The mock funeral was a protest against the university administration's plan to overhaul the college by consolidating its departments into four thematic schools including one devoted to human narratives and creative expressions, encompassing what was previously taught in the English, classics, languages and Latino Studies departments, among others. Fears over the future of the humanities aren't limited to New Jersey's second-largest public university.
For humanities faculty, the past five years have felt like a relentless assault on our ability to do our jobs. We have endured COVID, generative AI, budget cuts, and bitter fights over the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel's war on Gaza. At times it has been a challenge to remain human, let alone humanistic: to calm the nervous system enough to read a book, refine an argument, or show up for our colleagues and our increasingly fragile students.
As we entered the AI micro age, which is where we are now, I asked a simple question: If we have access to all the information in the world at our fingertips, what will be the most important skill moving forward? It's going to be asking the right questions, like "Should I do this?" The option will be there to do just about anything, which raises questions about ethics, philosophy, and problem-solving. All of that happens to be the bedrock humanities curriculum.
For as long as I can remember, and certainly much longer than that, the University of Chicago has been widely viewed as the destination for humanities students and scholars. Some other elite schools might have the coveted Ivy League branding, or a few more famous faculty members, or a couple more dollars to tack onto the salaries of its professors and graduate students.
The administration at U of All People is restructuring the School of Social Sciences and Humanities due to declining enrollment and a lack of distinct understanding among students regarding various majors.
The NEH has funded over 70,000 projects in all 50 states, enabling significant advancements in humanities research and cultural understanding for vital self-knowledge.
