Humanities for Everybody—or H4E as we call it—is a non-profit community program sponsored by the University Center for the Humanities and Open Doors. Our mission is to bring together passionate and intellectually curious people from all backgrounds and all school experiences to collectively wrestle with relevant ideas and issues in literature, history, philosophy and contemporary culture.
Our team of volunteers are united in the belief that all members of the community deserve access to a quality education in the humanities. Our conversational approach invites participants to ask questions, take intellectual risks, explore issues in depth, develop new academic skills and habits of mind, and gain a public voice. We also hope to build strong and lasting relationships.
Humanities for Everybody classes are small (capped at 18 students). They include an instructor and often one or more volunteer alumni mentors. Core subjects of literature, philosophy, history and cultural studies remain the same, but the specific focus of each session changes based on the interests and expertise of our professors.
All participants in the program will receive free books, tuition and supplies. There are no citizenship requirements for this program. Active participants are also encouraged to request assistance with their college or job applications, including references and letters of recommendation written by H4E faculty. If you are a member of the Kalamazoo community and would like to attend our free courses, listen to our short lectures, and engage in spirited discussions about the humanities, see Community Programs.
STUDENT Programs
Since the fall of 2018, H4E has organized a number of mentoring programs for our undergraduate students. This includes a bridge year program (2018-2021) supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation as well as our future Prison Education program. For more information about these efforts, see Student Programs.