I would say that first and foremost putting in ample time to go read through the coursework
thoroughly is important as this helps with retention. This was tough for me at first as I was getting
used to managing my time better. Reflecting and applying the knowledge that you have learned in
your own life helps you see the value of the material you are learning. For example, learning how to
take a step back and reevaluate a situation while gathering more information to address it as
effectively as possible is valuable in every area of life. These well-formulated thoughts should help
improve your own creativity, work performance, and better your relationships. The best advice I can
give them would be to find a topic that is of interest to them. Studying a topic that engages you will
make the time go by quicker as you will be enjoying what you read. It gets tough when you are
studying something that does not capture you. Also, reach out for help if you need it, I should have
taken my own advice sooner than later. Overall, what I learned is that humanities are about how you
interpret works that have been done and what those works make you feel emotional and even
physically and the human connection is at the centre of it all. I found that to be the most helpful
method for me, because it made it easier for me to write about it. Approaches I found most helpful as
to jot down notes and questions for myself so I could go back later and remember to work on
something specific and so I would not forget questions I needed answers to. One recommendation
that I would like to give for next term's humanities students is to stay focused on the bigger picture.
Not so focused to the point of self-exhaustion. There is a lot of reading and a lot of writing. But it
pays off in the end. Keep your thoughts open and allow for new growth. This course offers much of
it. The approaches I found helpful in mastering the course concepts were to remain positive and
optimistic. Staying positive helped me keep an open mind and focus on the result. Staying optimistic
helped me not overcrowd myself with too much work at once. Scheduling your time and workloads
are so important!
For the next term’s humanities students, one recommendation that I would like to make is that
they must approach the discipline with an open mind. Since the humanities area is quite vast in
nature, they must be willing to learn the topics in a comprehensive manner. By entering the class
with such a mindset can help them to mentally prepare to grasp as much knowledge as possible
(Beckmann, 2020). Furthermore, it will also help them to have an enriching learning experience.
When I was studying humanities, I adopted a similar approach and it helped me a lot. Another
important thing that I ensured was that I always covered all the topics individually that had been
covered in the class (Beckmann, 2020). This approach further enhanced my overall insight into
the humanities discipline because I did not have to go through the topics at the very last minute.
In the dynamic academic setting, it might be a major challenge for the learners to focus on all the
subjects and remain updated with the latest topics and concepts that have been covered in the
class. However, it is vital to manage time in an effective manner and ensure that they give high
priority to self-study. It can ensure that they do not burden themselves at the last moment. The
next term’s humanities students must keep these things in mind while they start their journey in
the vast humanities arena so that they can find the subject to be both interesting as well as
enriching.
A recommendation I would give to next term's students is to listen to yourself-your body and
mind. Whatever strategies work best for you, do them. If you need to write down everything or
ask a lot of questions, do so. If you feel drained, take a break and relax in whatever way you do.
Something that always helped me was walking away from something I was struggling with and
coming back to it an hour later. This gave me time to get out of work mode and focus on what I
needed; I always came back happier and prepared. It is okay to take breaks! Make sure to always
work hard but do not drain yourself. People do not always talk about the struggles of mental
health while simultaneously trying to succeed in school. Try your hardest, because the feeling of
knowing you put in your best efforts always pays off, but make sure you take care of yourself.
For an individual looking to dive into this very interesting course next semester:
HAVE FUN & FOCUS ON THE BASICS
• Along with a lot of reading, you will have a lot of writing assignments. This is a course
that one must actively be engaged in to reap all of the benefits embedded within. Do not
try to reinvent the wheel, however, DO try to use it in different ways
USE YOUR HEAD
• There was a lot of critical thinking involved with most assignments, and it is truly
impossible to "B.S." your way through this class
• I would recommend for an individual to complete tasks in a place of solitude--somewhere
with minimal distractions
BE PATIENT
• You must be proactive with your writing in order to convey the most effective messages.
After all, you are being graded on the demonstration & conveyance of your individual
opinions of what you have just learned. In order to be the most effective, you MUST be
willing to make changes and challenge your convictions
REVISE, REVISE, REVISE
• This coincides with the last recommendation, because there is a requirement for discipline
as well as patience in order to take the time to look over your work and make corrections
SLEEP ON IT
Again, coinciding with the last two points. I made it its own recommendation because truthfully,
I never truly experienced its effectiveness until this class. Making revisions and then "sleeping on
it" allowed me to return to the assignment with a clear mind and make my papers THAT much
better. I think a good recommendation for the next class is to really focus on the textbook and
take time to make sure you understand it all. There were times throughout the course where I did
not end up having enough time to finish the Soomo questions because of lack of time
management.
One thing I would try and do if I could re take this class is space out the soomo learning assignments.
They took a lot more time than I thought so making sure they know the workload is a good idea. I
think also planning times of study and homework rather than trying to cram it in all at once could
help. I have been able to do most of my school towards the end of the week, but with this class I
learned about halfway through that I need to space it out to avoid stress. I enjoyed being in class with
all of you. I think that having an open mind and asking questions when something is not clear. Be
open to learning something new. At first it would not make sense how studying humanities relates to
your currently chosen degree. However, as you navigate through the course, you realize that
humanities are around us and mastering it will assist you in personal and professional life. For
example, being a better communicator, open to new ideas and having an open mind when it comes to
other cultures will bring our globalization that much closer and teach us something new as an
individual. I had fun doing this course and learned something new about the impact humanities has
on our everyday lives. Studying the humanities is no easy task. There is a lot of reading and
knowledge retention involved in the course, and I have a few recommendations for next term's
humanities students.
