Description

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.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction: Why the Humanities Matter
Lee Trepanier

Chapter 1: The Third Era of Education

Kirk Fitzpatrick
Chapter 2: Is Philosophy Impractical? Yes and No, but that’s Precisely Why We Need It
Kristopher G. Phillips

Chapter 3: Comparative Literature: From "Crossroads" of the Humanities to “Rhizome"
Nozomi Irei

Chapter 4: The Limits of Language as a Liberal Art and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s “Letter to Lord Chandos”
James W. Harrison

Chapter 5: Ancient History’s Contribution to Liberal Education
David Lunt

Chapter 6: The Relevance of Political Philosophy and Political Science
Lee Trepanier

About the Contributors

Product details

Published 08 Mar 2017
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 166
ISBN 9781498538602
Imprint Lexington Books
Illustrations 5 tables
Dimensions 243 x 158 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Anthology Editor

Lee Trepanier

Lee Trepanier, Assumption University, USA

Contributor

Nozomi Irei

Contributor

David Lunt

Contributor

Lee Trepanier

Lee Trepanier, Assumption University, USA

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