Category: #Humanitiesinclass

A Timeless Description

I feel robbed that I did not get the opportunity to ask my Great Uncle Burl what it was like to train in North Africa or share stories…

Meeting the Last Man on Planet Earth Who Could Speak Latin

A single question changed the course of my life. When I first began studying Latin in 1996, it was a dead language, no doubt about it. It was…

A Scientist Appreciates the Humanities

During college I was on my way to becoming a scientist when I decided to get my education license on the side. During my student teaching internship, I…

Origin Stories: Or, Making Sense of Surprises in the Family Tree

My Humanities Moment happened when my husband and I received the results of the genetic testing kits we’d ordered. The stories that my husband’s DNA told matched up…

“For the Sake of a Cloud”

While taking Latin in high school, I became fascinated by the story of the Trojan War. I loved the interconnected perspectives of soldiers, royalty, deities, and ordinary people….

A Few Lines of Poetry Might Be All We Need…

I remember seeing the images on the television, in newspapers, and in magazines. It was such an epic event. The Berlin Wall was coming down, something I never…

Finding the “Truth” in Music

In June 2017, I found myself in a cramped, sweltering apartment in New York’s East Village. I was there with three high-school students to interview William Millan, founder…

Abu’s Afsanas

My Abu (‘father’ in Urdu) is my favorite storyteller … I grew up with stories of his childhood in India and later in his life: he and his…

The Perfect Invitation

Hearing Lucille Clifton’s poem “won’t you celebrate with me” at a celebration of her work is the Humanities Moment that offered both comfort and a model for how…

Human Ecology of Health

Walking the cobble-stone streets of a Bolivian village, I witnessed how a new clinic in a medically underserved area hadn’t made much of an impact. I was visiting…

The Virginia State Capitol: Past and Present

I had been to the Virginia State Capitol many times since I moved to Richmond in 1989. I’ve viewed proceedings in the House and Senate chambers, held meetings…

The World from My View

I have traveled many places and have tried to capture what I found unique, beautiful and different. But, this place, along the Bosporus Strait which merges the European…