ENGAGED HUMANITIES @ UP

What are the Engaged Humanities?

The engaged humanities make connections between the humanities and the world. For the humanities to be “engaged” simply means that they interact with other fields of inquiry and life beyond the classroom in concrete ways. But to get more specific, we can think of the engaged humanities as a constellation of approaches that:

• seek to develop understandings of human experience and values (especially stories, art, faith, language, and history)
• through modes of interpretive inquiry (including open-ended discussion, reading and writing about primary texts, and denaturalizing “given” narratives with alternatives)
• that connect academic work with the world outside the classroom (via timely issues, interdisciplinary collaboration, professional development, or a focus on global/local communities).

How to Use this Toolkit

Whether you’re just here to dabble or are ready to implement these approaches into your pedagogy, the sections below offer multiple routes for exploring the field at your own pace.

Consider starting with Fundamentals to gain a foothold in key background and theories of the field, then move to Examples to see how others have turned those ideas into course materials. Ready to design your own? Use the Practice section to guide you as you create or revise new course activities, assignments, and syllabi.

This toolkit is part of “Core Humanities: Integration through Campus, Curriculum, and Community,” an NEH-funded project directed by Dr. Molly Hiro and Dr. Jen McDaneld. Read more about the project here.

Want to know more or find out how to get involved? Contact us at ehup@up.edu.