What are the Humanities? What are the Liberal Arts?
Most importantly, they are not the same thing.
Many people are surprised to learn that Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry are categorized as “Liberal Arts.” Many universities group those disciplines together in a “College of Liberal Arts” or “School of Liberal Arts” within the larger university.
For example, Wayne State University offers Chemistry, Mathematics, Law, and Physics in its “College of Liberal Arts” in Detroit. The University of Minnesota offers Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Economics in its “College of Liberal Arts” in Minneapolis. Ole Miss offers Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics in its “College of Liberal Arts” in Oxford, Mississippi.
Mercy University offers Computer Science, Computer Informations Systems, and Mathematics in its “School of Liberal Arts” in New York. Cairn University offers Biology and Mathematics in its “School of Liberal Arts” in Pennsylvania.
The phrase ‘Liberal Arts’ in Latin (artes liberales) originally referred to the teaching of skills and knowledge which were not directly applied. Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics are academic disciplines and bodies of knowledge which, once a student has mastered one or more of them, can be taken out into the world and applied in a variety of situations and contexts.
By contrast, while Liberal Arts are unapplied, the Humanities are applied, and applied specifically to people.
Owens Community College includes History, Literature, and Philosophy in its “Department of Humanities” in northwestern Ohio. The University of California offers History and Comparative Literature in its “School of Humanities” at its Irvine campus. Carleton University offers Greek and Roman Drama, Classical Literature, and Modern European Art in its “College of the Humanities” in Ottawa.
Humanities is always about people. The Liberal Arts are about bodies of knowledge; once proficient in them, students can go on to apply them to various objects, including people.
Misunderstanding these terms is done at the individual’s expense. Those who scoff at a “Liberal Arts” degree may well end up envying the central, and well-paid, role that a Math major may have in a financial institution, or the industrial achievements of a Chemistry major.
