Much of the current North American academic crisis of publishing, tenure, and promotion is both the cause and the effect of this fetishization dominant in the humanities: that of the grand narrative of knowledge-production, respectably bound with a spine. Short works will get one only so far, no matter how many of them one produces, or how well.…

Doctoral programs in the humanities and related social sciences are characterized by high attrition and long times to degree. In 1991 the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation launched the Graduate Education Initiative (GEI) to improve the quality of graduate programs and in turn reduce attrition and shorten time-to-degree. Over a 10-year period, the…

This paper argues that the current debate over humanities curricula has failed to articulate a vision for humanities education because it has turned on a liberal/conservative axis. It also contends that educators must stop debating elite versus democratic values or traditional versus contemporary problems in humanities education, and start…

A series of articles and essay reviews are represented on issues of concern in humanities education. First, Benjamin DeMott's "A Moral Argument for the Humanities" asserts that humanities instruction should stress certain moral questions, such as the connection of moral life with civilization, individual responsibility, and institutions.…

Designed as a forum for views on issues concerning the humanities in two-year colleges, this journal begins with "A Call for Common Learning," in which Ernest Boyer discusses the goals of education and outlines six themes which students should study to understand themselves, their society, and the world in which they live. Responding to…

TO TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A CURRICULUM GUIDE TO BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR HUMANITIES COURSES, THE PENNSYLVANIA HUMANITIES COMMISSION ENCOURAGED VOLUNTARY AND SELF-DIRECTIVE PILOT STUDIES IN 10 SCHOOLS DURING 1965-66. CLASSROOM SESSIONS WERE OBSERVED AND SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, HUMANITIES TEACHERS, AND SMALL GROUP OF PARTICIPATING STUDENTS WERE…

Recent trends towards viewing education only in terms of immediate and measurable results and current conditions that are increasing expenditures and lessening income have resulted in a decreased demand for humanities instruction at community colleges. Despite these trends, humanities courses must be blended with vocational curricula, not to…

Focusing on the decline of history curriculum in the community college, the author compared the types of history courses offered and their frequency (class sections), the relationship of offerings to all other humanities studies, and the strength of areas within history. A subsample of 182 institutions was drawn from a 15% national sample of all…

This monograph reviews the faculty teaching the humanities in two-year colleges: their backgrounds and preparation, involvement with inservice training, job satisfaction, attitudes and values, and approaches to curriculum and instruction. Information was derived by an extensive search of the literature. Materials were identified by scanning 34…

Two sequences of courses at the University of South Carolina offer liberal arts students an introduction to computers and to the relationship between technology and the humanities. These provide training in rigorous thinking and new means of probing the record of human experience. The lower level sequence consists of a general computer…

Culminating a 10-year effort to include the study of Native Americans and their music as it reflects cultural realities, life, thought, religion, and history as a choice in requirements for graduation, the elective course, "Native Music of North America," is now recognized at Washington State University as meeting both…

Six essays exploring the uses of the humanities in public programs are presented. They relate to the traditional and current interests of the disciplines, and discuss matters that bear on the conduct of projects and the activities of participating humanists in state programs. They are the result of a study of the concepts and practices in the…

This loose-leaf book is a guide to an interdisciplinary course stressing a humanities approach to the study of American civilization. Each of the 90 lessons in the guide lists specific goals, materials, procedures, and alternative or additional suggestions on ways to teach about American civilization in the 1920s, the 1930s, and in the period from…

Reflecting the increased interest in humanities programs for elementary, middle, and secondary schools, this book provides descriptions of humanities programs developed by 35 schools throughout the country. Although the selection of programs represents a variety of approaches (e.g., some open to only high-ability students, others designed for low…

This study, funded under an ESEA Title III grant, evaluates the current practices and problems of interdisciplinary arts and humanities programs in the elementary school. Involved in the study were all Title III Arts and Humanities and PACE programs, selected educators influential in the development of interdisciplinary studies, and selected…