This course will focus on axiology, how we ‘do’ Humanism, through an exploration of aesthetics, meaning-making, and practices. Building on work from the Humanist Worldviews course, students will be invited to align Humanist values with action, making concrete articulated beliefs. This class will consider the variety of ways in which Humanist leadership takes shape from caretaking, social justice initiatives, group management, ritual making, and spiritual practices. Students will also be introduced to methods of conflict transformation, spiritual assessments, and visioning. Course materials are drawn from a variety of secular and religious humanist authors and communities. This class also will require students to reflect on their positionalities, through a process of reflection & self-inventories; determining the gifts their past experiences may bear for the Humanist movement and communities.
Find more information and enroll today here.
Course Info
Fall 2025 Term
September 5 – December 12, 2025
In-class sessions via zoom on Fridays
1:00pm Eastern/12:00pm Central, 11:00am Mountain/10:00am Pacific
Find more information and enroll today here.
Instructor
Vanessa Gomez Brake (she/her/sĩya), B.A., M.Sc., M.Div., Ph.D & Certificate in Humanist Studies, is the Associate Dean of Religious & Spiritual Life at the University of Southern California. She is the first humanist chaplain to serve in this capacity at any American university. In her role, she works to support and promote university religious and spiritual life broadly conceived, and helps oversee more than 90 student religious groups and 50 religious directors on campus. She also serves as an advisor to the USC Interfaith Council and the Secular Student Fellowship. Vanessa also serves on the AHA Board of Directors.
Previously, Vanessa worked at Stanford University’s Office for Religious Life, where she led campus programming and worked closely with student-led religious groups. At Stanford, she oversaw all programs at the historic Stanford Memorial Church and CIRCLE: Center for Inter-Religious Community, Learning, and Experiences, and played a supporting role at the Windhover Contemplative Center.
As an accomplished Filipino folk dancer and multi-instrumentalist, Vanessa has performed at the White House and Carnegie Hall for Filipino American History Month celebrations. Her folk artistry is an extension of her interfaith work, as her performances showcase the diverse traditions, rituals, and beliefs of Muslim, Christian, and indigenous peoples of the Philippines.