Division Head
Dr. Michael Gonzales - Bio
Our Approach
In the Humanities Division, students and instructors explore human values and dilemmas as they are expressed in history and the arts.
Our courses offer students the opportunity to pursue a wide range of subjects across disciplines, all of which develop skills of critical thinking and writing through engagement with rich and diverse cultural material. Students learn about how history is made, defined, used; about the values of different cultures; about what goes into the creation of a work of art. Our courses question common assumptions, uncover meaning in artistic works, and explore new ways to understand cultural interaction past and present. Whether through the study of history or the fine arts, Humanities courses provide students with the academic foundations necessary to successfully pursue college-level work, while developing critical and interpretive skills that have far-reaching applications beyond the classroom. In our advanced-level courses, students have the opportunity to pursue college-level work in these disciplines.
Our history curriculum engages students in rigorous study of key historical periods and subjects, offering introductory and advanced courses in world and US history, as well as capstone courses focused on significant historical topics. History courses develop students’ ability to analyze primary and secondary sources in an interdisciplinary context, while encouraging them to think critically and write persuasively about historical topics.
In the arts, our music course develops and deepens students’ skills in musical theory and practice, covering a range of musical domains including composition, performance, and musical forms. Courses that deal with the history and philosophy of art and film develops students’ analytic, interpretative, and written skills with regard to visual culture through the examination and discussion of exemplary films from diverse cultural contexts.
Humanities electives on American Legal Studies, and on the Study of Mind, provide students the opportunity to apply contemporary scholarship in these fields to pressing present-day political, legal, and ethical issues, while honing their analytic skills.