture and all its corners, but what will happen when we have to go outside?

The Humanities propose, in this way, an open and rich vision, and allow, therefore,

a much deeper and more complex knowledge of human reality. Let's see next what humanistic studies are based on.

What is studied in Humanities?

In general, the Humanities refer to the set of careers that revolve around the human being and study their behavior and cultural manifestations, among other things. Some of these careers related to the Humanities are history, art history, law, philosophy or anthropology. All of them constitute autonomous and independent studies, although, obviously, they are linked to each other by their own humanistic nature.

However, For years we have found the degree in Humanities in the university panorama (former Bachelor's degree in Humanities), which involves an interdisciplinary study that is much more complex than that proposed by other humanistic careers. And it is that, as the name itself indicates, the degree in Humanities amalgamates all the variants of humanistic knowledge, namely: art, literature, philosophy, etc., with the aim of offering the student a broad and, at the same time, deep vision of everything related to being human. This extensive and nuanced vision facilitates a better understanding of human behaviors and their expressions. artistic and social, by comparing elements apparently as diverse as art, anthropology and philosophy.

Let's see in detail below what is studied in humanities.

1. History

It is one of the basic disciplines of these studies, since it focuses on the journey of the human being from the dawn of time to the present moment. The history subjectIt focuses mainly on the social, economic and political changes that have taken place in the world, not only from a, we could say, “numerical” and quantitative perspective, but also focusing on the causes of these changes and the consequences they have had and continue to have on the human community current.

History is an essential subject for anyone wishing to enter the sciences humanistic, since historical facts are the fruit of behavior and thought human. And not only that, but by understanding the past, you can better understand the present.

• You may be interested in: "The 15 branches of History: what they are and what they study"

2. Art

It is another of the essential subjects in humanistic studies, since art is one of the most genuine expressions of human thought. Absolutely all the cultures of the world have had and have artistic expression, closely linked to their perception of the world and their beliefs. Therefore, delving into the history of art is to better understand these communities that used artistic creation as an expressive vehicle of their self and their reality.

In the Humanities degree, art is absolutely linked to the other disciplines. Being the vehicle of expression of a culture and an era, we can trace in it philosophical, religious, aesthetic and even psychological concepts. In fact, it is impossible to understand the artistic creation of a community or of a historical period without taking into account the determining factors, which can be of a varied nature. Moreover, the study of the history of art allows us to know what each of the societies that have formed part of history understood by beautiful; We realize, in this way, that there are many ways of seeing reality and that what may be good for us is not so good for others.

• Related article: "What are the 7 Fine Arts? A summary of its characteristics"

3. Philosophy

The eternal questions “Who are we?” and “Where do we come from”? are inherent to the human being. Every person asks questions about the world and about its own existence; this is something common in cultures of all times. Without philosophy, we could not understand the human being, because all, absolutely all of his acts, are motivated by a specific way of thinking and feeling.

The subject of philosophy aims, then, for two things: on the one hand, to encourage in the student that need to understand and wonder, which is the basis of the human being; on the other, a history, to be able to be compared, of philosophy. For the latter, the thought is studied not only of the different existing cultures, but also of those that have already disappeared, such as medieval philosophy. Also important authors are proposed, such as Plato, Descartes and Nietzsche, and debates are established that revolve around his thought and his work.

4. Literature

Literature is still an art, since it is the creative expression of a person or a community. However, it is usual to study it separately, thus differentiating it from the plastic arts. The same happens, as we will see, with music.

Like any artistic expression, literature is inevitably linked to the thought of its author, and this, in turn, to the thought of the society and the culture that welcomes it. The author transfers to his work everything that is, but also his opposition to the education received. That is why literature represents an invaluable document when it comes to analyzing not only an individual person, but also a human community.

It must also be taken into account that, as with art, literary manifestations may be subject to propaganda, for what is necessary to study them not only with aesthetic pleasure, but also with the necessary objectivity with which any other document would be studied historical.

• You may be interested in: "The 16 types of books that exist (according to different criteria)"

5. Music

In the same way as literature, music is usually studied in a subject apart from the other artistic manifestations. It is one more vehicle for the expression of a community, an era or an author and, like any artistic creation, it is also susceptible to being manipulated.

Do not confuse the subject of music that is given in the Humanities with some studies of musical science. The Humanities focus rather on the history of music, on the multiple musical expressions that have occurred over time. and in the diverse cultures that populate the world, seeking rather a relationship of this expression with the historical context in which they saw the light.

6. Anthropology

Anthropology is one of the most "modern" subjects that have been included within humanistic studies. Being a science that is halfway between the humanities and the sciences, we have not always found it within the Humanities curriculum, as is also the case with sociology. However, in recent years it has been offered as one of the subjects that students can choose, thus enriching the panorama of humanistic studies.

Not only that. Anthropology, as a relatively modern science (we find its antecedents at the beginning of the 20th century), renews the forms of study of the humanities by inserting them into a modern methodology.

The problem of Eurocentrism in the Humanities

One of the main problems that have been occurring in the Humanities (and which, fortunately, seems to be changing today) is his eminently Eurocentric vision, not only of art, but of humanity in general. So we will find many humanities graduates who are completely ignorant of everything concerning oriental art or philosophy. This problem, which, as we have already said, is beginning to be solved slowly, has a certain logic if we take into account where the concept of Humanities was born.

We are not going to delve too deeply into this aspect; Just comment that humanism was a European current, which was born at the end of the Middle Ages and expanded later with the Renaissance. The humanist (as could be, for example, a Leonardo da Vinci or a Michelangelo), was a character who dominated a multitude of themes, including, by the way, those of a strictly scientific nature.

As this character was exclusive to the European culture of the Renaissance, and as university studies were linked to this continent, the humanistic sciences have been focusing exclusively on everything concerning Europe, and have completely forgotten the rest of cultures. We insist that this is a problem that is gradually beginning to be solved, since focusing the Humanities in Europe is not only unfair, but also makes no sense, since all cultures are human.

To this end, in recent years subjects that previously did not exist in the curriculum have been included in the Humanities major, such as anthropology, the comparative history of religions or Asian literature, which intend to delve into other realities beyond the European one.