Humanities disciplines Classics literature history and language Languages

Humanities disciplines: • • • Classics (literature, history and language) Languages and Linguistics History Comparative religion and theology Literature Philosophy

Raymond Williams: the humanities are “a particular kind of learning associated with particular attitudes to culture. ”

Some characteristics of the humanities: • • Comparative Creative Analytical/critical Collaborative Diverse Ethically grounded Qualitative

Some features of critical thinking: • Critical thinking is a skill • Theory and subject matter are meant to be applied. • Collaboration is how knowledge is grasped and expanded. • Motivations for critical learners include: problems, questions and issues.

More components of critical thinking: • Identifying and challenging assumptions. • Recognizing the importance of context. • Imagining and exploring alternatives. • Developing reflective skepticism.

Texts used: • Williams, Raymond. Keywords. A vocabulary of culture and society. Fontana Press. 1976, 1988. • Spellmeyer, Kurt. Arts of Living. Reinventing the Humanities for the Twenty-first Century. State University of New York Press. 2003. • Arroyo, Ciriaco Moron. The Humanities in the Age of Technology. The Catholic University of America Press. 2002. • Hoyrup, Jens. Human Sciences. Reappraising the Humanities Through History and Philosophy. State University of New York Press. 2000.

Critical thinking resources: • http: //webster. commnet. edu/libroot/workbo ok/critical. htm • http: //www. library. ucsb. edu/untangle/jones. html • http: //www. engin. umich. edu/~problemsolvi ng/strategy/crthink. htm