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The Humanities Program at Boğaziçi University introduces participants to some of the most important thinkers, works and ideas that have shaped human history. Drawing upon literature, history, art, philosophy and sociology, to name a few, and with a global approach to sources, the program examines material from across cultures, civilizations and multiple social and linguistic contexts. The aim of the course is to become familiar with seminal works in a highly discursive and collaborative class context where students learn not only some of the most decisive and significant moments and persons in history but also and perhaps most importantly, about themselves and contexts in the here and now. The Program consists of Humanities 101 and 102, two fully interdisciplinary survey courses, team-taught over two semesters. Both Hum 101 and Hum 102 are 4 credits each, with mandatory lectures and discussion sections. Each week, students are required to attend the Monday main lecture and receive an introduction to the subject by a guest lecturer and expert in the field. This is followed by smaller group discussions in seminar. Organized chronologically as well as thematically, the lectures form a general framework in which to understand the given text(s) for that week while the seminars create space for more in-depth scrutiny, analysis and discussion.

Why Study the Humanities?

“Know Yourself.” Perhaps one may recognize this as a Confucian proverb, or a Greek Maxim, or an exhortation from scripture, or graffiti on the tunnel of a passing train. The myriad, converging, conflicting, overlapping, diverging, confusing, enlightening, mystifying and clarifying ways that human beings have thought about themselves and their contexts form the backbone of what it is to study the Humanities. Drawing on multiple disciplines and historical approaches, the Humanities help shed light on the most intriguing answers to the perennial questions put forward by any civilization: Who are we? Where did we come from? What are we doing here? Where are we going? At its best, the Humanities is interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and global, approaching sources through multiple lenses of inquiry. Because the humanities are fundamentally about understanding who we are (who you are), it presents a unique opportunity within university studies to uphold a liberal arts ideal of education as a reflexive process whereby study of a subject also teaches about the self. This in turn creates a ripple effect of greater knowledge and empathy towards one’s fellows as well as one’s world. Why study the humanities? Simple. It makes you a better human.