All posts by Alan Liu

4Humanities@NY6 Chapter

Posted by Alan Liu

4Humanities@NY6
Dear Colleagues:

It is with great pleasure that we announce the 4Humanities@NY6 chapter. The New York 6 is a consortium of liberal arts schools consisting of Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Skidmore College, St. Lawrence University and Union College. At a recent NY6 symposium co-hosted by Hamilton College’s Digital Humanities Initiative (DHi) in October 2012, representatives from all six institutions discussed new ways to support digital scholarship and digital humanities initiatives. One of the many exciting results of these conversations has led to the creation of a 4Humanities@NY6 regional chapter. As a 4Humanities regional chapter, we believe we can play a significant role in advocating for the Digital Humanities at large, collaborating across institutions, and showcasing our work internationally.

In accordance with the mission of 4Humanities, the NY6 chapter will function as a, “traditional reading/study/discussion group devoted to scholarly research on topics related to advocating for the [digital] humanities.” We are also supporting and promoting the following activities, which are open to faculty and students of all six schools:

• Invite speakers and hold reading/study/discussion meetings devoted to scholarly research around the current state of the (digital) humanities.
• Develop working writing groups to create pieces on the state and value of the (digital) humanities for a variety of academic and general audiences.
• Hold an annual colloquium with relevant keynote speakers (budget allowing).
• Develop longer written pieces or blogs by faculty and students that talk about the process of creating digital material and why this is important.
• Create faculty/student groups inside and outside our classrooms to develop advocacy material for the 4Humanities site (in writing and through digital media)
• Create special scholarship awards or contests.
• Support a 4Humanities undergraduate working group to include our students as directly as possible in these activities

To support these activities, the NY6 consortium has generously given us a starting budget for Spring and Summer 2013. Please email Christine Henseler with ideas, proposals, or questions!

Nithya Caleb, “Whither Humanities In a Market-driven World?”

Posted by Alan Liu

Advocacy Statements & Campaigns

“India has 15 IITs and an equal number of IIMs, but there’s no exclusive centre for fine arts, philosophy, religion or linguistics,” Nithya Caleb begins in a wide-ranging article in The New Indian Express (17 Dec. 2012) about the shrinking mindshare–not to mention funding share–for the humanities around the world. Interviewing educators and spokespersons for […]

Michael Meranze, “The Knowledge that Dare Not Speak Its Name”

Posted by Alan Liu

Advocacy Statements & Campaigns

First appeared on Christopher Newfield’s Remaking the University blog, 14 Dec 2012. Reposted by permission. For some time now, the humanities and the interpretive social sciences have been the canaries in the mineshaft of higher education. Language departments have been eliminated or consolidated, plans put in place to charge students higher tuition for taking the […]

Webinar: Jeffrey Toney and Corina Hernandez, “Public Investment in Higher Education: Ushering Our Campuses Into the 21st Century” (Nov. 12, 2012)

Posted by Alan Liu

Advocacy Statements & Campaigns

The Kean University Faculty Seminar on “The Global Crisis and Promise of Higher Education” (organized in partnership with 4Humanities) will run its next Webinar of the year on November 12, 2012, featuring Dr. Jeffrey Toney and Corina Hernandez on “Public Investment in Higher Education: Ushering Our Campuses Into the 21st Century.” Jeffrey Toney is Vice […]

Webinar: James Lerman, “Futurecasting Higher Education’s Ecosystem: How Do I Fit In?” (October 15, 2012)

Posted by Alan Liu

Advocacy Statements & Campaigns

The Kean University Faculty Seminar on “The Global Crisis and Promise of Higher Education” (organized in partnership with 4Humanities) will run its second Webinar of the year on October 15, 2012, featuring James Lerman on “Futurecasting Higher Education’s Ecosystem: How Do I  Fit In?”  (See publicity flyer.)  The Webinar will meet 3:20-4:30 pm, Eastern Time […]

Robert N. Watson, “Valuing the Humanities”

Posted by Alan Liu

Advocacy Statements & Campaigns

Many humanities professors — particularly those bludgeoned into submission by service on crisis-in-the-humanities committees — have been insisting lately that we need to become more technological and careerist because the public no longer values what we offer. But the facts suggest otherwise; and the discrepancy is revealing. What humanities scholars need to do is break […]