What is the Humanities?

The Humanities is an interdisciplinary field that involves the study of local and global forms in the creative arts and sciences. The main objective of studying Humanities at the College of Alameda is to explore the aesthetics of everyday life from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. As a form of general education, the Humanities encourages students to examine emerging forms of play, creativity, and innovation so that they learn to become more deeply engaged in their own lives and with the world-at-large. Through fun lectures, games, discussions, workshops, and multi-sensory projects, College of Alameda courses in the Humanities explore such exciting topics as performance, the visual arts, language, literature, poetics, semiotics, film, media, popular culture, folklore, underground movements, storytelling, humor, games, religion, music, dance, foodways, fashion, tourism, technology, ecology, and environmental studies.

The Humanities will prepare you:

(1) to learn valuable life skills such as creative thinking, self-awareness, cultural competence, social activism, community-building, and conflict resolution, AND

(2) to transfer to any discipline of your choice at a college or university.

An A.A. degree in the Humanities can be applied to a range of careers in education, the arts, communications, media, journalism, the sciences, business, medicine, nursing, law, psychology, sociology, anthropology, theology, social work, tourism, grass-roots and non-profit organizations.

What is Philosophy?

Philosophy is a discipline that examines fundamental questions about everyday life and the natural world. The main objectives of studying philosophy at the College of Alameda are: (1) to critically analyze ideas, texts, arguments, traditions, and contemporary culture, and (2) to synthesize knowledge for the purposes of inspiring personal and social change. By studying philosophy, you will gain wisdom, clarity, and awareness about a wide variety of philosophical issues that arise within different cultural and historical contexts.

Philosophy will prepare students to transfer to any discipline of their choice within the Humanities and Social Sciences at a college or university. In addition, you will learn valuable life skills such as critical thinking, cultural competence, social activism, community-building, and conflict resolution.

An A.A. degree in the Philosophy can be applied to a range of careers in law, education, business, medicine, nursing, law, psychology, sociology, anthropology, theology, social work, grass-roots and non-profit organizations.

Image 1: Rube Goldberg, 1996, “Professor Butts’ Self-Operating Napkin”

Image 2: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave