SAMPLE Humanities

Chapter1: Introduction to Humanities Ove r view In this chapter, we will shortly discuss the basis of humanities and share a brief summary of what is expected throughout the learning experience of humanities. Objectives At the end of this chapter, you should be able to: 1. learn about the experiences of humans throughout time 2. understand other cultures 3. think about your own world experiences A. What are the Humanities? The Humanities are the study of the creative processes that humans have historically used to express themselves. These include, but are not limited to, arts such as paintings, sculptures, dance, music, and literature. It involves studying how people document the human process, especially through creative outlets like art and literature. Each generation learns from the previous yet finds a new way to express their own experiences as humans. Additionally, you must be aware of the different period markers. Originally, terms such as Before Christ (BC) and Anno Domini ( AD ; Latin for “in the year of our Lord”) were used to note years and timelines. However, in this Study Guide, we will use Before Common Era ( BCE) and Common Era (CE) insteadof BC/AD. BCE and CE are the more secular terms and the current international scientific standard and are also used in the CLEP exam. The table below illustrates their differences.

To determine the year, we count down the closer we get to 0 BCE and count up the further we get from0CE . Also, as there was no “0 th century,” we refer to the years 0-100 CE as the “first (1 st ) century,” 100-200 as the “second (2 nd ) century” and so on, which means we are in the 21 st century now (2000–2100 CE). Lastly, you may also come across “c.” or “ circa ” which means “approximately.” Hence, “c. 3 rd century BCE” simply means “approximately in the 3 rd century BCE.” Lastly, this Study Guide will first give you an overview of art. After which, you will look back into the Visual Arts from Prehistoric times until the present times. Next, the same pattern will be used to discuss Literature and Performance Arts .

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