Oh my god humanities classes!

[spicykimchi]

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How did you guys learn to read the difficult books and write in the confusing style that is the hallmark of humanities classes? I have to pass a humanities class for general ed. I'm in an introductory religious studies class and I spent several hours just trying to get through one page in my textbook before giving up in disgust. I can't just drop this class and take another one as all humanities classes are about the same difficulty.

You guys are vet students surely you have some advice?

 

[Bisbee]

When I was doing the reading for my philosophy course, at first it felt like I was reading huge, run-on sentences where I forgot what the beginning of the sentence said by the time I got to the end of the long, three-line sentence. Then, I just told myself that I'd read it, paying as much attention as I could. Then at the end of each paragraph or page or so, I would ask myself what it was about. I was actually surprised to realize that I had understood the "gist" of it. Then I found another student in the class to partner with. We met once a week to "discuss" the reading with one another. This really helped because we'd explain it to eachother, back and forth, in our more everyday vernacular. Hope this helps. You can do it!

 

[squirrelsrule]

I took critical thinking through controversy. Worked out great. We read articles and discussed our views on the topics and then had to choose a controversial topic and take a side and present our views. I choose animal testing on cosmetic products. Worked out well. I wouldn't say the class was fun but it was tolerable 🙂.

 

[Tegan05]

I used to be an English major 😛 I loved writing and essays, and I took all my gen ed and humanities classes before I realized I had no career choices I'd actually be happy with, and that biology and animals are even better than English.

So I don't really have any suggestions, but editing was always my strong point if you want me to look over an essay for you!

 

[SocialStigma]

My humanities/soc sci courses were:
- psych courses (I minored in psych) - lots of readings but easy to understand since they're all about theories/experiments
- one bioethics (philosophy) course - readings were all case studies and also easy to understand, churning out a philosophy paper was a bit of an adjustment but I took grade 12 philo in high school so I dug out my old essays again to get a feel for what a philo paper should look like in terms of structure
- one creative writing course - "textbook" was a writing tips guide lol

I definitely avoided intense humanities courses involving lots of papers/dense readings.

 

[Trilt]

How did you guys learn to read the difficult books and write in the confusing style that is the hallmark of humanities classes? I have to pass a humanities class for general ed. I'm in an introductory religious studies class and I spent several hours just trying to get through one page in my textbook before giving up in disgust. I can't just drop this class and take another one as all humanities classes are about the same difficulty.

You guys are vet students surely you have some advice?

I was a philosophy double major for almost two years, and still have to take a significant amount for my second degree... I have two suggestions.

1 - Seriously sit down and /read/ the papers. Don't have the TV on, don't have your laptop open - just pay attention to the reading. Highlight things that seem important as you go along, pause every couple paragraphs and mentally summarize them, all those critical reading things you learned ages ago.

2 - Find a summary of the reading online. Most of the stuff you'll read in introductory level courses have been thoroughly read/deciphered by other researchers and/or students. Read through that, get some context for what the author is talking about, and then go back and read the whole thing as stated above.

 

[spicykimchi]

What should I do when I get hung up on a sentence or paragraph I can't figure out? Will it damage my grade if I skip it?

 

[kakurubird]

What should I do when I get hung up on a sentence or paragraph I can't figure out? Will it damage my grade if I skip it?

I took a few different anthropology courses and when there were parts of readings I couldn't understand, I'd go on and come back to it to see if the later context helped understand it. But there were also times it would often take going through a sentence word by word and clause by clause a few times to figure it out. And the advice on sitting down with no distractions is very true. I'd take just the reading, a pencil, and a highlighter to the library and sometimes spend an hour on just like three pages. I'd highlight key phrases, annotate with summaries, and mark parts I didn't quite get. It takes time, but would feel worth it when I finally figure it out.

And if you really can't get something, definitely go to office hours! Those hours are there for you.

 

[spicykimchi]

Hmm. Should I be taking this class while going full time? I am also in Geography, College Algebra, and a critical thinking English class. Oh and I have been summoned for jury duty at the beginning of the semester and even if I postponed it for the maximum 90 days it would still fall during this semester. Am I going to have the time for religious studies? I've never had a hard class before. The hardest thing I ever took was general biology but I by the time I took that class I had already read half a biology textbook.

 

[vnicolas]

I just call today to postpone my jury duty if you tell them you are in school you are allowed to reschedule during your break or not go at all... it is the law.

 

[spicykimchi]

oops double post

 

[spicykimchi]

It depends on the state. In California being a student is not considered a valid excuse for not going to jury duty.

Edit: Can I get by with a vague understanding of what the difficult passages are saying or would this only lead to failure? Is there anyway I can learn to understand such confusing writing while taking three other classes and having to appear for jury duty?