First, make plans as the modules are extended, and keep in mind that you will need the reading
material to be successful and advance throughout the modules and in the class in general. For
example, this will help you submit on-time assignments and avoid procrastination.
Second, do not hesitate to contact your professor and ask any questions or share any concerns. For
example, I was not attracted to any of the artifacts mentioned in the course, so I contacted my
professor to ask if I could change them. Fortunately, he said yes, and I must admit that doing
something of my interest kept me motivated and engaged through the course.
Third, use the resources available to you, such as The Shapiro Library and Tutors, to help when
doubting yourself about your works. For instance, even though the course lets us share our thoughts
and perspectives, we must explain how we got to such conclusions, so having reliable resources is
essential to support our opinions and views.
One of the approaches I found helpful in mastering the course concepts was to manage my time to go
through the modules with enough time to comprehend the information accurately. Another approach
I found extremely helpful was keeping an open mind to help me understand better the concepts of the
course because this course teaches you about different cultures, times, and perspectives.
My biggest piece of advice is to choose something that you are passionate about. It is one thing to
pick something because you must and give a stiff presentation filled with stats and citations, and
another thing entirely to pick something you want to, to have opinions based in research, and to
breathe life into every statement because you mean what you say. Humanities is about expression,
and in order to succeed, you must get in touch with your own feelings and express yourself through
your work, no matter what it may be. I would just say to make sure you have adequate time and
making sure you stay consistent with your work. d Just get started early on your work and stay on top
of all the readings. I would say try not to focus too much on the fact that you may not have all the
information because so much of this course is done through your own point of view and a lot of times
there is not right or wrong solution. d Put your best effort into your work and keep moving forward. d I
would say that I would reach out to your professor if you find yourself needing help, this is
something that I wish I would have done. d Lastly, read your peers discussion posts thoroughly so you
can get a good feel for all the different perspectives. One recommendation I would give to the coming
term’s humanities students is to find the fine line between patience for oneself and procrastination. I
am not afraid to admit that I procrastinate my work, even to the point of being late at times. So, when
you receive the warning to give yourself more time, it is highly recommended to listen, as, with any
other class, the work will pile up. When I was going through my assignments, I found that I was truly
encapsulated by the humanities I examined. Giving yourself time to look freely at the arts and explore
them to your heart's desire is just as much of a reward as getting a good grade. One recommendation
I suggest is to pick a final project subject that you will want to learn more about that will keep you
wanting to stay intrigued. Humanities is a great course; I have learned many things. Another
suggestion, stay focused and read everything! There is a lot of material and sometimes key
components get lost. My recommendation for next term's humanities students would be to pick a
topic for your presentation that you are passionate about. My topic is something that is so close to my
heart so when I was working on my presentation it was enjoyable. I felt inspired to work hard on it
because I wanted it to turn out well. My advice I would give to the students who take this class next
would be to take notes and keep an open mind. Be open minded about what you see, hear, and read.
The knowledge from this course can be used in your everyday lives. Taking notes has helped me
through my entire life. Writing down anything from a grocery list or taking notes from a course has
been helpful. I do not have the best memory, but I have noticed that if I write it down then I have a
better chance at remembering what I needed to. I say be open minded, because if you do not have an
open mind, you will not learn everything that you need to master this course. There is some
interesting information in this course. I hope that this advice may be useful to the next students in this
course. I also wish my classmates the best of luck in their upcoming courses. If I had one
recommendation for the next humanities class, it would be to approach the class with and open mind
with the will to learn. Coming into a class like this with that mentality will help you to succeed and
learn new things. That is the main approach I took for this course. Another approach I took was
spacing out my work as much as I could so that I would not have to cram at the last minute. This let
me take things in and spend more time gaining an understanding of the material. What advice would
I give to someone taking this course? That is an interesting question. It has the protectional for
multiple answers. I would say that from an educational stand point it is important to find a good
schedule and keep it. If that means not spending time out, then that is what you do. From the
standpoint of piquing interest then the I would advise that you find what you love and follow the
research from there.
I personally had a hard time with my schedule as I work long hours at the hospital. It causes me to be
so exhausted that I sometimes miss getting things done when I am wanting to. I love to learn and
studying the past is something I really enjoy. I had a very easy time finding information on one of my
artifacts as I was already so familiar with the historical content it came from. I have taken several
courses that have written papers so knowing how to research for a school project was easier for me to
understand. For next term's humanities students, I would recommend they make sure to figure out a
schedule to balance school, work, and down time. I thought I could manage on my own without
developing a schedule, but I began to struggle with the amount of coursework required for this class
without one. I also think it is important that people have an open mind throughout this course. I
started this class off with little to no interest in visual art, but I feel that it has become more intriguing
to me. If I had to think of one thing that would be useful for the next class of humanities students, it
would be to make sure you stick to your study schedule and try not to let other things going on in
your life interrupt you on your journey to higher education. The class load can seem large at first
glance but if you take the time to do it, it turns out not to be so much after all. I found approaching
this class with the understanding that I know far from it all and the willingness to learn things through
the perspectives of others made it far easier to understand the materials.
References
Beckmann, N. A. (2020). The fragmentation of a discipline: how diversity elevates and
undermines ire’s normative potential.
