The humanities encompass all of the fields of inquiry and human expression devoted to an understanding of the human condition. These include literature and language, philosophy, art, the performing arts, history, and religious belief. Due to the pressures for us to become increasingly specialized in our various vocations, it is even more vital for citizens to be broadly conversant in the questions and traditions that have informed human history. This foundation includes a deeper awareness of the past, a heightened sensitivity to the dynamic interaction of cultures in our present, and greater preparation for a changing future.