Discovering the Humanities - IHY00001C

«Back to module search

Module summary

This module provides a practical introduction to the Arts and Humanities as a collection of interconnected disciplines, focusing on skills and methods for studying culture, society, and creativity. Tracing the long global history of the Humanities to our present moment, we will address the growing challenges faced by these disciplines, as politicians and influential commentators question the value and purpose of Humanities scholarship. In light of these contemporary debates, we will consider the extent to which the Humanities have always been viewed as transgressive, insofar as critical thinking about the way we live has always been seen as a threat to social norms. Conversely, we will also consider the power of the Humanities to improve lives, meet global challenges, and (as the word implies) help us discover and understand our wider sense of humanity.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2025-26

Module aims

This module aims to:

• provide a critical overview of humanities disciplines, including the history and contemporary debates around the study of culture, society, and creative practice;
• introduce a range of skills and methods for study in the humanities;
• generate collaborative and individual responses to challenges in humanities study.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of and engagement with study in the humanities and a range of essential skills for humanities research.
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of and engagement with challenges and debates around humanities scholarship.
3. Develop arguments and evidence which demonstrate critical analysis, research, referencing, and writing skills.
4. Produce individual and collaborative responses to issues in the humanities that demonstrate a multi-stage process of planning, writing, and editing.

Module content

Interactive lecture sessions will involve scholars from across the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at York, as we consider the unique history of Humanities scholarship at the university and a longer local history of Liberal Arts study, as conceived in the 8th Century by Alcuin of York. Seminars will provide a space to engage with historical and contemporary debates about the survival of the Humanities, while working together on a problem-based team assessment across the semester, applying Humanities perspectives to a current global challenge.

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	50
Groupwork	50

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	50
Oral presentation/seminar/exam	50

Module feedback

Students will receive oral and written feedback on formative work throughout the module, and written feedback on both summative assessments.

Indicative reading

• Chad Wellmon and Paul Reitter, Permanent Crisis: The Humanities in a Disenchanted Age (University of Chicago Press, 2023).
• ed. Lee Trenpanier, Why the Humanities Matter Today: In Defense of Liberal Education (Lexington Books, 2017).
• Cary Nelson, Higher Education Under Fire: Politics, Economics, and the Crisis of the Humanities (Routledge, 1995).
• Martha C. Nussbaum, Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities - Updated Edition (Princeton University Press, 2016)