Please keep in mind that these are only general guidelines; always defer to your professor’s specifications for a given assignment. If you have any questions about the content represented here, please contact the Writing Centers so that we can address them for you.
The Humanities look to understand the interactions and developments of human communication, thought, society, art, religion, and literature, both throughout history and in contemporary times. At DePaul, the Humanities include the fields of Art, Art History, English, History, Journalism, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. Although the subjects of these fields vary greatly, they ultimately share the same fundamental aspects of human nature: the desire to come together as societies and develop connections, a need for communication between people and societies, an awareness of the importance of expressions through art and the richness of literature, and a curiosity to understand the elements that make humankind who and what they are. Because the Humanities deal with the conception of the human species altogether, each of these fields look at a specific segment of human existence and how it relates to other fields and the human experience as a whole.
Each field represents its own unique knowledge community, and as such, writing styles, genres, and conventions in each field are unique as well. Fields in the Humanities tend to emphasize expression, discussion, and interpretation; though they are based largely on specific texts as artifacts, the ultimate conclusions are often open to multiple understandings and more widely stylistic ways of writing.
Writing in the Humanities relies a great deal on quoting. Because the Humanities deal with subjects about human identity, the language the author chose to frame a particular idea is usually very important. However, this does not mean that paraphrasing is not used. Students should consider the value of the specific word choice in relation to the idea when deciding when to directly quote an idea, or when the idea is more important than the specific word choice when paraphrasing. The most common citation style for this grouping of fields is MLA, though History also uses Chicago Manual, and some professors may allow students to use APA style. Check your syllabus or ask your professor for the specific style used in your course. If the professor has not given you a specific style, choose one that you understand and are comfortable working with.
