Human Nature and Society (JHNS2) Course Tips

Are you taking Human Nature and Society (JHNS2, aka HNS), wanting some advice about how to succeed? Are you considering taking it in a future year? After interviewing a peer tutor, we’ve gathered some tips for success in HNS, as well as general information about it.

Course Overview & Topics

HNS is a core class that discusses (as the name suggests) topics of human nature and society. It’s a “pure philosophy class”—unlike other core classes that bring in science, statistics, or law, HNS is essentially a year of thinking and writing. With readings from both ancient and modern philosophers, the class tackles some of the longest living questions in philosophy, such as: What’s the distinction between humans and animals? Are humans inherently selfish? What is the meaning of life?

If these questions sound extremely complicated, know that HNS does an excellent job of making the material accessible to eighth graders. The topics are complex and the course may feel challenging, but it’s not so challenging that it becomes unenjoyable. 

By the end of the year, students will have an understanding of many philosophical concepts and know how to set up arguments and write in defense of them.

Expected Learning Process

HNS utilizes a fair amount of different ways that students can pick up information. Readings are primarily text-based, usually as PDFs and sometimes as physical copies, and this material is debriefed and discussed verbally in class. Students are expected to absorb ideas in the readings and be able to critically evaluate and discuss them, as well as contrast and compare with other ideas covered in the class. Reading question assignments are often assigned in order to help students organize their comprehension of the readings. Students are highly encouraged to participate in class discussion as well.

Frequent challenges

The writing in HNS is something that students frequently find challenging. Students taking HNS are often new to philosophy or have only had some exposure to it, and the style of writing expected in philosophy papers is far different from other styles of writing. Many students aren’t accustomed to the clear-cut and often bland-feeling writing that is used in HNS. While the class does teach this and support students along the way, many still struggle to shed their typical writing habits when they’re writing papers in HNS.

Additionally, with the material structured as units, many of the concepts are reliant on each other (such as one reading being a response to another reading, or there may just be a need to understand one topic before moving on). Because of this, missing certain readings or not quite grasping topics can set students far behind and make it difficult for them to catch up.

This can lead to a snowballing effect, so preventing the problem is definitely the most important—if students feel like there’s something they’re not understanding, they should reach out to instructors or peer tutors and review the topic to make sure they have it down before it affects their future learning. If a student finds themself already behind, the same resources can definitely help! Starting at the beginning of the knowledge gap will be the most helpful here, especially for topics that lean on previous topics. Remember: you can only run away from topics until the midterm or final. Don’t ignore the issue until then and spend hours fruitlessly cramming material into your mind that you never got the hang of in the first place.

This information is intended to help you anticipate what challenges you may find during this course, so you can best direct your study efforts and be prepared.

Available supports

• Peer tutors are students who have previously taken the course and are available to help students

  • Peer tutors can be reached through appointments at the Writing and Tutoring Center. Schedule an appointment here: Stanford OHS Writing & Tutoring Center (mywconline.com)

  • Sometimes, a fellow student can explain something better than a teacher can, because they know what it’s like to be a student and where another student is likely to struggle to understand something.

  • Many peer tutors are also easily reachable through Pronto. Feel free to message a peer tutor if you’re stuck on an assignment and need a nudge in the right direction!

• Your instructor is also there to help you

  • Instructors hold office hours once or twice a week, where students can come to discuss course topics.

    • Note that you do not need to have a particular question to attend office hours—you can come to discuss a general topic, explore an idea you have, ask a specific question about homework, and much more!

    • You are never inconveniencing your teacher by attending office hours—they want to talk to you.

    • If you find it hard or embarrassing to ask questions in class, office hours can be a great place to ask questions, when you can just talk to your instructor 1-on-1. It is very normal to feel hesitant about asking questions—you are not alone! However, since the material does build so much on previous material, finding a comfortable way to get help is very important to succeeding in HNS.

  • Instructors can also be reached by email. You might decide to email your teacher, for example, if you have a (relatively quick) question that needs to be answered before their next office hours.

Why take this course

Considering this course isn’t a required core course, unlike the high school courses, this is a fair question. Fundamentally, I would say students should take it just to enjoy it. This class appeals to anyone with interests in philosophy, society, human nature, ancient history, science, the meaning of life, and even more topics. It improves students’ critical thinking skills and gives them the opportunity to consider and argue for positions on some of the most crucial topics in philosophy. HNS also serves as a fantastic basis for philosophy as a whole, which does help quite a bit in the high school core courses!