lOMoARcPSD|11215853
THIS STUDY GUIDE COMES DIRECTLY FROM WGU MODULES: THE MODULES ARE
SHORT, I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THROUGH THEM FIRST, THEN USING THIS
GUIDE TO STUDY FOR THE OA. GOOD LUCK!
C100 STUDY GUIDE
This document identifies the topic areas that are emphasized on the Humanities Objective
Assessment. Use it to guide your notetaking.
Module 1: Foundations of Humanities
1. What are the humanities?
Exploring human experience from a cultural, historical, and artistic
perspective. Humanities comes from the Latin term “humanitas”
2. Why study the humanities?
It’s important in seeking to understand what humans believe and why;
further providing insight into past beliefs and predicting what we may
believe in the future. Gives us a greater compassion for people and a
greater appreciation for other time periods.
3. What are the major historical periods covered in this course?
Classical, Renaissance, Neoclassical, Romantic, and Realist
4. What is a theme? Give a few examples of themes from each period.
Themes: unifying ideas that are repeated or developed throughout a
literary or artistic work
Classical = B/RTH P/RD
Renaissance = RUSH RoCS
Neoclassical = CORDES
Romantic = INNER HP
Realist = I ID AoD
5. Identify and describe two universal themes: love and the hero.
Love: universal among people, places, cultures, and species; present in
each time period throughout history
1) Eros- erotic love
2) Agape- platonic love
The Hero: An archetype found in virtually every culture, throughout all
societies.
Termed a monomyth because the cycle of the hero’s journey is
fundamentally the same everywhere.
6. Define the central concepts in the humanities: humanism, myth, beauty, aesthetic
experience, and archetype.
, lOMoARcPSD|11215853
THIS STUDY GUIDE COMES DIRECTLY FROM WGU MODULES: THE MODULES ARE
SHORT, I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THROUGH THEM FIRST, THEN USING THIS
GUIDE TO STUDY FOR THE OA. GOOD LUCK!
Humanism: the study of all the creative and intellectual contributions of
all human cultures/ an ethical system that centers on humans and their
values w/ an emphasis on reason and the scientific method
Myths: traditional stories of a people or culture that serve to explain some
natural phenomenon, the origin of humanity, customs, or religious rites.
Humans can pass on visions, values, and memories from one generation
to another through myths.
Beauty: those qualities that give pleasure to the senses. Examples of
beauty may be found in nature, a human face, a musical composition, a
painting, or a poem.
Aesthetic experience: An experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of
pleasure. We value the experience intrinsically (naturally) and
independent of other things. The feeling itself may be visual (full moon,
painting, dance), auditory (a song, the crackle of a fireplace) or literary
(written narrative or poem verse)
Archetypes: Age-old models by which we comprehend human experience
(ex: the hero)
Includes- mythical creatures, events, symbols (like the cross), and
previous assumptions
7. Identify and describe the disciplines in the humanities.
Music: an artistic form of auditory expression that incorporates
instruments or human voices in a structured and continuous manner;
AKA “the shaped sound between silences”
Religion: An organized system of spiritual beliefs and practices, usually
offering a moral code and a world view; often includes- sacred
writings/texts, worship practices/ceremonies/rituals, theology to
explain God, the reason for existence, and the afterlife
Cinema: an artistic medium that utilizes the motion picture as a vehicle
for storytelling and other creative expressions; AKA film or movie
Visual arts: art forms that entail creation of primarily visual works
which can be 2-D or
3-D; includes- painting, illustration, photography, print making, and
sculpture
Literature: Art form of written word; the foundation of literature = story
telling. Includes- poetry, novels, plays, short-stories
, lOMoARcPSD|11215853
THIS STUDY GUIDE COMES DIRECTLY FROM WGU MODULES: THE MODULES ARE
SHORT, I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THROUGH THEM FIRST, THEN USING THIS
GUIDE TO STUDY FOR THE OA. GOOD LUCK!
Theater: A branch of the performing arts in which actors perform
before a live audience. Theater has existed in every culture; often
combines- speech, music, gesture, dance
Dance: An art form which involves a sequence of rhythmic
movements/steps usually performed to music; can be for a ceremony,
ritual, or for entertainment
Architecture: the science and art of designing buildings and other
structures; architecture as an art form is concerned with the aesthetic
effect of the structures in their surrounding environment (structural
function = the purpose it serves, and form = its visual appearance)
Philosophy: the systematic and purposeful investigation of fundamental
questions concerning such matters as- existence, reality, truth,
knowledge, consciousness, and justice; a combo of critical inquiry &
reasoned argument
Branches of philosophy include:
- Metaphysics: nature of the world and being
- Epistemology: study of thinking and knowledge
- Ethics: morals
- Aesthetics: nature of beauty and art
- Logic: nature of reasoning
- Philosophy of mind: nature of the mind and its relationship to
the body
8. What is art and how does it function?
Functions of art include:
1) Providing aesthetic pleasure
2) Offering political & social commentary
3) Assisting in physical and emotional healing
4) Creating historical artifacts
5) Enabling commerce (that young money) by advertising
products and services
9. How is humanism apparent in Eastern cultures?
Both Eastern and Western humanistic traditions emphasized virtue, or
the pursuit of excellence through self-cultivation. While the Western
humanistic tradition generally focused on pursuing knowledge and
truth through rationality, Eastern traditions such as Buddhism
emphasized discipline and self-development through specialized
physical and meditative practices in order to assist individuals in
achieving spiritual enlightenment.