*sigh* I'm taking this hard.

 

[bunnity]

Short answer, yes you should be able to take 4 classes and do jury duty (which is almost always only a day anyway). Don't run from the first college class that scares you. This is how you will learn to deal with challenging classes. Talk to the teacher, get a tutor, ask a friend.

 

[withoutane]

Do work. Put in the time and learn the material. Simple.

 

[Lab Vet]

I personally loved my breadth/humanities/social science classes that I took in undegrad. My favorite was probably 'Religions of the Eastern World,' but I also really enjoyed 'Human Aggression' (an anthro class). Additionally, I took classes in American Government, Literature ('The American Best Seller;' we read Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, The Firm, Lonesome Dove, and many others- for a college class! It was awesome), Economics, and Business Ethics. Business Ethics was a fantastic class- the entire class was case-study based. I loved it!

Although I attended large, state universities for both undergrad and graduate school, I'm a big believer in a 'liberal arts education.' I love the hard sciences- always have, always will. All the same, there's a ton of interesting stuff out there in the world that has nothing to do with Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. Humanities and Social Science courses required me to use aspects of my brain that lay dormant in performing calculations, designing experiments, memorizing biochemical pathways, etc. I for one, am really glad that all institutions of higher education require humanities and social sciences as part of a general ed curriculum.

As for advice on how to handle non-science courses, I agree with other posters who recommended office hours. If approached sincerely, TAs (myself having been one for many courses) and profs are very willing to help struggling students- so long as they see you putting forth the effort to improve. Also, I'd advise you to take courses that interest you. Surely, you can't ONLY be interested in science and becoming a veterinarian- what about the rest of the world out there? What lights your fire, makes you think- or even makes you uncomfortable? All of these are great jumping off points. I'd recommend that you not view 'breadth requirements' as requirements- think of them as a chance to get your feet wet in other disciplines- disciplines that will make you well rounded, and able to speak with all sorts of people when you get out into that big wide world. Enjoy them- and have fun!

 

[kakurubird]

This may get a little repetitive from what others have said, but hopefully there's something helpful...

As for advice on how to handle non-science courses, I agree with other posters who recommended office hours. If approached sincerely, TAs (myself having been one for many courses) and profs are very willing to help struggling students- so long as they see you putting forth the effort to improve.

Yes, this. In addition to office hours, see if your school has student tutors available. My undergrad had some courses with drop-in hours and some tutors available to schedule sessions for certain classes/disciplines. I did drop-in bio tutoring, but if any of the students asked, I would always try to find a time to help them outside of class.
Also, look at your school's writing center (if you have one). I know it's called "writing" center, but most good ones will do more than that. Obviously, your school may be different in its policies, but I know at ours, we would be definitely able to help with weighty readings; such a session would also probably focus on specific strategies.

Basically, there should be tons of resources at your school to help you succeed. Take advantage of them.
And, if this is the hardest thing you do, that's still great. Put in the effort, take the time, work hard. Sticking to something you find tough and doing well will really show a lot of who you are. I know I personally somewhat regret withdrawing from physics one semester when it started kicking my butt even though at the time it felt great to not have to think about anymore.

 

[pooter]

I'll tell you a secret: nobody understands every single sentence of every single page that's assigned. If the structure of a sentence is tripping you up, read it once or twice then skip it and see if the rest of the passage makes it make sense. Generally, the longer you read something of a particular style (any style) the easier it gets to puzzle out what they're saying.

I had the opposite problem; I was fine with textbooks and humanities papers but couldn't make heads or tails of most scientific articles 🙂eek🙂. After years of struggling with it, I finally took a class with a prof who forced us to read multiple articles each week on my least favorite topic in the hard sciences (protein biochem for the lose). I expected to fail and possibly die, but as the weeks went on it got easier and easier until it didn't phase me any more.

 

[LetItSnow]

Here's a quick hint from that I figured out doing my theology major ....

Take 5 minutes to do a bit of background research on whatever author you're reading. Nothing fancy; just hit up google/wiki/whatever. Get an idea of what their big themes and contributions were to whatever field you're reading about.

Then, when you get to their writing, having the bigger context in place really helps a lot with understanding the excerpts they have you read. You'll more than make up the time you spent researching.

This is especially true in UG where, in general, you're only reading the 'major' points and highlights anyway.

I agree that approaching a TA or the prof is a good thing, but.... when I was doing my UG and my vet-school pre-reqs, I felt like too many people were TOO quick to ask for help. They'd look at a problem/question, and if they didn't immediately know the answer, they'd go get help. You don't really learn very well that way. It's important to bang your head against something for a while. Just like in science classes, it's important to get questions *wrong*: that's one of the best ways to learn.

