Humanities
The study of the human experience
The Humanities is one of the four disciplines that house many fields in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Fields in the humanities focus on analyzing and interpreting the human experience, including the stories, ideas, and words of individuals and societies.
Learn more about the humanities and the unique ways each field approaches research and contributes to our understanding of the surrounding world.
Humanities research characteristics
Humanists explore how knowledge is attained. They focus on understanding how something happened or how someone attempts to draw out meaning and reactions to cultural artifacts or distinct human creations, generally referred to as texts.
Examples of texts include the arts, social artifacts, films, speeches, historical monuments, photos, and the media. Texts are also examined in fields outside of the humanities, but they may be analyzed differently based on the research topics.
Humanities research uses different methods for scholarly pursuits, including historical research or critical or rhetorical research. Historical research aims to make meaning of present and past events by interpreting facts. Meanwhile, critical or rhetorical research examines and analyzes texts described above to support an argument about how the studied texts help people understand the world.
Humanists also participate in creative scholarship, such as performance studies, filmmaking, or literary authorship. Creative scholarship involves different research methods for telling and presenting stories and drawing on observed performances in everyday life, oral histories, ethnographies, or personal experiences.
Engaged humanities research also uses these different approaches to study and address societal problems.
Examples of humanities research include analyzing themes in a genre of books or interpreting the meanings behind ancient cultural artifacts.
Fields of study in LAS
Below are the fields in LAS that belong to the humanities. Select fields of interest to learn more and review the subfields or areas of specialization within a field. As you explore research areas, note themes or topics of interest and affiliated faculty to become familiar with their contributions to the field.
Classics
What is Classics and Mediterranean studies:
According to the LAS Classics and Mediterranean Studies Department, “Classics is the study of the history, culture, and languages of the ancient Mediterranean world, with a particular focus on the Greeks and the Romans. At UIC, the field is geographically and chronologically more expansive, also encompassing studies in the Near and Middle East and northern Africa, the medieval through modern periods, and reception.” Read more: Classics and Mediterranean Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do Classics and Mediterranean studies scholars study:
Research areas/subfields and affiliated faculty*: Faculty | Classics and Mediterranean Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Select “Filter by” to view the subfields. Select the subfield of interest. The faculty specializing in that area will be listed.
English
What is English:
According to the LAS English Department,
“The field of English focuses on the study and practice of various forms of writing in English. It includes:
- the study of written works in English—whether by writers from the United States, Britain, former colonies, the Commonwealth nations, or elsewhere—whose aesthetic achievement and cultural significance qualifies them as literature;
- the study of literary criticism and theory, of the relationship between literature and popular culture, of the relationship between language and identity, and of allied narrative forms such as film, performance, electronic communications, and other new media;
- the study of the English language, its historical development, and its grammatical, rhetorical, political, and cultural dimensions;
- the theory and practice of writing, whether of poetry, fiction, nonfiction prose, technical and professional, or other academic, critical, or expository forms;
- the theory and practice of teaching English language and literature, particularly at the high school level.
Students who major in English don’t only study literature. They understand how language works, and they develop broad reading and writing skills that make possible both an analytical engagement with, and a critical understanding of, diverse fields of cultural and aesthetic production.” Read more: Department of English < University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do English scholars study:
Research areas/subfields and faculty specialties*: Faculty | English | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Select “Filter by” to view the subfields. Select the subfield of interest. The faculty specializing in that area will be listed.
French
What is French and Francophone studies:
According to the LAS French and Francophone Studies Department, French and Francophone Studies focuses on “proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing French, as well as understanding how the language is woven into diverse cultural contexts in Francophone countries throughout the world; develops a historical sense of French-speaking cultures, as well as the critical and interpretive skills that come from analytical reading, active discussion, and persuasive writing.” Read more: French and Francophone Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Department of French and Francophone Studies < University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do French and Francophone studies scholars study:
Research areas/subfields and faculty specialties*: Faculty | French and Francophone Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Select “Filter by” to view the subfields. Select the subfield of interest. The faculty specializing in that area will be listed.
Germanic Studies
What is Germanic studies:
According to the LAS Germanic Studies Department, Germanic Studies focuses on the “German language and culture, emphasizing the development of language fluency and cultural competency. Covers a wide array of topics including film, Business German, and contemporary media.” Read more: Why German? | Germanic Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Department of Germanic Studies < University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Undergraduate Programs | Germanic Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do Germanic studies scholars study:
Research areas/subfields and faculty specialties*: Faculty | Germanic Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Select “Filter by” to view the subfields. Select the subfield of interest. The faculty specializing in that area will be listed.”
Hispanic Studies
What is Hispanic and Italian studies:
According to the LAS Hispanic and Italian Studies Department, Hispanic and Italian Studies focus on “the Spanish and Italian languages, linguistics, and the literature and culture of the countries where Spanish and Italian are spoken.” Read more: Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies < University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Programs | Hispanic and Italian Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do Hispanic and Italian studies scholars study:
Research areas/labs and faculty specialties: Research | Hispanic and Italian Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
Research areas/subfields and affiliated faculty*: Faculty | Hispanic and Italian Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Select “Filter by” to view the subfields. Select the subfield of interest. The faculty specializing in that area will be listed.
History
What is history:
According to the LAS History Department, “History is the study of change over time, but it’s also the story of who we are as people, how our world was created, and what we value and believe.” Additionally, “History is the study of the human past. It is both a subject matter and a way of thinking—a discipline. No people, time, or place is neglected in the investigation of the human community’s historical record. And no method is alien to the historian’s quest for understanding.” Read more: Why Study History? | History | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Department of History < University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do historians study:
Faculty and research areas/subfields*: Faculty | History | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Browse faculty profiles to learn about their research areas.
For additional information on history and what historians do, visit the American Historical Association:
Why Study History? | AHA (historians.org) and Careers for History Majors | AHA (historians.org)
Philosophy
What is philosophy:
According to the LAS Philosophy Department, “Philosophy (from the Greek “love of wisdom”) originated as the search for understanding concerning the most basic features of reality, the natural world, and human life.” The discipline prizes and develops the skill of engaging effectively with arguments on a tremendous range of subjects. In ancient times, philosophers pioneered the study of topics from the physical cosmos to the gods to human conduct. They debated not only the character of fundamental reality but also questions of how we can attain knowledge of it. To this day, philosophy engages with questions drawn from every part of our life and experience. For example: Is there such a thing as a purely objective observation? Am I identical with my brain? Is it ever permissible to break the law? Why is there evil in the world? Is death to be feared, and why?” Read more: Why Study Philosophy? | Philosophy | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Department of Philosophy < University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do philosophers study:
Research areas/subfields and faculty specialties: Philosophy at UIC | Philosophy | University of Illinois Chicago
Research areas/subfields and faculty specialties*: Faculty | English | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Select “Filter by” to view the subfields. Select the subfield of interest. The faculty specializing in that area will be listed.
For additional information on philosophy and the subfields, visit the American Philosophical Association:
Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European Studies
What is Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European Studies:
According to the LAS Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European Studies Department, Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies focuses on “language literacy skills and cultural competency in the regions of study.” Read more: Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Major and Minors | Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu) and Department of Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies < University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
What do Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European studies scholars study:
Research areas/subfields: Graduate Programs (MA and PhD) | Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
Research areas/subfields and faculty specialties*: Faculty | Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies | University of Illinois Chicago (uic.edu)
*Select “Filter by” to view the subfields. Select the subfield of interest. The faculty specializing in that area will be listed.
Sources
View the list of sources used to develop this resource.