The humanities are a group of academic subjects united by a commitment to studying aspects of the human condition and a qualitative approach that generally prevents a single paradigm from coming to define any discipline.
In academia, the humanities are generally considered to be, along with the social sciences and the natural sciences, one of three major components of the liberal arts and sciences.
While the precise definition of the humanities can be contentious, the following disciplines are generally recognized to form their core:
- The Classics:
- Literature
- Philosophy
- The study of Religion
- History
- Jurisprudence
- The history, theory, and criticism of the arts
- Area studies
- Women's studies
- African-American studies
- Regional interdisciplinary fields such as East Asian studies and American studies
- cultural anthropology
- sociology
- political science
- archaeology
- Some branches of economics