ERIC Number: ED505820
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 174
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Reinvigorating the Humanities: Enhancing Research and Education on Campus and Beyond
Mathae, Katherine Bailey, Ed.; Birzer, Catherine Langrehr Ed.
Association of American Universities
From Socrates' time on, liberal arts education has been understood to produce a general learned competence that allows a student to be both a better human being and a better citizen. The breadth of this liberal arts curriculum stands in contrast to the much narrower vocational curriculum. More recently, the humanities have been caught in a conflict between over-simplified aristocratic and democratic notions of liberal arts education. Under the former, the liberal arts are viewed as being distinctly not useful; under the latter, they are seen as providing ideas of value to all citizens. Indeed, scholars and university administrators need to bear in mind the value of the humanities in the education of all of a university's students, the usefulness of this knowledge in the professional lives of those students, and society's need for a common base of understanding and an educated citizenry. Recently, those closely involved with the humanities--scholars, university administrators, academic society officials, and others--have begun separate reexaminations of established traditions and expectations, leading perhaps to defining a new role for the humanities in the university and in society. This report is intended to further prompt that reexamination of the humanities on university campuses, to identify steps that some institutions already have taken, and to propose future action. The report contains 3 parts: (1) The Role and Status of the Humanities at AAU Universities; (2) Recommendations and Ongoing Activities at AAU Universities; and (3) Appendices. (Five appendices are included: (1) Additional Examples; (2) The Humanities Support Infrastructure; (3) University of Toronto's Humanities Campaign; (4) AAM Position Statement on University Museums and Collections; and (5) References. Endnotes are presented following each part of the report. Statistical Information is presented in 5 graphs, and 8 tables.)
Descriptors: Museums, Humanities, Higher Education, Reports, Position Papers, Citizenship Education, Educational Principles, Intellectual Disciplines, Academic Education, Humanities Instruction, Program Descriptions, Educational Change, Role of Education, Foreign Countries, Research, Educational Policy
Association of American Universities. 1200 New York Avenue NW Suite 550, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-408-7500; Fax: 202-408-8184; Web site: http://www.aau.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Association of American Universities, Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A