The purpose of Humane Letters is to seek a deeper understanding of literature, philosophy, and history to develop the student as a critical reader, cogent writer, careful listener, and persuasive speaker. Great literature instructs a student on how to become closer to the human ideal—a creature made in the image of God who is entrusted with stewardship of creation and service to humanity. A true humanities course, therefore, reveals what a human being should and can be, and then guides students toward that goal. As Parker Palmer has written, “To teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practiced.”

 

A scholar from the Renaissance period, Jacopo Sadoleto, wrote the following in a treatise on education: “We receive from Nature what is central in ourselves…but in a rough and unfinished form; it is the function of letters to bring this to its highest perfection, and to work out in it a beauty comparable to the divine original.”  Thus the study of Humane Letters cultivates in the student the capacity to reach the fullness of her humanity.

 

Historically, the study of Humane Letters was not exclusively for academics, teachers, or philosophers.  Statesmen, generals, craftsmen, and explorers went through the same rigorous course of rhetoric, literature, philosophy and poetry. The goal was to establish a strong foundation for all forms of learning by developing the skills of careful reading and listening, and cogent writing and speaking. A proper study of the humanities prepares its student for both thought and action. Until recently, the best universities based their curricula on Humane Letters courses. Some of the very best still do.

 

The Humane Letters course is a four-year cycle spanning the fundamentals of literature, history, and philosophy in the Western tradition. The 9th grade Humane Letters course at JHCA focuses on America from 1620-1989.  The reading list contains works of fiction and non-fiction that reveal essential elements of the era. Students will be exposed to a variety of literary styles and themes. In the classroom, they will discuss these works in the Socratic discussion format and write essays analyzing the literature and the ideas expressed. As they read these iconic American works, students will also learn the history of the United States with a special emphasis on primary documents by using the books A Documentary History of the United States and A Short History of the United States.

 

Interweaving traditional literature and history elements into one course provides a holistic view of our American heritage. Ideas and events do not occur in isolation; students likewise will learn them together. These connections that students will make between the literature that they are reading with primary source documents and historical events will give a fuller understanding of all three. Students will not only develop their skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, they will also begin to analyze and synthesize works of literature and history.

 

The course creates a philosophically coherent whole that works to develop the student as both an individual person and a contributing member of society.