In this paper, the author (Todorova, Petia) addresses the problems students of humanities and social sciences face in the choice of methodology which they should employ in the theoretic discussion of a given task. This is due to the fact that in the course of their education the necessity of methodological competency is largely neglected and is…

This paper reports on a pilot interdisciplinary graduate Summer School in Theory and Philosophy for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, which aimed to combine research with graduate teaching and learning. The paper will develop reflections on the ways in which interdisciplinary residential learning spaces can promote successful skills…

Through humanities instruction, students can begin to understand their own culture by examining other cultures. From this examination, students may perceive that some values other than, or even contrary to, their own accepted ones offer meaning, purpose, validity, utility, and beauty. A review of the search for meaning through the humanities…

The industrial model has penetrated every avenue of American existence; even education is compartmentalized in the United States for the purposes of management and immediate efficiency. One initial step that has been taken toward creative and constructive change in education is the institution of cross-disciplinary humanities courses. English…

The current data on the incidence and predilections of adult students fall into "good news" and "bad news" categories for educators in the humanities. The good news begins with the sheer numbers of potential adult students. In 1975, about 17 million adults were engaged in continuing education, and this figure has probably increased dramatically…

Experiential learning, or learning by doing, fits newer conceptions about the process of learning. John Dewey's emphasis on experience as the key to real learning, Paulo Freire's criticism of the "banking concept" of education, and David Kolb's description of the cycle of experiential learning have changed the conception of learning.…

Discusses some issues that have long been claimed as the exclusive province of the humanities, such as brotherhood and belonging, the sense of beauty, and the meaning of human. Suggests how a knowledge of science can contribute to understanding. (YP)

An interdisciplinary, core course in humanities offered at Allegheny College (Pennsylvania) approaches ethical and aesthetic issues in untraditional ways to encourage students to think more independently and articulate ideas with greater breadth. The three-term course is taught by teachers from many departments. Course sections are limited to 18…

A study investigated humanities grants activity in the discipline of speech communication. Specifically examined were (1) whether state councils differed substantially in types of programs offered, guidelines, or procedures; (2) the percentages of programs, project directors, and sponsors within the field of communication (such as rhetoric, public…

Similarities and differences between business and the humanities are examined, and steps for improving the job possibilities of humanities students in the business world are proposed. People trained in the humanities will find many of their skills to be highly applicable in business careers. Studying the humanities provides students with a sense…

The third article in a series of excerpts from seminars sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution on knowledge collaboration focuses on the humanities and social sciences. Reasons for the relatively greater frequency of collaborative research in the natural sciences are examined, and examples of collaborative projects in the humanities and social…

In 1988, 11 faculty members at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC), Michigan, taught a customized honors class at KVCC focussing on connections between disciplines. It soon became clear how little faculty members understood and appreciated their colleagues' fields and perspectives. Following the course, faculty participants concluded that…

Integrating critical thinking and reasoning skills with content in the humanities and the social science curricula at the postsecondary level invites students to become co-participants in discovering and constructing knowledge as members of a learning "community." Readers of the research literature on critical thinking confront many…

Many students come to college with little knowledge of or interest in traditional humanities topics; however, a college teacher of humanities can use science fiction as a "door in," a tool to take students from the known to the unknown. Literary elements such as characterization, plot, setting, theme, and point of view are present in science…

This paper discusses the current division of knowledge at the college and university level, its historical roots, and the application of Actor Network Theory (ANT) to arrive at an explanation of the permanence of the current division of knowledge as well as what form a new division of knowledge might take. It finds fragmentation and disintegration…