Associate of Arts in Humanities College of Central Florida, USA

To understand the world in which you live, you must first comprehend the ideologies which have shaped our civilization. By becoming a Humanities student at CF, you will:

• Develop critical thinking, communication, and interpersonal skills enabling you to grow both personally and professionally
• Develop an intellectual appreciation for cultural disciplines
• Gain a deeper understanding of global values

Humanities courses offered at CF include those listed below and will explore many topics.

• Comparative Religions: What is religion? What can religious traditions tell me about human dreams and goals? What do the many world religions have in common, and how do they differ, in terms of beliefs and practices? How is deity conceived around the world?
• Art History: What can I learn from a work of art? How do I know what an artist is trying to say? How does human expression differ among cultures? To what extent is art influenced by social currents and vice versa? Can I learn to enjoy art that is strange to me? What is the difference between art and other sorts of human achievement? How do movements or genres of art reflect social realities of their day — if at all? Does art history have something to teach us, especially if we have no grounding or special interest in art? Are there objective criteria available that help determine what constitutes good art as opposed to that which is mediocre or undistinguished?
• Literature: Why do authors write? Does literature give me insights into my own life? What makes something a poem instead of, say, a story? How do I decide if a novel is good or not? Do writers from around the world write about the same things?
• Mythology: What can I learn from the stories of ancient people? Did ancient people really believe that they were true? Why are myths often so bizarre and filled with monsters and violent gods? Do all myths have “a moral to the story”? Do we still create myths today? If so, how do they function in today’s world?
• Philosophy: What is the meaning of life? Is the world really as I perceive it, or are my perceptions deceptive? Does God exist? Do I freely choose my actions, or are they determined by forces beyond my control? Do I have an immaterial mind in addition to my brain?