Discussion leader: Alan Liu

As part of its public forum on “Defining and Framing the Humanities Today” — hosted at Union College on February 10, 2014 — 4Humanities@NY6 is holding a workshop to discuss The Heart of the Matter report (summary [pdf]) (full report [pdf]).  Requested by members of the U.S. Congress, the report was produced by the American Academy of Arts & Science’s blue-ribbon “Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences,” which included a large group of leaders in higher education, government, business, the arts, and other sectors of society.  Presented to Congress in June 2013, the report’s intent is “to advance a dialogue on the importance of the humanities and social sciences to the future of our nation.”

What are the value or values of the humanities expressed in The Heart of the Matter?  How do those values reflect agreement or disagreement between scholars committed to the humanities and members of the public, government, media, and others with varying viewpoints on the humanities?  How effectively does “The Heart of the Matter” create “talking points” to bridge the gap between humanists and others?  What lessons, positive or negative, can be learned from The Heart of the Matter for humanities advocacy in the 21st century?