The Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts hosted Humanities Week for the second year in a row, showcasing 45 events throughout all 10 college departments, with over 200 participants.
With this year’s theme “Humanities at work,” from Jan. 26-29, faculty and students were granted the opportunity to moderate, participate and attend various events such as workshops and collaborative panels that explored the humanities.
Tripthi Pillai, an associate professor of English and associate dean of the Edwards college, organized and facilitated Humanities Week. Pillai said that most people are vaguely familiar with humanities, and generally embrace them, but do not know all they entail.
Creating a space where faculty, students and community members can engage, learn and share their expertise, Pillai said this event helps bring attention to what humanities are and their effects.
“What I want our students to take away is that being in the humanities makes you a better candidate in the job market for all of these reasons, makes you a much better colleague, a much better coworker, a much better citizen, a much better leader,” Pillai said.
For example, Javier Hernandez Basterrechea, a lecturer of Spanish, spoke at the panel “Beyond Borders and Into the Community: Language, Technology, and Human Connection in Global and Local Engagement.” He encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones, offering them space for them to make connections. During the presentation, students were encouraged to study abroad, travel, accept internships and learn about different cultures.
“Learning languages — like lenses you wear — maybe you see the word in a different way, even the way you think, the way you arrange your ideas. There is much research that suggests the more languages you know … you have more abilities to reflect and to use those skills in everyday life situations,’’ Hernandez Basterrechea said. “That’s why learning languages, I would say, it’s a must.”
Zachary Perry, a senior visual communication BFA major with a minor in art history, also participated in a panel.
During “The Humanities of Seeing” discussion, Perry explained and encouraged students to consider how art history can equip them with skills that are relevant in multiple areas of life.
‘‘There are no downsides to being exposed to visual analysis on a deep level. I think that it helps develop empathy; it helps develop critical thinking skills. I think that being placed in a class where you have to look at something intentionally could only be a benefit both academically and in life,” Perry said.
In addition to faculty and students, CCU invited national and local employers to interact with students and community members at a career networking event.
“Their passions are not hobbies; they are commercially viable things that they should not give up on, that they should pursue,” Pillai said. “The fact that employers are coming here, the fact that big leaders in the nation want to come and talk here about why the humanities matter, I think that speaks to itself. Everyone in the job market recognizes these skills as being irreplaceable.
