LESSON 1 – INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES

Lesson Learning Outcomes (LLO)

1. Give an overview of Humanities and the arts.
2. Elucidate personal experience with an artwork.

What is humanities?
 refers to academic disciplines that seek to understand, appreciate, and critique the human
condition in all its depth and range of meanings
 humanity evolved from the Latin word humanus, humanitas (human, humanity, refined,
and cultured)
 deals with finding meaning of self-expression
 dramatizes various individual expressions using different mediums
 a branch of learning; the study of the arts; material object is “artwork” and its formal object
is “creativity and appreciation.”
 should not be confused with the terms: Humanism – specific philosophical belief and
Humanitarianism – concern for charitable works.
 both an art and a science – social science

What is art?
 originated from the Latin root word ar (fit together, join) and artem (art, skill, craft); Greek
word arti (just) and artios (complete); Armenian amam (make); and German art (manner,
mode)
 the driving force of humanities
 enables a person to acquire life-long skills and values as he deals with humanities
being what humanities is basically about, it develops critical thinking
 provides varying perceptions of beauty

What is science?
 the study of the nature and behavior of natural things and the knowledge that we obtain
about them
 involves a process called scientific method
 social science: focuses on man; subject matter is art; art is created by man for man

What is art appreciation?

 learned through gaining knowledge and skills to better understand the artwork
 means recognizing the meaning of the process of making a product and the meaning of the
product itself
 appreciating the uniqueness of manipulating talents, skills, and materials in order to create
something
 finding relevance of an artwork, the story behind it, and the goal of its creation
 centers on the ability to view art throughout history, focusing on the cultures and the
people, and how art developed in the specific periods.

Three Major Categories of Art

1. Visual Art - painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video,
filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture
Example: Monalisa (Leonardo da Vinci); Bonifacio Monument (Guillermo Tolentino)
2. Written Art - literature, creative writing
Example: War and Peace. (Leo Tolstoy); I Have a Dream (Speech, Martin Luther King)
3. Performed Art - dance, drama, and music
Example: The Moonwalk; The Twist (Chubby Checker)

Experiencing an Artwork
 a way of exploring, connecting, and communicating,
 promotes sanity
 finding meaning of the artwork
 helps in the process of understanding and accepting things and turn of events

Supplemental Materials
Discussion Video: Introduction to Humanities
Warmup Video: Virtual Visits | Kisame: Visions of Heaven on Earth - Ceiling Paintings from Bohol
Colonial Churches

Related Activity
How Do I Appreciate an Artwork?

What’s Next?
Assumption, Nature, and Function of Art