The Humanities in the 21st Century University
Fecha: noviembre 2024
Juan Luis Suárez
Humanities, 21st Century, innovation, transformation, new degrees, multidisciplinarity
Beyond Ivory Tower. Navigating Higher Education in the Future
This article on the humanities in the 21st century university begins with an analysis of enrolment trends in North American universities, with a particular focus on universities in the province of Ontario, Canada. The picture that emerges is one of a marked decline in demand for humanities programs at most universities, including my own Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Western University. The final sections of the article offer a diagnosis of the current situation and an analysis of the expected impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on humanistic offerings, which should be seen as an opportunity and lever to make the necessary changes as shown in the decline in enrolment to make the programs more attractive for current and future students. In the final part, I trace some possible trajectories for the new humanities of the 21st century, using my faculty as a case study of this transformation. The humanities are desperately needed to shed light on current global changes, to provide young students with points of reference for their lives, and to begin a transformation that will sooner rather than later confront all university disciplines.