Humanities in Focus (edX)

Humanities in Focus guides learners to explore and answer three fundamental questions

1. What is Humanities?

2. Why Humanities Matter?

3. Why Humanities matters to Me?

In each learning sequence, learners will first explore the topic through interactive discovery activities. Then our instructors will guide learners to question, humanise and connect problems and issues in those topics, and will share why they believe humanities matters. After watching each lecture video, learners will then reflect on their understanding through discussing selected issues with humanities in focus.

To help learners personalise the course content, presenters specialising in different majors and professional fields will share how a humanities perspective helped them solve problems and issues they faced in their fields. Learners will then reflect on how a humanities perspective can make a difference in their own field of expertise.

What you'll learn

In this course learners will:

• engage in the big questions facing humanity today

• apply what they learn to their own life

• compare Asian and Western approaches to the world

Syllabus

Module 1: What is Humanities?

In this module you will explore and define what is humanities and what makes the humanities perspective different.

You will learn how to:

• understand humanistic inquiry and why it is more important to ask questions rather than to get answers

• explain how the humanistic inquiry allows us to engage in ongoing conversations about issues in the world

• reflect on your understanding through discussing selected issues with humanities in focus

Module 2: Why does Humanities Matter?

In this module you will use humanistic inquiry to explore film, art, history and language. Our instructors will guide you to question, humanise and connect problems and issues in those topics, and will share why they believe humanities matters.

Problems and Issues that will be explored include:

• Gender Equality (Film)

• Environmental Issues (Film)

• Migration (Film)

• Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing World (Art)

• Human consciousness (History)

• Unconscious Assumptions (Language)

• Health and Crisis Communication (Language)

You will learn how to:

• question and identify underlying problems and issues

• humanise and connect the problems and issues from a humanities perspective

• reflect on why humanities matter

Module 3: Why does Humanities Matter to Me?

In this module presenters specialising in different majors and professional fields will share how a humanities perspective helped them solve problems and issues they faced in their fields.

You will then personalise the course content by reflecting on how a humanities perspective can make a difference in your own field of expertise.

You will learn how to:

• personalise what has been discussed and answer the ultimate question: Why does humanities matter to me

• identify a problem in your field, approach the problem from a humanities perspective, and share how using that perspective could help solve the problem