This conversation among humanities faculty—in legendary and notorious meetings ("You can't use that word with freshmen!" "This portrait is a disaster!" "That lecture was offensive." "This is an utterly false view of the Renaissance!" "Poetry is not discussable!" "My students can't understand Hobbes!") as well as in dozens of off the record hallway exchanges—is the conversation that continually informs and reshapes the program. It's also the reason why there have been 63 different portraits in the program that has also seen more than 160 instructors from eight departments teach more than 12,000 students.

It is this conversation into which bewildered freshmen are initiated and from which slightly wiser juniors emerge. "It is a pleasure to help students to understand the value of dialogue and the importance of critical thinking in assessing one's own position and the position of others," reflects Theology Professor Dennis Sweetland. "It is a great sense of achievement when a student says 'This is what I believe and this is why I believe it.'"

"The course offers an opportunity for students to be challenged across the range of their linguistic abilities" says Professor Kelly Spoerl, also of the Theology Department. "Being stretched beyond one's discipline helps faculty members remember the existential learning situation of our students." English Professor Ann Norton also relishes the movement among disciplines. "I love being the student again, listening, taking notes, drinking in new knowledge that helps me better understand what I thought I already understood," she declares. "The Humanities Program has taught me the basics of philosophy and Catholic theology in a way that studying for a Ph.D. in literature never did."

Value(s)-Added
By its very nature the program resists being merely an examination of historical, literary, or philosophical facts and ideas, the provocative word "greatness" inevitably igniting a discussion about values that guide human actions. Can one study the magnificent works of Michelangelo without considering the selling of indulgences that helped finance them? Is it best simply to ignore the sexual politics of Catherine the Great or the notorious misogyny of Pablo Picasso? And what student will turn away from the fact that the man who penned our declaration of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" owned slaves?

This intersection of human thought, action, and value is epitomized in the recollections of alumna Sharon (Glynn) Debban '87. "I have a vivid memory of walking out of the humanities building on one of those rainy, foggy, dreary days. We were studying Albert Camus and boy was I depressed! After that class, and under the superb tutorage of two greats, Professor O'Rourke and Professor Ditts, I was inspired and started to really wonder about life—its meaning and all those philosophical questions. I knew I definitely didn't agree with Camus—there was so much more to life!" Many students have experienced a similar juncture. As Professor Sweetland observes, "The value questions raised in humanities are ones that students will encounter in many other courses and throughout their lives. My hope is that their answers will help them lead fuller, more generous lives."

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6