Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities/Combined Edition

by Janetta Rebold Benton, Robert DiYanni

This freshman/sophomore-level book for a two-semester course in Introduction to Humanities and Cultural Studies is richly illustrated, beautifully designed, and engaging. This text offers an integrated exploration of Western civilization's cultural heritage. Students move chronologically through major periods and styles to gain insight into the achievements and ideas in painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, philosophy, religion, and music. Divided into 24 chapters, the text provides students with a historical (political, economic, and social) framework to contextualize these achievements within a specific time and place, from prehistoric culture to 20th-Century America. Considerable attention is given to non-Western cultures and influences, making this text global in reach. Timelines, maps, four-color and two-color illustrations, and a variety of unique interrelationship boxes help students make important interdisciplinary and cross-cultural connections, and help them relate the richness and meaning of the past to their own lives in the present.

Genres: Art, Textbooks, Nonfiction

640 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Benjamin Fisk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for a class I was taking, but i ended up enjoying it for intrinsic value.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I think this was a good textbook for my Honors Humanities class (high school seniors).
It gives a basic overview of the various eras quite nicely.

We did not come close to finishing the book, but I am looking forward to ending with a unit where they get to choose the final chapter they read. There is such variety that I believe each student will be able to find a chapter that interests him/her (especially since we only have time for about half the book).

[Bradley]

This was the textbook used for my Introduction to the Humanities class. It's a pretty decent, easy to read textbook.