At ORU, my major is International Relations. My studies rely heavily on the humanities and are very interdisciplinary. My studies focus on learning about various cultures, religions, ideologies, political issues, history, and languages. The humanities provide a great foundation where I can be exposed to a broad range of topics, enabling me to develop a holistic approach to life. Through this, I am able to understand and appreciate the world outside my own.

Studying international relations and the humanities has forced me to recognize how interconnected the world and different disciplines are. For example, to understand the art from a certain time period, I must understand the political climate of the day, the influence of the Church, the economic status of the people, and so forth. In essence, studying the humanities forces me to think critically and learn for myself. The humanities challenges me to dig beneath the surface. Rarely can something be taken at face value. For international relations, this ability is crucial. I must be able to approach situations of conflict and crisis or people and be able to see the bigger picture in order to respond appropriately. By studying humanities this semester in Paris, I am hoping to better understand the French as a people group. Why do they do believe what they believe? Why do they act a certain way? Why do they have reservations on specific topics? In essence - what makes them tick and why?

I have taken some humanities classes that I really enjoyed and saw the value in. I have had others that I did not enjoy nor see the value in. In his article, "Why Study the Arts and the Humanities?", Daniel Schwarz discussed that some humanities courses are reduced to the preference and beliefs of a professor instead of presenting an unbiased teaching of cultural traditions and values. He argues that the point of humanities is to give students the tools to understand and interpret the world in which they live. I think that is such a crucial point to make. Unfortunately, I had a particularly bad experience with a humanities class at ORU my first year. It put such a foul taste in my mouth and really discouraged me from being excited to take any more humanities courses. I'm hopeful that studying the humanities while in Paris will redeem that experience!

“I would stress the value of learning to think critically and independently, read powerfully and perceptively, write lucidly and precisely, and speak articulately.” – Daniel R. Schwarz