Why the Humanities Matter Today

Why the Humanities Matter Today explains the importance of philosophy, foreign language, literature, history, political theory, and liberal education in American higher education. The contributors in this book provide new arguments about why their disciplines matter and what value they bring to students, the university, and the public.

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The humanities in American higher education is in a state of crisis with declining student enrollment, fewer faculty positions, and diminishing public prestige. Instead of recycling old arguments that have lost their appeal, the humanities must discover and articulate new rationales for their value to students, faculty, administrators, and the public. Why the Humanities Matter Today: In Defense of Liberal Education is an attempt to do so by having philosophers, literature and foreign language professors, historians, and political theorists defend the value and explain the worth of their respective disciplines as well as illuminate the importance of liberal education. By setting forth new arguments about the significance of their disciplines, these scholars show how the humanities can reclaim its place of prominence in American higher education.