In comparison to mathematics the humanities cannot be predicted. In a mathematics discipline of
study, we use given data and analyse the research. In humanities the study is broader, because it is
based on human behaviour, social circumstances, and culture. For example, in construction field,
the engineer knows the exact material that will be needed based on the project. c Humanities is
based on an individual or a group of people related to a similar circle of interests. It is like for
example, we cannot predict the weather but with the help of equipment and satellite we can
estimate the climate change, that is why we say 40% of rain. However, with humanities it is much
harder to predict what a person may say or do. If a psychologist has 10 patients(children) with
similar behaviour, the psychologist would most likely have to adjust the exercises for each child
individually, because although they all have similar behaviour issues, the psychologist would have to
take into consideration the childhood, the family influence and the social class and background. The
uniqueness of the humanities is the use of human emotion and creativity. The methods of discipline
for mathematics, social and natural sciences seem to be a straightforward method, using equations
and evidence to interpret. c In Humanities there are many ways to interpret artifacts. How does it
make you feel? What does this piece say to you? What do you think the creator was trying to
portray? c When investigating the humanities, it is important to know background knowledge as well
was researching primary sources. Primary sources include novels, diaries, advertisements,
photographs, letters, and eyewitness accounts. It is also important to research secondary sources
that analyse your primary sources. A few examples of secondary sources are articles, reviews, and
books. There are so many things that I find unique about the methods of disciplines used to
investigate the humanities. I feel when looking at subjects such as math, you are looking for one
specific answer, it is either right or wrong. When looking at the humanities there are several
different ways to view something and several different options to choose from. For example, when
analysing a song - there is no "correct" way to view a song. While the writer of the song may have
based on it his or her own personal thoughts and reasons, the words in the song may appeal to
each person differently.
Another example may be a piece of art - the original creator had an idea in mind when creating the
piece (whether it be a painting, a sculpture or even a dance.) It would be up to the audience to
interpret things with their own eyes and their own emotions. With all, it makes it a bit more difficult
in regards to research because most of the information about something of this nature since there
may only be information regarding one size (the artist’s view.) Natural Science when compared to
Humanities is vastly different. The process to find an answer in math or chemistry is a straight path
from the question to the answer. If your answer is right others can follow the same path and get the
same answer. Most in these sciences have an analytical brain. I do not think they are easy paths
most times. Finding out how to see a black is not an easy task. I can see why people have a hard
time with humanities. Humanities do not have an absolute answer. You must look at the whole
picture and even then, there is more than a single answer. Understanding that one medium used in
the piece was costly but still used in a piece can give ideas as to what the artist thought was
important. Even when a piece is created for a purpose it can still bring multiple ideas forward. You
see this every time an artist has a piece that gets protested. I feel like the Humanities ask you to
feel more than anything else. I also think that you need to have an open mind to learn as much as
you can about a piece. I think it helps open you other people’s perspectives when some hate a
specific art piece. You ask the question of why they hated it. With physics you do not have to see
the destination or understand the historical contexts to seek and an answer. I believe these
differences can make humanities harder to study because you are thinking outside of yourself and
seeing how you react to it. I also think that humanities impact the most when trying to work in the
world. It can be the start of a conversation and the reason you stop a conversation. I feel like every
profession is in some way impacted by learning to study humanities.
I would say mathematics is the most important areas of study for mankind and its application has
almost in all fields and its development throughout history. c It has many disciplines such as
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, trigonometry, and calculus. c These disciplines deal with
the numbers and elementary operators, letters and symbols, shape, size, distance, and location. c I
would say that natural sciences seek to understand how the universe and the world is working
around us. c The discipline of social science is an academic discipline concerned with the society and
the relationships among the people. c Humanities are the disciplines that study the human culture,
and this also falls under the discipline of social science for example. Humanities is a unique
discipline that stands out from the rest of the areas because it revolves around human beings, the
society in which they live and the cultural aspects. The methods that are used for exploring
humanities are distinctive because they intend to get an integrated and comprehensive insight to
capture the changes in the human society. While conducting research in humanities, the application
of background is imperative because it helps to establish the foundation on which the entire
investigation and study is based upon.
