Voices For the Humanities

4Humanities is a platform for people from different parts of society and the world to give voice to the enduring and contemporary importance of the humanities. Why study and creative expression in such areas as literature, history, languages, philosophy, classics, art history, cultural studies, and others (see “What Are the Humanities?”) so valuable to individuals and societies? The voices gathered here say why.

* 4Humanities seeks out both original and reposted statements about the humanities from people in business, the sciences, entertainment, universities, high schools, and other sectors. We also report on significant developments and initiatives related to the humanities.

* Listen to the voices in our sections on “Advocacy Statements & Campaigns,” “The Changing Humanities,” “Student Voices,” and “International Correspondents.”

* Also listen to the voices gathered in our special projects “Humanities, Plain & Simple” and “Backpack Mini-documentaries.”

For those wishing to consult resources in framing their own statement for the humanities, 4Humanities offers a “Guide to Issues in Humanities Advocacy” and its “The Humanities Matter!” infographic.

How Are Funding Issues Impacting Humanities Education at Universities?

–Report contributed to 4Humanities by Jessica Meyer When budget season hits the federal government and the debate begins about where and how to cut spending, a perennial favorite target is the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and its sister organization, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The NEH, created in 1965 by Congress, […]

The Changing Humanities: UVA’s Praxis Program

In a recent op-ed as part of The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s Digital Campus special issue, Bethany Nowviskie, director of Digital Research and Scholarship at the University of Virginia Library and president of the Association for Computers and the Humanities, highlights UVA’s Praxis Program. The program, a competitively-awarded yearlong digital methods workshop and apprenticeship designed […]

The Humanities and the Corporate World: Dedicated Deep Thinkers

In a recent article for The Chronicle of Higher Education (link to PDF), history professor Peter A. Coclanis – noting the importance of innovation to many businesses and the establishment in recent years of high-level positions like the CINO, or the chief innovation officer, in many businesses – argues for the creation of a new […]

Fighting for the Humanities

In a recent piece entitled “Fighting for the Humanities: Who will bankroll poetry?” published in Academe, Professor and President of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) Cary Nelson calls for “a humanities offensive.” Nelson’s substantial and wide-ranging piece covers, among among other things, the significant differences in public perceptions of the sciences and the […]