Category: Uncategorized
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Top Medical School Calling for “Well-Rounded Humanists”
A recent NPR story highlights efforts by Mt. Sinai School of Medicine to attract humanities majors. Mt. Sinai’s HuMed program addresses the problem of an overly homogenous student body consisting of students from narrowly-defined science backgrounds. Lack of diversity in education and interests, known as “pre-med syndrome,” actually produces less effective doctors. According to Mt.…
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The Digital Convergence of the Sciences and Humanities
Brown University professor Elias Muhanna offers an account of how a digital humanities project with a cross-disciplinary focus altered his relationship to his work. He draws upon this experience to generalize about the role of digital scholarship in the future of the Humanities. Muhanna’s piece appeared in The New Yorker linked below.* Hacking the Humanities…
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Fareed Zakaria on Thinking Beyond STEM
In a recent Washington Post Op-Ed, Fareed Zakaria challenges our country’s obsession with STEM fields at the expense of the humanities. Zakaria suggests that minimizing liberal arts education actually undermines our capacity to innovate. He brings his characteristic interest in international comparison to bear in arguing the America’s historical advantages in fostering a culture of…
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NYT Op-Ed Sees Complementarity between Liberal Arts and Sciences
In a recent Op-Ed Nicholas Kristof makes the case for why the humanities offers an essential skill set in the modern economy. Kristof references the work of labor economist Lawrence Katz in claiming that the “economic return to pure technical skills has flattened, and the highest return now goes to those who combine soft skills…
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New Report Suggests ongoing Strength in Humanities
The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights findings in a recent Academy of Arts and Sciences report that challenge the images of the humanities in decline. While the number of humanities degrees awarded declined over the span of the recent financial crisis, the report notes signs of strength across an array of indicators. These include high…
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NYT Op-Ed on “Transformative Education”
In a recent Op-Ed New York Times columnist, Frank Bruni, recalls a defining moment from his undergraduate experience in order to take on the reductive thinking that equates college with the need to meet “work force needs.” Bruni recalls a specific lecture on King Lear at the University of North Carolina as “the steppingstone to…
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The NEH launches “Common Good” Initiative
National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman, William Adams, recently announced a new grant funding initiative called “The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square.” While “public humanities” efforts have long been a priority for colleges and humanities centers across the country, the NEH investment represents a significant milestone in debates over how to value…
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Employers want Graduates Better Trained in Soft Skills
A recent survey funded by the American Association of Colleges and Universities shows a striking disparity in how prospective employers and college graduates view their professional preparation. While employers tend to agree with graduates’ self-assessment when it comes to “staying current on technologies,” the survey finds much wider gaps (more than 30 points) in areas…
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High-Value Skills in Today’s Marketplace
Forbes magazine cites a recent survey by The National Association of Colleges and Employers that identifies the ten skills most in demand in today’s marketplace. The top five in order of importance can be cultivated in any major, though some, such as verbal communication and the ability to obtain and process information are central to…
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Ideas that mattter in the 21st century
Nicholas Kristoff’s New York Times Op-Ed argues that tech innovation is animated by the arts. He offers examples of how recent humanistic thought can shape our response to 21st-century challenges. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/14/opinion/nicholas-kristof-dont-dismiss-the-humanities.html?_r=0