Since the humanities domain is vast as it encompasses visual and performance arts, literature,
religion and philosophy, the methods that are employed to explore these areas also have unique
attributes in them. Unlike other areas, prior to starting the investigation process in humanities, it is
critical to gain an in-depth insight and knowledge on the subject area. The methods such as textual
criticism, conceptual analysis and synoptic methods enable researchers to critically evaluate sources
(Research approaches in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or Sciences: Humanities. Research Guides,
2021). By employing these methods in the research context of humanities, researchers can arrive at
their own conclusions.
The methodology that is applied in humanities is not singular in nature. On the contrary, each area
that makes up the vast domain of humanities has contributed to the methodology that is used for
the purpose of exploration and investigation. For instance, history which may be regarded as social
science and humanities makes use of the historical method for investigation. Similarly, philosophy
utilizes phenomenology or conceptual analysis. The language and literature and religion use the
methodologies that have been derived from textual criticism (Humanities Research Strategies:
Home. Research Guides, 2021). Thus, there exist a diverse range of methods that can be adopted
for conducting research and investigation, based on the exact subject or domain that is being
explored. It acts as the chief fact that helps the investigation methods in humanities to stand out
from other research methods that are adopted in disciplines such as natural science.
The methodologies that exist in humanities serve diverse purposes and enable researchers to gain a
better perspective into the research area. For instance, the historical method helps to look at a
specific period and then perform an analysis of its texts and records. On the other hand, textual
criticism involves the analysis of a specific text regardless of the discipline. Synoptic method focuses
on the origin and development of an idea. Each of these investigation methods adds value to the
humanities discipline. I think the biggest difference between the standard social sciences and the
humanities is the focus on expression. Humanities are all about how humans express their
emotions, whereas other social sciences are primarily about the study of emotions, how they come
to be, and how they affect our actions. This means that there is a big focus on the medium in
humanities; more than any other social science there seems to be a focus on the precise methods
of human expression. For example; why would an artist choose charcoal on paper over oil on
canvas, what does the colour palette the artist chose say about the emotions they were trying to
convey, or does the artist choose to blend colours together versus keeping them distinctly separate
amongst other questions.
The main uniqueness I find in investigating humanities is the aspect of allowing emotion to drive the
narrative. Whereas with mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences, the main components
are logic, data, and repetition. While humanities require some repetition and hard facts are used, a
large portion of the studies includes emotional impact. Furthermore, humanities also focus studying
on the work of an individual, with the pieces usually having specific messages that are not indicated.
Whereas the other studies require precise explanations with full explanations that leave no room
for emotional impact.
Let us not forget that The Humanities are a crucial part of our lives since they allow us to explore
the most basic of humanity through areas corresponding to art, literature, self-expression, and even
human behaviour. After reading, searching, and researching about methods used for analysing
works from the humanities, I can conclude that the process to study the humanities is indeed
different from other disciplines such as mathematics, the natural sciences, or the social sciences.
For example, researchers support their answers and conclusions in the natural sciences based on
experiments, analysis, and exploration of a subject. In contrast, someone researching an object
from the humanities have gone the extra mile and investigated and scrutinized the piece, for
example, the author who created it, the materials used to create the work, why the author made it,
and how was the social and physical environment now of the creation of the piece. In addition,
when studying the humanities, we are allowed to use more than facts, clues, or data to successfully
analyse the humanities. For instance, we can use our feelings, our senses, and our beliefs to help us
explore, appreciate, and interpret the humanities. c
What I think is most unique about the methods utilized to investigate the humanities are the
intersections between the subjective and objective, the psychological and physical, what is seen and
what is not seen.
For example, with art, there it is impossible to accurately study a piece with just one method of
thinking. One must utilize patience and ask themselves questions about what they are looking at in
the piece. I thought it was interesting that upon a brief view, and then reading a deep explanation
of the iconography portrayed within A Boy with a Flying Squirrel, I was able to learn more about the
complexity of meaning behind the work.
There is not a singular way to study the humanities. Sure, there might be some methods that work
better than others, but in the humanities, one is not bound by "laws" or formulas.
