Seminar Arts and humannities unit 1 - Research Paper Example

Seminar: Arts and Humanities The humanities are fields of study that place emphasis on human condition applying procedures that are mainly critical, systematic or theoretical, as compared to the methodologies applied in natural sciences which mainly take a pragmatic approach. The humanities mainly consist of literature, language, philosophy, history, law, visual and performing arts, music, religion and theatre. People who have specialized in studying humanities are many a time referred to as humanists.

Nevertheless, this term is additionally used to refer to philosophical position of humanism.Some of the elements of humanities that children enjoy include exploring, field study, travelling, acting and researching. The reason why children enjoy these elements of humanities is due to the fact that they mostly practical and involve physical activity which children are more interested in. I still engage in these elements of humanities especially field study, exploration and research whereby in tackling humanities such as history and language I have to go into the field to get a more profound understanding of these languages and where they culminated from.

Here are skills that one can learn from studying humanities that would enable one to be a more effective critical thinker. These skills include analytical skills, speculative skills and creative skills. Analytical skills are acquired through activities involving analyzing data for example historical data. Speculative skills are obtained due to the fact that in many humanities, one comes across very many theories which are speculative and hence one has to choose the theory that he or she thinks is correct.

In acquiring these skills I am able to apply them in other fields of study that require critical thinking and therefore they will enable me increase my chances of getting to my intended goals.ReferencesLevi, Albert W.(2003); The Humanities Today, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Walling, Donovan R.(2001); Under Construction: The Role of the Arts and Humanities in Postmodern Schooling Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, Bloomington, Indiana, Dilthey, Wilhelm. (2005) The Formation of the Historical World in the Human Sciences, 103.

Wright, Moira. (2008) "Narrative imagination and taking the perspective of others," Studies in Philosophy and Education 21, 4-5 (July, 2002), 407-416. Harpham, Geoffrey. (2007) “Beneath and Beyond the Crisis of the Humanities,” New Literary History 36 (2005), 21-36.