Module 1 discussion HUM 100
As humans we encounter a lot of different situations and experiences, some pleasant, some mundane, some painful. These experiences and our ability to think about and communicate our impressions of them is what makes us human. If asked to describe our most embarrassing experience, we would each have a story and likely a visceral reaction too!
Universal human experiences are those that nearly every human will experience in their lifetime. Despite our different abilities, beliefs, and cultures most of us will experience Love, Grief, Pain, Embarrassment, and many more. In this class, we will investigate the Humanities through 6 universal experiences: Birth, Growth, Emotion, Aspiration, Conflict, and Mortality, but this is definitely NOT a comprehensive list!
Dr. John Rodden, in his speech But Professor, What are the Humanities For?, attempts to describe the purpose of the humanities. In the process, he poses a different question: What are Humans for? Each of us might answer this question in a different way given our experiences, but if you look closely, there are many similarities too! In this discussion board we will tackle the same questions:
Make an initial post (either written or in a 3 minute video) discussing either What the Humanities are For or What Humans are For. How does your answer impact the importance of studying the Humanities?