Since humanities study humans' society, such as their culture, and way of life in general, the
methods used to investigate this are already unique. Mathematics and sciences have many rules
and things that do not change. We know that if you multiply 4x4 it will always equal 16. Yet, what is
so fascinating about humanities and the methods is that things are always different in certain
aspects. They are constantly changing. If we analyse a painting someone created, the artist could
convey an entire meaning, yet the viewer could view it in an entirely different way. The world is one
big melting pot of cultures, none the same. People dress differently, act differently, eat different
foods, etc. That is what is so unique about the methods used to investigate the humanities-they
require analysing behaviour, emotion, morals, values, etc., that are ever-changing.
I think that subjects such as mathematics, the natural sciences, or the social sciences require for a
person to seek fact-based information and conclude that is widely accepted. In the case of studying
the humanities, however, people are expected to come to their own opinions about artifacts such
as a musical piece or a painting. In a subject like mathematics, there is usually only one right
answer. On the other hand, in regards to studying art, music, and literature, there is no right or
wrong answer most of the time. Which emotion the artifact is playing at or how and why the
artifact was created is the discipline that is required for the humanities.
When it comes to investigating the humanities, it is not as simple as following a mathematical
equation or conducting a research experiment. When looking into the humanities, one is essentially
diving into their own deeper emotions to better understand the creations of others. The humanities
are the only field that I am aware of where you ask yourself how an artifact makes you feel and
what emotions it may evoke. When researching artifacts in history with not artistical significance
like an old tool or weapon, you are trying to seek out its origins, perhaps the people or person
whom may have held or created them. Although those questions get answered with artifacts of the
humanities, these artifacts force you to think beyond just the basics and the physical and makes you
think about not just your own feelings and emotions, but those of the creator, and those of the
people who may have lived at that time.
The investigation into humanities is different it allows you to come to your own conclusions of
literature, art, and music. Your own interpretation may be different than someone else’s but not
one person is incorrect in their own interpretation. You can come up with your own theory.
Humanities is not as cut and dry like science and math, there is usually one answer and the
outcome does not involve feelings
I am always multi-tasking and I find it hard to do anything else when studying humanities, you must
be focus and present to take in what you are analysing. What I find most unique about the methods
used to investigate humanities is the fact that we learn about the people who created different
forms of art, while also taking a step back in time to learn about what life was like in those time
frames. c We get to learn about who they were as a person and how they lived their lives. In math,
we are answering numerical questions, and in biology we are learning about the evolution of
nature. Honestly, not only has investigating humanities been humbling, it has also made me
appreciate and value all the work these artists put into their work coming from the time frames
they were in.
When thinking about investigating the humanities, you can quickly compare how it feels to
investigate other sciences. c In other sciences, like Mathematics, you are using a set technique to
find out 1 single solution for the most part. c That also goes with the other sciences as well. c We also
look at artifacts in the other sciences like, where did it come from? c When? c What can we tell about
this artifact that gives us clues about when this was made? c When looking deeper at Humanities, we
look at things and base our arguments and findings based off our opinions. c We get to look for what
it means to us, rather than looking for the one right answer. c We can ask ourselves, what was the
artist feeling? c What were they going through at the time of creation? c What do they want us to
feel? c The bigger sense of emotion in the humanities is awesome.
The unique methods by which someone can investigate humanities are vast and not linear. Our
humanistic experiences allow us to relate to humanities in the same way they were formed. When
it comes to math, science, and even biological studies, there is a layout and methodology in which
you must carry out; however, humanities are solely based on lived experiences and our
interpretation of those experiences. I think there is room to grow in humanities. Once you complete
a background search of the creator of the work you are reviewing, you will start to learn more
about the intentions of their piece or even come to learn of their traumas. What makes humanities
interesting is that everyone's views and perceptions will be different, based on their own life
experiences.
what is unique about the methods used to investigate the humanities is that it uses human
emotion. With math and science, there is one way to do it and its based-on formula. However,
when viewing a piece of art or music, you investigated it using your emotions and what you see. To
me, this makes it a much more interesting way to investigate. There is normally a "right" answer to
the humanities but there can be some fluctuation because everyone feeling on a piece are different.
Some may believe it depicts sadness while others may believe it shows happiness, and I think that is
so interesting.
References
Humanities Research Strategies: Home. Research Guides. (2021). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from
https://libguides.usc.edu/humanitiesresearch
Research approaches in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or Sciences: Humanities. Research Guides.
(2021). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from
https://libguides.wustl.edu/researchapproaches/humanities
