Humanities and Ethics

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman (Educator, writer, theologian, civil rights activist) 

Despite its name, Humanities & Ethics is not a class about the disciplines of “humanities” and “ethics” that you might encounter in another academic setting. Rather, it is a class about discovering and exploring our own humanity and our own personal ethics.

In this experiential course, students explore their belief systems, values, personal and family histories, deepest dreams, sexuality and relationships, and spiritual experiences. The work we do in Humanities & Ethics forms a central core of life at the Woolman Semester, exploring the place where all our actions are rooted. Through readings, inquiry, art, journaling and reflective exercises and discussion, students explore themselves and become closer with each other. This class often also includes a basic introduction to Quakerism and an exploration of how its values are alive at Woolman. 

In the final culminating exercise, students write their "personal statement of conscience," which is a proclamation to the world of what they love, what they hold sacred, what they stand for, and what they won't stand for.