Humanities Frameworks Courses Change in Their Second Year

The professors in charge of the Humanities Frameworks courses, first offered last year and now in their second iterations, have adapted their syllabi in response to changes in enrollment and interest, expanding the interdisciplinary nature of the courses.

Titled Humanities 11a: “Frameworks: The Art of Looking," Humanities 11b: “Frameworks: The Art of Listening,” and Humanities 11c: “Frameworks: The Art of Reading,” the classes were designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the humanities, according to Diana Sorensen, dean of the Arts and Humanities Division within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

For two classes, the Art of Looking and the Art of Listening, the interest that science students showed in certain topics discussed last year has prompted more stress on applying humanities methods to the sciences.

In its first offering last semester, the Art of Looking discussed the history of the microscope and scientific images, which increased the number of science concentrators interested in the course, according to instructor of the Art of Looking, History of Art and Architecture professor Jennifer L. Roberts.

Enrollment in the Art of Looking increased from 54 students last year to 111 students this semester.

“Many of the students who have been the most galvanized by the class have been students in the sciences,” Roberts said. “They were thrilled by the fact that they suddenly had all of these new tools for their work in the sciences.”

Similarly, John T. Hamilton, professor of Germanic languages and literatures and instructor of the Art of Listening, discovered during the first semester of the course that science students took a special interest in the class, especially during a unit focused on the stethoscope.

“Lots of natural science people and pre-med types were very excited about how listening plays a role in diagnosis with the invention of the stethoscope and how a doctor has to become a very accurate listener,” Hamilton said.

“Now,” said Hamilton, “knowing that this is of interest, we will simply emphasize it further, and bring in more examples.”

This semester’s offering of the Art of Reading has several changes as well. The course is co-taught this semester by East Asian Languages and Civilizations professor Michael J. Puett and Slavic Languages and Literatures professor Julie A. Buckler, marking a change in faculty from the first time the course was offered.

According to Puett, he expanded the course material to include more international works, a change he attributes to the rotating faculty and areas of study in which he and Buckler specialize.

“One of our goals has been to make it a very cosmopolitan course, so we’re thinking what would be great works to read from any tradition, that would simply be exciting for that goal of thinking about reading as an art,” Puett said.

—Staff writer Caroline C. Hunsicker can be reached at caroline.hunsicker@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @cchunsicker.