 

[bbeventer]

Erm, I got an A in my World Religions class and I perhaps skimmed through Dante's Inferno, and did not bother with the rest of the readings. For me I found doing well was all about paying attention in lecture and learning the profs quirks (they all seem very opinionated) and then writing in a style that is fluffy and frequently repeats itself to get those 10 pages that say nothing.

Oh, and when in real doubt, sparknotes sheds lights on dark problems 😉

eta: Humanities classes really should not drag you down. They are a bum because they are often occupied by heavy readings and frequent papers but this will only prepare you for your 400lvl science courses.

 

[spicykimchi]

I need an example, based off one of my textbooks, to help me wrap my head around how to understand this stuff. Take the following sentence: "The study of world religions today is engaged in a conflict between the expansion and the reduction of understanding religion." How would I go about understanding that sentence? Here's what the rest of the paragraph says: "In the past, many early world travelers could not resist trying to evaluate newly uncovered religions as inferior or superior to familiar faiths at home. Missionaries also judgmentally reduced other religions to 'idol worship' and 'devil worship.' Many still see their own religion as the only absolutely true guide to life and read religious language with a naive literalism. But today increased education and travel have stimulated more openness to other religions."

What threw me off about the first sentence were the words "expansion" and "reduction". What is expanding or reducing and why is there a conflict between them?

By the way the title of this is "The Study of World Religions" and I gave you the first paragraph.

 

[Coquette22]

Take the following sentence: "The study of world religions today is engaged in a conflict between the expansion and the reduction of understanding religion." How would I go about understanding that sentence? (snip)
What threw me off about the first sentence were the words "expansion" and "reduction". What is expanding or reducing and why is there a conflict between them?

To use that exact example, this is how I'd look at it, by breaking it down into two questions - expansion of study of world religion and reduction of study of world religion:
The internet has given people a wealth of information on just about every religion out there. People are far more free to learn about other religions. It used to be that if you grew up in a small town with Religion X as dominant, you were more or less Religion X by default because you had nothing to compare it to. Or you might not really believe Religion X, but you'd go along with it because you didn't have anyone else to connect with. Now you can find out about all other religions (or lack of religon entirely) as well as finding a online community who shares your beliefs.
Meanwhile, it's possible that some religions (or at least certain pockets of some religions) get more defensive because of the wealth of information out there. Such as getting websites blocked, television shows, movies and books banned, religious homeschooling, etc. The onslaught of information has caused some communities to turn that much more inward and reduce study of religions. Example: A community is dominated by Religion X. Religion X teaches that Religion Y is bat**** insane. Then the internet comes along and people in that community can now find out that Religion Y is perfectly sane, just different. Now, people in that community may refrain from teaching or mentioning anything about Religion Y at all, since they no longer control the message about Religion Y. Study of world religion has therefore been reduced.

I have no idea if that helps you, it's just my thought process. Break a complex question down into simple questions, and then try to apply those simple questions to a real world example.

 

[HopefulAg]

Wow, my humanities rocked by comparison. "Music of the Global Culture" was one of my favorites. Listen to a triangle play "yah that's a Mbira, used in Africa. Here's an example of African music. Next." listen to a long drawn out string instrument "Yah that's a guqin, a Chinese instrument used for long intervals. Next."

To be fair, cupcake as it was, I found a lot of awesome music through that course.

"The study of world religions today is engaged in a conflict between the expansion and the reduction of understanding religion."

Should be noted I'm an atheist, so my view of this sentence may be colored by that outlook, but I see this as a conflict because you have people who expand their understanding of religion, and as a result are no longer religious (as is my case) and a reduction in understanding because people interpret passages to fit their already preconceived notions, or people don't read their books and instead rely too much on others to tell them what's in it, so they don't have a full understanding of what they claim to follow. Could also be argued that the reduction of understanding due to people not wanting to learn about any religion but their own. I've seen a couple of people like that in those classes.

 

[maddyblue]

I think I ended up taking more non-science than science courses.... I would second the suggestions to do general research on the subject to give you a context. I often do that before I write papers, in particular. Also, office hours office hours office hours. Find a study group. And, do all the reading, all the homework, attend all classes and study sessions, and participate in the discussions. If you don't understand something ask about it in lecture, no matter if you think it is a good question or not.

 

[Dayzie]

I just call today to postpone my jury duty if you tell them you are in school you are allowed to reschedule during your break or not go at all... it is the law.

Yeah that doesn't work in Nevada either.

 

[spicykimchi]

What should I do if I end up in a long trial and find that I don't have time to do my school work? Drop classes? 😱

Wow it would suck for a vet student to get jury duty. Could that make them flunk out of school?

 

[breenie]

What should I do if I end up in a long trial and find that I don't have time to do my school work? Drop classes? 😱

Wow it would suck for a vet student to get jury duty. Could that make them flunk out of school?

