Opinion: In Favor of Hum 110

s that time of year again, when the first Hum 110 essay is behind us and the next one is already looming, just when the freshmen thought they had earned a well-deserved break. Will the endless tide of essays and readings ever abate? I know it might seem like Hum 110 is merely a plot by Reed to rob you of your sleep and mental health, but in my experience, the journey has some value to it. Looking back on the class from the start of my sophomore year, I find myself regarding it with gratitude, appreciation, and wistful nostalgia despite my deep hatred of essays. Here are some reasons why I think Hum 110 benefits new Reed students.

First of all, it gives students an opportunity to gauge their strengths and weaknesses in a safe environment so they can get to know themselves as a student going forward. Do I thrive in big group discussions, or do I get stage fright and prefer smaller groups? Which parts of writing an essay do I tend to procrastinate on? Which seats in Vollum Lecture Hall allow me to play Wordle without people peeping in from behind? Which seats in Vollum Lecture Hall allow me to see the Wordle of the person in front of me so I don’t have to pay for a New York Times subscription? You know, important stuff like that. Note: Reed offers free New York Times subscriptions to students. Further note: Wordle is free

While not every class at Reed has something in common with Hum 110, many do, from Hum 211’s largely identical essays/long AF readings/remote lectures/conference format, to Rel 131’s ancient epics and multivalent approaches to analysis thereof, to Bio 101/102’s in-person lectures in Vollum Lecture Hall and assortment of assignments to juggle for both the entire class and the smaller subdivision. Yep, that’s right, figuring out how to deal with the logistical chaos of Hum 110 prepared me for a biology lab class! Whatever your major may be, even if it’s something more in the direction of STEM, there will likely be some takeaways and insights about your own study skills, habits, and preferences from Hum 110 that you can apply to other Reed classes going forward.

Furthermore, Hum 110’s wide array of professors gives new students a list of resources and jumping-off points if they want to explore another topic that piques their interest. Both this year and last year, over 20 different professors from at least six departments gave or will give lectures. If a student hears something in a lecture that inspires them to take a class on that topic in the future, or just wants to talk about it with another professor, they already have a friendly face to speak to. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a familiar voice or have run into a professor who looks like someone I’ve seen before, from the Music, GLAM, or Art department, you name it. Having already been introduced to them and a snippet of their teaching style from Hum 110 breaks the ice ahead of time should you ever need or want to talk with them later. If you ever end up taking a class with them, it might even feel like you know them already.

And finally, Hum 110 provides a bonding experience between students. I know it may sound trite, but it did give me an automatic conversation topic to start with that let me make friends with every other freshman. Just go up to another freshman–or heck, even an older student who’s been through Hum 110 before, if you’re feeling particularly bold–and say, “That feeling when you’re enacting Ma’at, amirite?” “Enkidu shipped with Gilgamesh: yay or nay?” “Do you believe that the perennial vociferous disagreement over which texts should be taught in Hum 110 ought to count for PE credit?” Bam. New friend. 

The Hum 110 experience, annoying and stressful as it may sometimes be, gives all freshmen something they can connect over during a year that is almost certainly the most unfamiliar and least standardized academic experience they have ever had. In a sea of unique classes, clubs, and interests, whatever you’re studying and whoever you are, Hum 110 is the good ol’ familiar subject everyone can gripe about, and inadvertently unite while doing said griping. Why all those annoying readings, essays, and lectures at the crack of dawn? People unite like nothing else when they have a common enemy! (Okay, and for the obviously secondary purposes of developing writing skills, time management, and stress management. Those, too.) Plus, having the same professor and small groups of students from semester to semester can give you friends and a familiar schedule that can lend stability to your second semester when your other classes are new all over again.

Hum 110 gives freshmen a place to develop their skills, an opportunity to get to know Reed professors, a tiny speck of stability in the whirlwind, and a shared source of joys and evils to unite over. And a bonus reason why Hum 110 helps you in your Reed life going forward for subsequent years, too: It gives you a topic to write a Quest article about when you’re procrastinating on your essay for Hum 211. (…Okay, well, maybe that one is just me.) Thanks, Hum 110!