Abstract
I consider humanities institutionally, that is, in terms of their place in the geography and machinery of the modern university. While the humanities have been pushed to the margins over the last half century by neoliberalism and techno-science, they’re now in a remarkable position to return to the functional center of the institution as a hub to which the spokes of all fields of human inquiry connect. I’m not speaking abstractly or theoretically here, but rather instrumentally: the humanities can function as an economic and pedagogical engine for STEM, business, informatics—indeed any of the more professionally-oriented or practical fields that have displaced the humanities in higher education. I’d like to use the University of Arizona’s Applied Humanities degree as a springboard for this idea, as it represents a surprisingly successful humanities-centric partnership that encompasses more than half of the undergraduate-serving colleges on campus. I review the actual mechanics (not just the theory or the desire) of articulating the humanities with skills training in business, health, design, and other professional fields, and how the institutional leadership in these other areas at the University of Arizona have come to depend on their new friends in the College of Humanities (financially, rhetorically, and creatively).
Presenters
Judd RuggillProfessor and Department Head, Public and Applied Humanities | College of Humanities, University of Arizona, Arizona, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Applied Humanities, Institutional Infrastructure and Economics, Collaboration, Skills Training, Renewal
