Do I capitalize the humanities?

Answered by Randy McIntyre

In general, academic subjects are not capitalized unless they are describing a specific language, culture, or religion. This means that the term “humanities” is typically written in lowercase. However, there are certain situations where you might capitalize the term.

The humanities refer to academic disciplines that study various aspects of human culture, such as literature, philosophy, history, art, and music. When used as a broad term to encompass these disciplines, it is written in lowercase. For example, you might say, “I am studying the humanities in college.”

However, if you are referring to a specific academic department or program that has the word “humanities” in its name, then it would be capitalized. For instance, if you are enrolled in the Department of Humanities at your university, you would capitalize it as follows: “I am majoring in Humanities at XYZ University.”

It is important to note that when you are discussing a particular field within the humanities, such as English literature or European history, you would still write the specific subject in lowercase. For example, “I am taking a course on medieval history within the humanities department.”

The term “humanities” is generally written in lowercase unless it is part of a specific department or program name. It is always a good idea to consult the style guide or guidelines provided by your institution or publisher for specific formatting rules.