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.

Humanities and Social Sciences Matter | Campaign for the Humanities and Social Sciences in UK Universities

Posted by Geoffrey Rockwell

December 5, 2010Advocacy Statements & CampaignsGeoffrey Rockwell

Humanities and Social Sciences Matter is a “campaign to promote and defend world-leading humanities and social science teaching and research in UK universities.” They are running a petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/humanitiesmatter/ and have posts summarizing and linking to ideas and events. We believe in Higher Education teaching that is informed by the highest quality research, that […]

Cornell University President’s Speech on Value of Humanities and Arts

Posted by Alan Liu

December 5, 2010Advocacy Statements & CampaignsAlan Liu

Several days ago, 4Humanities reported on the “State of the University” speech that David Skorton, President of Cornell University, gave on October 29, 2010, in which he made a bold, strong call for supporting the humanities and arts. In addition to making the full text of the address available on the site of the Cornell […]

Teaching Police Observational Skills through Art History

Posted by Alan Liu

December 4, 2010Humanities ShowcaseAlan Liu

Amy Herman, head of education at the Frick Collection in New York City, has since 2004 offered “The Art of Observation” program, which offers members of the NYC police, the FBI, and the National Guard professional training in observational technique by using art works in the Frick holdings. Adapted from a similar program that the […]

Register for “Humanities Advocacy Day 2011” in Washington, D.C.

Posted by Alan Liu

December 4, 2010Advocacy Statements & Campaigns, Humanities NewsAlan Liu

The National Humanities Alliance in the U.S. has opened registration for its 2011 Humanities Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., March 7-8, 2011. Scholars, higher education and association leaders, and policy makers will convene for an annual conversation on the state of the humanities and to make their voices heard on the Hill. Plan to attend […]

Haiti Lab

Posted by Alan Liu

December 2, 2010Humanities ShowcaseAlan Liu

Duke University’s Franklin Humanities Institute has started an initiative to create “humanities laboratories” that convene groups of faculty and students to work on interdisciplinary humanities research and pedagogy in spaces specially designed for collaborative work and focused on using technology as a “tool for research, research dissemination, pedagogy, and collection/archive development. The first of these […]

Cornell University President Calls for Campaign for the Humanities

Posted by Alan Liu

December 1, 2010Advocacy Statements & CampaignsAlan Liu

In his State of the University Address at Cornell University on October 29, 2010, and in later interviews, David Skorton, President of Cornell, has made a bold call for advocacy for the humanities at his university and nationwide in the U.S. It is “time for Cornell to step up and advocate for arts and humanities […]

Debate: Do Colleges Need French Departments? – Room for Debate

Posted by Geoffrey Rockwell

November 30, 2010Humanities NewsGeoffrey Rockwell

The New York Times has a nice feature called Room for Debate where a number of pundits write short opinion pieces on a subject. In October debaters like Martha Nussbaum takled the question, Do Colleges Need French Departments?. This debate was in response to the State University of New York at Albany cancelling a bunch […]