Humanities Program
Frequently Asked Questions
"Experiencing classical art at the Minneapolis Institute, and a medieval weekend of music, theatre, and monastic prayer was fantastic! It brought our books to life. There is nothing that can replace experience. The only thing that would have made it better would have been traveling-Italy, for instance!" -Bethel Student
What does a typical week in Humanities look like?
What books, art, and music am I likely to encounter in the Humanities Program?
How do Humanities students experience the arts?
How do I register for Humanities?
I already have a credit for my composition course (College Writing). Am I using up an elective if I take the four Humanities courses?
Is Humanities an honors course?
How does the workload compare with the five alternative general education courses?
If I'm in a large major, can I be sure I can take Humanities and my required courses?
What if I'm not sure that I want to stay in the Humanities Program during my sophomore year? Will I fulfill any General Education credits if I drop out?
Can I study abroad during my sophomore year and still take Humanities?
What does a typical week in Humanities look like?
Humanities classes meet three times a week. In two of these sessions, a professor will lead a small group (20-25) of you and your fellow students through discussion, debate, and analysis of the week’s material.
During the other session, you will enjoy a lecture from a highly qualified speaker. In lectures, a philosopher will teach you about Plato, an art historian will point out the nuances of a Monet painting, and a literature scholar will walk you though Jane Austen’s novels.
The weekly material does NOT come from a textbook. Instead, the Humanities program studies primary texts of Western culture. In a typical week, you may read an ancient Greek play by Euripides, act out a scene from it in class, and write a response paper dealing with the relevance of the play’s themes of twenty-first century America. You may study the writings of Thomas Paine, hear a lecture about the French Revolution, and debate about the outcome of the Revolution in class. You might visit the Minnesota Institute of Arts. Or read Augustine’s Confession. Or Purgatorio, by Dante. Well, you get the idea.
What books, art, and music am I likely to encounter in the Humanities Program?
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"Humanities was a dramatically different experience than I was expecting. I came to college with the dread of reading. With each book, I have begun to enjoy reading about other cultures more and more. " -Bethel Student |
 We can do more than answer this question. Here's a list of the books you'll be reading (remember, if this looks like a lot of books, you will have two whole years to read them): |
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Humanities I Plato, Apology.
John Walford. Great Themes in Art Roger Olson. The Mosaic of Christian Belief. Shorter Readings: Justin Martyr, "Apology." Anselm, "Proslogion" and "Cur Deus Homo." St. Catherine, "The Dialogue." The Martyrdom of Perpetua. |
Humanities II Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince Hans Hillerbrand, ed., The Protestant Reformation (readings by Luther, Calvin, etc.) Voltaire, Candide Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice Descartes, Discourse on Method and Meditations Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France Thomas Paine, Political Writings Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice John Walford, Great Themes in Art Shorter Readings: Vasari, Lives of Leonardo, Michelangelo; Pico della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man; Hubmaier, Armenian Remonstrances; Canons of the Council of Trent; Hymns of Watts, Wesley, and Cowper |
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Humanities III Jonathan Edwards, selected writings.
Roger Olson, The Mosaic of Christian Belief. Shorter Readings: John Wesley, "Predestination Calmly Considered." Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Circles." Herman Melville, " Bartleby the Scrivener." Abraham Lincoln, Selected Speeches. Lenin, The State and Revolution. Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum. |
Humanities IV Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents.
Shorter Readings: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper." John Paul II, Centesimus Annus. The Barmen Declaration. Martin Luther King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Karl Barth, The Epistle to the Romans (exerpt). |
In addition to all these works of philosophy, literature, and political thought, you will also get the opportunity to study art, music, and architecture. Just some of the artists you will get to learn about are Polykleitos, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, David, Monet and Copley. And as far as music goes, you’ll learn about medieval chant, sonata form, the Lutheran chorale, and the development of the symphony, just to name a few.
How do Humanities students experience the arts?
The Humanities program believes in students experiencing the arts firsthand. Sometimes this is easy. To experience Voltaire’s satire, you can pick up a book and read Candide. It is a little harder to experience Shakespeare or Bach or even El Greco.
But such hurdles do not stand in the way of the Humanities program. To learn about Shakespeare, we go the renowned Guthrie Theater and see one of his plays. To learn about Bach, we attend the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and to experience El Greco’s work firsthand, we take you to the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts.
Every year, we also stage a dance. First year students dance to the sounds of an English country band, the very sounds Jane Austen’s characters would have danced to hundreds of years ago. During the second year of the course, we stage a jazz dance to reenact the roaring 20s atmosphere of The Great Gatsby. Another highlight of the Humanities program is our evening of medieval spirituality. Every year we gather to worship in the manner of Medieval Christendom. We get a monk or nun to come in and share ideas about Christianity so we can better understand the monastic life.
In short, the Humanities program works to make sure you experience the arts to their full potential.
How do I register for Humanities?
In your freshman registration materials, you should indicate your preference for the Humanities Program. This program is entirely self-selecting. There is no admissions process.
You must enter the program with Humanities I. You may not test out of one of the courses or enter the program later.
I already have a credit for my composition course (College Writing). Am I using up an elective if I take the four Humanities courses?
No. Students with credit for College Writing (through AP or CLEP tests, College in the Schools, the Honors Program, etc.) must still take the other four General Education requirements. You are NOT losing anything.
Is Humanities an honors course?
No. There is a separate Honors Program at Bethel. Admission to Humanities is self-selecting, based on student interest.
How does the workload compare with the five alternative general education courses?
The Humanities Program consists of 16 credits, while the five-course alternative consists of 17 credits. The workload is comparable.
The time and workload comparison is NOT really the issue.
Choosing Humanities over the five-course alternative is a matter of learning styles. In Humanities, you will be given the opportunity to process your learning through writing, reading primary sources, and intense discussions in small group seminars.
In the alternative track, you will take more tests and read more textbooks.
Your decision should be based on your learning style, these differences in material, and your expectations of what a college course should look like.
If I'm in a large major, can I be sure I can take Humanities and my required courses?
We have worked with the large majors at Bethel to ensure that your requirements will not conflict with the two time slots for Humanities.
What if I'm not sure that I want to stay in the Humanities Program during my sophomore year? Will I fulfill any General Education credits if I drop out?
We want to encourage interested students to sign up for the program with the intention of taking all four courses. If, however, you need to drop out after the first two courses, you will still fulfill the requirements for two General Education courses: Introduction to the Creative Arts (GES125) and Christianity and Western Culture (GES130).
Can I study abroad during my sophomore year and still take Humanities?
Most students study abroad over an interim (which doesn't conflict with Humanities, since it is offered during the regular fall and spring terms) or in their junior or senior years.
In other words, you are likely to complete the Humanities program before you want to study abroad. It is unlikely get in the way. If, however, you want to study abroad during your sophomore year, you can re-enter the program at the beginning of your junior year.