Many of the vet schools try very hard to retain their students once they accept them. I imagine you would either not get selected for jury duty (often having higher education or being a scientist is not looked upon favorably by those selecting you), or your school's faculty would do their best to accommodate you.

 

[LetItSnow]

For me I found doing well was all about paying attention in lecture and learning the profs quirks (they all seem very opinionated) and then writing in a style that is fluffy and frequently repeats itself to get those 10 pages that say nothing.

I think the issue is that science majors tend to only do the low-level humanities classes that are required of them. So they only get exposed to the humanities equivalent of introductory biology ... which is stupid easy. Just like freshmen philosophy is stupid easy. And then science majors get smug and look down on humanities in general because of an assumption that they are all that easy. But in my experience the upper-level humanities classes are just as demanding - or more demanding - than the upper-level science classes.

Dunno. I guess I've just seen both sides of the fence. I know that the A's I got in my theo major took far more time and effort than the A's I got in my pre-vet science classes. On the positive side, we drank a lot more beer in my theo major.

Many of the vet schools try very hard to retain their students once they accept them. I imagine you would either not get selected for jury duty (often having higher education or being a scientist is not looked upon favorably by those selecting you), or your school's faculty would do their best to accommodate you.

The problem is; don't you have to sit in the jury pool waiting area anyway? Not getting selected for an actual trial doesn't mean you're free to go about your life.

I gotta imagine every vet school has dealt with this SOMEHOW in a way that doesn't mean students get screwed. That's not in the school's interest.

 

[breenie]

The problem is; don't you have to sit in the jury pool waiting area anyway? Not getting selected for an actual trial doesn't mean you're free to go about your life.

I gotta imagine every vet school has dealt with this SOMEHOW in a way that doesn't mean students get screwed. That's not in the school's interest.

That's true, but the selection process is significantly less commitment than getting accepted. There are 3+ girls that are going to have babies in December/other inconvenient times in my class... If the school can handle that, they can probably handle a day or two of jury duty.

 

[LetItSnow]

That's true, but the selection process is significantly less commitment than getting accepted. There are 3+ girls that are going to have babies in December/other inconvenient times in my class... If the school can handle that, they can probably handle a day or two of jury duty.

Sure, that makes sense. And if you don't get selected, you're just sitting in the pool for a few days or a week or whatever and then you're done, I suppose.

My sister got picked for a fairly high-profile murder case here a number of years back. It required sequestering and went on for a few weeks. If I recall correctly, it was to the level of "we'll send a deputy to your house to get extra clothes for you, but you get to go between the courthouse and the hotel and that's it."

Seemed sucky.

 

[Dayzie]

Can I recommend wearing a jury nullification t-shirt and answering all of the questions you're asked with long drawn out responses about how your religion doesn't allow you to pass judgment on anyone? That'll cover you for both civil and criminal cases, I imagine.

 

[that redhead]

What threw me off about the first sentence were the words "expansion" and "reduction". What is expanding or reducing and why is there a conflict between them?

Look at it this way: It's kind of like if you were stuck on a deserted island and got a message in a bottle talking about rescue or something. If you didn't know the exact definition of one word in the letter, would you just burn the thing? No. You would use context clues to figure out the general jist of the sentence. Just like that awesome example, by reading the rest of the paragraph you provided, you know what's up. Make sense?

 

[Zusie]

For my undergraduate degree we were required to take a course called Philosophy and Science. Everyone (especially the guys) threw a fit because the teacher doing it at that time taught it as Women in Science and it was pretty much a "feminism course." A bunch of people even managed to get out of it somehow by substituting another course.

I remember a bunch of guys the first day played really defensive but they quickly found out that feminism wasn't what they thought it was and the teacher wasn't out to get them. It turned into a really awesome discussion course and I think I actually got something out of it (although the mini essays I was required to write for each class period on the readings were absolutely BS).

We used a book of essays and some other print-offs from our teacher:

I think I skimmed most of them. So, yeah, you're right. They're all about equally hard and the mumbo jumbo they use when you're used to science courses.... but just go with the flow and you'll be alright. Those classes do help you alter the way you think. 🙂

I was actually really grateful for some literature, film, and philosophy classes in my schedule. I only get science and medicine these days...

 

[PetPony]

What all exactly counts as humanities classes? Because I have a sheet of paper with my major requirements and there is an overview called Humanities, Culture, World Languages, and the Arts. And then they are divided with as World Languages and Culture, Humanities and the Arts, and Social Sciences (with History).

I have credit from AP testing for economics and european history. Would they count as humanities as asked for in vet school requirements? UGA requires 14 hours of humanities, so if my credits would count it would be a lot less work for me..