Cal Humanities

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more when it is in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

Vicki Ruiz, Professor and Author

“Humanities is an appreciation and understanding of the past, particularly in a global society.”

Recipient of the 2014 National Humanities Medalist for her contribution as a historian, Ruiz is an author and Distinguished Professor of history and Chair of Chicano/Latino Studies at UC Irvine. In 2012, she became the first Latina historian inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She is currently president-elect of the American Historical Association.