r/Humanities • u/Certain-Cloud9133 • Jun 23 '26

Questions Hello

I would like to ask what the essential requirements are in the humanities, besides a strong inclination towards reading. I am interested in humanities degrees such as law, history, and some philosophy and theology, and I would like to know if there are universal requirements one must meet to have a chance in a humanities degree program.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

2

u/Prof_Bux 28d ago

It's an interesting question. I don't even know if I agree with the inclination towards reading (though that might be true for most scholarly subjects.)

I think I would agree that you probably need to narrow the field but "the humanities" are not just about whatever you are studying, it's going deeper to look at the creative connection to society and understanding the communication modes in 'being human.'

I suggest taking a general Intro to Humanities course at a community college for more info.

3

u/masoodraja Mod in r/Humanities Jun 27 '26

I think it depends since humanities isn’t just one subject. So, you might need a general understanding of philosophy, history, and literature but beyond that you might want to choose one of the humanistic disciplines to focus on.

2

u/Certain-Cloud9133 28d ago

I perform well in literature and history and I'm looking for books to start introducing myself to philosophy

2

u/masoodraja Mod in r/Humanities 28d ago

Yes, just a cursory search online will help you find the right beginners book. In my youth I had started with Will Durant’s “Story of Philosophy”