Student Voices

MA Humanities Slideshow

This is a moving slideshow with audio featuring two students from the MA Humanities Clemente Course.

In the News

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Apr 26, 2012
"When this old world starts getting me down," as the old song goes, and the usual antidotes -- family, friends, writing, and music -- can't soothe my soul, I take comfort in knowing there's one place I can always go that's akin to being "Up on the Roof." And that's my annual engagement with the inspiring students enrolled in UW-Madison's Odyssey Project.
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Apr 16, 2012
“We're going to be breaking records this year in terms of attendance and completion,” says Emily Auerbach, a UW-Madison professor of English and director of the Odyssey Project. “This year all 30 students will be getting the full six credits with nobody getting an incomplete. That's never happened before.”


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Apr 15, 2012
A newly released five-year study shows that Mass Humanities' Clemente Course is changing more than just minds—it's changing lives.
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Apr 15, 2012
I saw a posting in the local Bay State Banner for the Clemente Course in the Humanities. Initially I called my friend Gillian to see if she would be interested in being a participant. She said what about you?
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Apr 15, 2012
Many teenage mothers who have dropped out of high school and live in poverty likely have their hands full providing for their children. Pondering the ideas of ancient philosophers and writing essays about art history may be low on the priority list for many of them
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"We, ladies and gentlemen, are the face of America. We are here tonight making history by leaving our fears and insecurities behind. By doing so we can move forward with confidence knowing that we can make America a better place, where all the people within its boundaries can achieve their own American dream."

Norma Juarez, 2010 Venture graduate, Ogden
(a partnership between the Utah Humanities Council and Weber State University)

Welcome

Several times during this course I've heard discussions about the value of a humanities course as opposed to a more practical, pragmatic program.  The problem with practical instruction is that the role of giver and receiver never changes.  If you are teaching someone math, it is highly unlikely that you will learn something new about math from your student.  In the humanities however, the role of giver and receiver is constantly shifting.  Whoever is speaking at the time becomes the giver.  This can be a very empowering and validating experience for people in low income situations like us.  We are used to being seen as the receiver and are rarely valued for our life experience or our opinions.  Being able to share something of ourselves and being validated for this can change our minds about  who we are and this change will manifest throughout our lives.

2011 Halifax Humanities 101 Graduate, Halifax, NS, Canada
More Testimonials

The Clemente Course in the Humanities® is a unique educational institution founded in 1995 to teach the humanities at the college level to people living in economic distress.

The course works in conjunction with faculty from leading colleges and universities on five continents. Students learn through dialogue about moral philosophy, literature, history, art history, critical thinking, and writing.

More than ten thousand students worldwide have attended a Clemente course, and over fifty percent have successfully completed it.

The aim of the course is to bring the clarity and beauty of the humanities to people who have been deprived of these riches through economic, social, or political forces. While the course is not intended as preparation for college, many students have gone on to two- and four-year colleges.

There is no tuition; books are provided, and the college credits offered in most courses are readily transferable to other institutions.

In addition to free tuition and books, access to child care and transportation is provided without charge.

To learn about the origins of the Clemente Course, please read this article (PDF) from the September 1997 issue of Harper's Magazine and Riches for the Poor, both written by Clemente Course founder, Earl Shorris.

Students in Darfur

Students in Darfur

Sudan-Darfur Clemente Course in the Humanities™

Sudan-Darfur Clemente Course in the Humanities

Darfur Faculty

Darfur Faculty

Bard College Jefferson County Clemente Course, Port Hadlock, WA

Bard College Jefferson County Clemente Course, Port Hadlock, WA

Salt Lake City Venture Course 2009-2010

Salt Lake City Venture Course

2010 Graduation, Salt Lake City Venture Course.

2010 Graduation, Salt Lake City Venture Course