4Humanities “Shout Out For the Humanities” Student Prize Contest

4Humanities.org announces its “Shout Out For the Humanities” student prize contest. Prizes are offered for best undergraduate (1st prize: US $1,000 – 2nd: $700 – 3rd: $300) and best graduate student (1st prize: US $1,000 – 2nd: $700 – 3rd: $300) submissions from any nation that speak up for the value of the humanities in today’s society. 4Humanities wants to showcase student ideas and voices on such questions as: Why is studying the humanities–e.g., history, literature, languages, philosophy, art history, media history, and culture–important to you? To society? How would you convince your parents, an employer, a politician, or others that there is value in learning the humanities? Submissions will be judged by an international panel of distinguished judges for message, quality, and impact no matter the medium or format. Possible submissions include: essay (less than 2,000 words), video, digital work, poster, cartoon, song, art, short story, interview. Submissions are due March 1, 2016. Submission GuidelinesContest KitJudges (Faculty: host a student “creativity workshop” for the contest at your institution!)

Take a Survey on Perceptions of “Public Humanities” at Your Institution

The Public Humanities Group affiliated with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) seeks respondents from higher-education institutions for an online survey gauging contemporary perspectives about the “public humanities.” The questionnaire (designed to take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete) inquires into how important the public humanities are at various institutions; what kinds of activities faculty members think contribute to the public humanities; the percentage of time that educators spend on such activities; and the impact educators believe various public humanities activities and media outlets to have. (More) (Take the survey)

THE DANCE INITIATIVE: An NY6 Fellow Blog

NY6 Think Tank Fellow, Danielle Iwata, from Colgate University launches her Blog. This blog will feature profiles of students, professors, and alumni who have been involved with dance in an effort to encourage others to consider dance in a more serious light. It will also display photographs and videos from my work with the Colgate Dance Initiative, which aim to showcase the talent and passion of students on campus, with the hopes that we can garner a greater appreciation for our art.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Struck by the Street Art of Stickers. From the Streets to the Classroom

You might not have observed what is called “street art stickers” before, but once you do, you’ll start seeing them everywhere. Measuring around 2×2 to 3×5 inches, and drawn or printed on paper or vinyl, stickers are usually made individually by hand or in small batches through cheap online printing services.

New York Six students describe their projects on the value of the arts and humanities

Twelve New York Six students have received fellowships from the NY6 Think Tank for the Arts and Humanities to pursue projects that demonstrate the value of the arts and humanities. The selected projects include a Flickr and Instagram campaign to explore the intersection of the arts and social justice, a project on the use of writing and narrative in health and medicine, and the creation of a campaign called The ABCs of Being a Student.