analyze Multiculturalism through the lens of history and humanities and address the following: How does this issue/event interact with the history lens and impact social issues? In what ways does
IDS The Four General Education Lenses
Each time we approach a question or project, we are informed by certain perspectives, or “lenses.” At
any given time, we are looking through multiple lenses, but often, one may be more dominant than the
others. Throughout your academic journey, these lenses coincide with disciplines or fields of study. Here
at SNHU, we’ve prioritized four of these lenses: the Humanities, History, the Sciences, and the Social
Sciences. Professionals in these fields all ask questio ns in order to gain information, but they may ask
them in different ways that will help them examine different aspects of a topic. We can think of these as
four different telescopes, and each lens has different characteristics. Thus, depending on the lens we are
looking through, the cultural artifacts we encounter —the constructed items that convey the
benchmarks of a particular culture or social group —will tell a different story.
The Humanities
At the core of the Humanities is human creativity, and they ex plore the things that humanity creates and
how they offer insight into the way people experienced their present, interacted with their culture, and
comprehended abstract concepts and big questions about humanity’s place in the universe. The
humanities broa den perspectives and promote an understanding of multiple experiences, cultures, and
values through various mediums of creative human expression –such as literature, fine art, dance,
photography, literature, philosophy and religion, film and television, mus ic, even the Internet and social
media --many of which are taught as separate academic disciplines. Within the Humanities , both the
artist’s (or creator’s) intent and audience reception of a creative artifact are considered to help
understand cultural value s and why they matter. They celebrate cultural diversity while also highlighting
cultural similarity. View this brief video for more on the lens of the humanities: What Are the
Humanities and Why Are They Important? (1:53) IDS -100: Humanities (3:22)
History
Many of us are familiar with history as being a list of dates, events, and people to memorize, but history.
Yo ur primary exposure to history could have been in grade school required classes or in documentaries
about subjects you find interesting. There is so much more to history, however. History tells the stories
of our past to help us better understand how we go to the present. In addition to dates, events, and
people, history encompasses first -hand accounts of experiences that include artifacts from an era (tools,
clothes, toys, etc.), letters or diaries from people who lived during a certain time, documents fro m a
time period, photographs, and, when possible, interviews with people who lived through the events that
historians study. Together, these historical remnants help write a story of a particular time, which is
then folded into the stories of history we ar e living and making today. View this brief video for more on
the lens of history: Thinking Like a Historian (8:47). What is History For? (4:13) What is Historical
Thinking (7:41)
The Natural and Applied Sciences
The natural and applied sciences study the physical world to help us better understand oursel ves and
our place in nature, and nature’s role in shaping us. The Natural Sciences include fields such as biology,
chemistry, and physics, while the Applied Sciences includes STEM -related fields such as mathematics
and technology. Together these fields exp lore the questions and curiosities humans have been asking
for ages, and scientists often develop questions and use a scientific process - the Scientific Method - to
describe, predict, and observe the natural world. This method of developing and researchin g hypotheses
can also be applied to the other lenses as a way to organize the questions one might ask to gain a
deeper understanding of our world and experiences.
View this brief video for more on the natural sciences: The Scientific Method (4:05). IDS -100: What is
Science? (2:01) IDS -100: Neil deGrasse Tyson Describes Scientific Thinking (2:52)
The Social Sciences
As people are social beings, social science is the study of society and the relationships between people.
Subjects included in this lens are psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, and
geography. This study of human behavior and interaction can sometimes “overlap” with the humanities
lens, which also studies different cultures. Studying society, culture, and human relationships will lead us
to an understanding of how people live and how to improve our lives. Social scientists use a variety of
methods to arrive at conclusions within this lens, such as interviews, participant -observation, and
primary and secondary sources. The social sciences can also intersect with the other lenses. Fo r
instance, like the history lens, social scientists may look at the past to gain an understanding of the social
relationships that took place. How do we interact? How do we work together? Asking questions similar
to these has given us the opportunity to e valuate causes and effects related to people in our society.
Consider how the social science lens helps us interact with the world around us and uses cultural
artifacts to make changes in our lives to promote better living or promote interactions we normal ly
would not have with others. View this brief video for more on social science: An Animated Introduction
to Social Science (4:35). What is Social Science? Part 1 (2:50) What is Social Science? Part 2 (2:37)