THIS STUDY GUIDE COMES DIRECTLY FROM WGU MODULES: THE MODULES ARE
SHORT, I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THROUGH THEM FIRST, THEN USING THIS
GUIDE TO STUDY FOR THE OA. GOOD LUCK!
C100 STUDY GUIDE
This document identifies the topic areas that are emphasized on the Humanities Objective
Assessment. Use it to guide your notetaking.
Module 1: Foundations of Humanities
1. What are the humanities?
Exploring human experience from a cultural, historical, and artistic
perspective. Humanities comes from the Latin term “humanitas”
2. Why study the humanities?
It’s important in seeking to understand what humans believe and why;
further providing insight into past beliefs and predicting what we may
believe in the future. Gives us a greater compassion for people and a
greater appreciation for other time periods.
3. What are the major historical periods covered in this course?
Classical, Renaissance, Neoclassical, Romantic, and Realist
4. What is a theme? Give a few examples of themes from each period.
Themes: unifying ideas that are repeated or developed throughout a
literary or artistic work
Classical = B/RTH P/RD
Renaissance = RUSH RoCS
Neoclassical = CORDES
Romantic = INNER HP
Realist = I ID AoD
5. Identify and describe two universal themes: love and the hero.
Love: universal among people, places, cultures, and species; present in
each time period throughout history
1) Eros- erotic love
2) Agape- platonic love
The Hero: An archetype found in virtually every culture, throughout all
societies.
Termed a monomyth because the cycle of the hero’s journey is
fundamentally the same everywhere.
6. Define the central concepts in the humanities: humanism, myth, beauty, aesthetic
experience, and archetype.
, lOMoARcPSD|11215853
THIS STUDY GUIDE COMES DIRECTLY FROM WGU MODULES: THE MODULES ARE
SHORT, I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THROUGH THEM FIRST, THEN USING THIS
GUIDE TO STUDY FOR THE OA. GOOD LUCK!
Humanism: the study of all the creative and intellectual contributions of
all human cultures/ an ethical system that centers on humans and their
values w/ an emphasis on reason and the scientific method
Myths: traditional stories of a people or culture that serve to explain some
natural phenomenon, the origin of humanity, customs, or religious rites.
Humans can pass on visions, values, and memories from one generation
to another through myths.
Beauty: those qualities that give pleasure to the senses. Examples of
beauty may be found in nature, a human face, a musical composition, a
painting, or a poem.
Aesthetic experience: An experience of beauty that inspires a feeling of
pleasure. We value the experience intrinsically (naturally) and
independent of other things. The feeling itself may be visual (full moon,
painting, dance), auditory (a song, the crackle of a fireplace) or literary
(written narrative or poem verse)
Archetypes: Age-old models by which we comprehend human experience
(ex: the hero)
Includes- mythical creatures, events, symbols (like the cross), and
previous assumptions
7. Identify and describe the disciplines in the humanities.
Music: an artistic form of auditory expression that incorporates
instruments or human voices in a structured and continuous manner;
AKA “the shaped sound between silences”
Religion: An organized system of spiritual beliefs and practices, usually
offering a moral code and a world view; often includes- sacred
writings/texts, worship practices/ceremonies/rituals, theology to
explain God, the reason for existence, and the afterlife
Cinema: an artistic medium that utilizes the motion picture as a vehicle
for storytelling and other creative expressions; AKA film or movie
Visual arts: art forms that entail creation of primarily visual works
which can be 2-D or
3-D; includes- painting, illustration, photography, print making, and
sculpture
Literature: Art form of written word; the foundation of literature = story
telling. Includes- poetry, novels, plays, short-stories
, lOMoARcPSD|11215853
THIS STUDY GUIDE COMES DIRECTLY FROM WGU MODULES: THE MODULES ARE
SHORT, I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THROUGH THEM FIRST, THEN USING THIS
GUIDE TO STUDY FOR THE OA. GOOD LUCK!
Theater: A branch of the performing arts in which actors perform
before a live audience. Theater has existed in every culture; often
combines- speech, music, gesture, dance
Dance: An art form which involves a sequence of rhythmic
movements/steps usually performed to music; can be for a ceremony,
ritual, or for entertainment
Architecture: the science and art of designing buildings and other
structures; architecture as an art form is concerned with the aesthetic
effect of the structures in their surrounding environment (structural
function = the purpose it serves, and form = its visual appearance)
Philosophy: the systematic and purposeful investigation of fundamental
questions concerning such matters as- existence, reality, truth,
knowledge, consciousness, and justice; a combo of critical inquiry &
reasoned argument
Branches of philosophy include:
- Metaphysics: nature of the world and being
- Epistemology: study of thinking and knowledge
- Ethics: morals
- Aesthetics: nature of beauty and art
- Logic: nature of reasoning
- Philosophy of mind: nature of the mind and its relationship to
the body
8. What is art and how does it function?
Functions of art include:
1) Providing aesthetic pleasure
2) Offering political & social commentary
3) Assisting in physical and emotional healing
4) Creating historical artifacts
5) Enabling commerce (that young money) by advertising
products and services
9. How is humanism apparent in Eastern cultures?
Both Eastern and Western humanistic traditions emphasized virtue, or
the pursuit of excellence through self-cultivation. While the Western
humanistic tradition generally focused on pursuing knowledge and
truth through rationality, Eastern traditions such as Buddhism
emphasized discipline and self-development through specialized
physical and meditative practices in order to assist individuals in
achieving spiritual enlightenment.
