After passing Class 10, students choose a stream for Classes 11 and 12. One of the three main streams is Humanities, also called the Arts stream. The Humanities stream focuses on subjects related to society, human behaviour, history, culture and languages. It is a good choice for students interested in fields like law, civil services, journalism, teaching, social work and the arts. This guide lists the common humanities (arts) subjects offered in Class 11 and the careers they lead to.
Humanities is also called the Arts stream, one of the three main streams after Class 10.
It focuses on society, human behaviour, history, culture and languages.
Common subjects: History, Political Science, Geography, Economics, Sociology, Psychology.
English and a second language are usually compulsory.
Other electives include Philosophy, Fine Arts, Home Science and Physical Education.
The exact subject list varies by school and board.
Careers include civil services, law, journalism, teaching, psychology and social work.
In the Humanities (Arts) stream, students usually study one or two compulsory languages and choose four to five elective subjects. The common subjects are:
Languages (usually compulsory): ā¢ English ā¢ A second language (Hindi or a regional/foreign language)
Elective subjects (choose as per the school): ā¢ History ā¢ Political Science ā¢ Geography ā¢ Economics ā¢ Sociology ā¢ Psychology ā¢ Philosophy ā¢ Fine Arts ā¢ Home Science ā¢ Physical Education ā¢ Sanskrit or other languages
Note: The exact list of electives may vary from school to school and board to board (CBSE, ICSE, State Boards).
Many students also take an optional subject such as Mathematics or Computer Science along with humanities subjects.
The Humanities stream opens up a wide range of careers:
Humanities is often wrongly thought to have fewer opportunities, but it actually leads to many respected and well-paid careers.
The common humanities (arts) subjects in Class 11 are History, Political Science, Geography, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Fine Arts, Home Science and Physical Education, along with compulsory languages like English and a second language. Students usually choose four or five electives, and the exact list varies from school to school.
The humanities stream, also called the arts stream, is one of the three main streams chosen after Class 10 (along with science and commerce). It focuses on subjects related to society, human behaviour, history, culture and languages, and is suited to students interested in law, civil services, journalism, teaching and social work.
For students aiming at the civil services, humanities subjects like History, Political Science, Geography, Economics and Sociology are very useful, because much of the UPSC syllabus is based on these subjects. However, students from any stream can appear for the civil services exam.
After the humanities stream, students can pursue careers in civil services (IAS, IPS), law, journalism and mass communication, teaching, psychology and counselling, social work, history and archaeology, economics and management, and the fine arts and design. Humanities leads to many respected and well-paid careers.
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