Humanity In Perspective
January 1, 2010
The Humanity In Perspective course may be the most challenging teaching I have ever done. I quickly discovered that a lot of the classroom tactics and strategies that seem to work with Willamette’s standard students, that is, the 18 to 22 year olds, did not work altogether successfully with a group which was so diverse in terms of both age and life experiences. The HIP students simply read the text differently! And I found that frequently I could not anticipate how they would respond. They did seem to enjoy the texts and our conversations about them, and they did read thoughtfully and well. But I found myself devoting many hours of preparation in reflection, attempting to image the range of possible responses and how I might work with those responses. It was an amazing challenge that opened up and renewed texts that I have taught frequently and know quite well. I came to see those texts differently, too.
Affiliation: Department of History, Willamette University
This spring, the Boston Mayor’s Office issued an official commendation to the Clemente Course at Codman Square, celebrating 25 years of free, college-level humanities education for adults in Boston. Linda Dolan, herself a graduate of the program, prompted the mayor's office to consider the honor, and they did. The Boston Clemente Course in Dorchester is supported by Mass Humanities along with several other sites across Massachusetts.
Writer, Lawyer, and Freedom Reads Founder Reginald Dwayne Betts To Be Awarded the Clemente Course in the Humanities Public Humanities Prize
You will live as long as your life has meaning. I embarked on this educational journey to satisfy my life’s desire to learn. This opportunity crossed my path at the right moment and is supplying me with the chance to evaluate my ability to perform on the college level with like-minded people within the veteran’s community, where a person can always find support. All of the instructors and staff are helpful! Thank you for this possibility. – George, Coast Guard, Ocean City, NJ The New Jersey Clemente Course Veterans Initiative (CCVI) launched its second cohort on September 25, 2025, welcoming twenty-four veterans from every branch of service. The cohort includes eight women; and while most come from communities across New Jersey, the course has also drawn participants from New York. Part of the wider Clemente Veterans Initiative and operating in partnership with the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and Atlantic Cape Community College , the CCVI brings transformative humanities education to those who have served.
You may be familiar with Clemente's 30+ programs across the United States, but did you know that Clemente also has a long and rich history in Australia?
The Clemente Course in Worcester, MA continues to thrive through partnerships that bring the humanities to life in unexpected ways. Hosted by the Worcester Art Museum , the course benefits from inspiring classroom space and exclusive after-hours gallery tours led by Art History instructor Elissa Chase, the first of which took place in early October. A new partnership with Indigo Fire Studio in Watertown brought an especially hands-on dimension to learning this fall: the studio donated 25 pounds of clay and kiln space; and under the guidance of Mass Humanities' Sarah Carroll, students participated in a clay handbuilding class that wove together Philosophy of Art, Art History, and creative expression.
Amy Howard on how Clemente changed her life and her community.