Public Engagement Programs
NHC public engagement programs connect a wide range of audiences with humanities research, promoting the importance of the humanities in all our lives and communities.
Making the Connection
The humanities help us to understand ourselves and others. They provide historical and cultural context for the world we live in. Insights gained from the humanities are essential as we address complex challenges and devise effective and ethical solutions. Helping to ensure that humanities knowledge is disseminated broadly—throughout communities as well as classrooms—is fundamental to the Center’s mission.
The Center’s public engagement efforts are designed to highlight the breadth and sophistication of humanities research within and beyond the academy. This is accomplished by creating and supporting public humanities programming, building professional communities among humanities practitioners, and making intellectual discovery accessible to all.
Supporting Public Humanities Work
One of the Center’s signature programs designed to make humanities research more accessible and dynamic is the Being Human Festival (US). The Center facilitates and sponsors the American edition of the international Being Human effort, first launched in the United Kingdom in 2014. Through a series of free and open events across the nation, the festival encourages humanities researchers to frame their work in creative, immersive ways and allows attendees to experience the humanities in their communities.
Preparing The Next Generation
For the humanities to thrive, it is crucial to support the next generation of scholars and leaders as they begin to build fulfilling lives and careers. The Center established its National Humanities Leadership Council to provide professional development opportunities and mentorship for a select group of undergraduate students. This group of emerging leaders, drawn from campuses across the nation, is united by a common commitment to use humanistic methods and values to enrich their chosen fields and their personal trajectories.
Addressing Complex Challenges
Since its founding, the Center has facilitated interdisciplinary exchange between the academic world and other spheres, including STEM, politics, and arts and culture. By embracing collaboration and mobilizing the varied perspectives and methods implicit in humanities work, we are better positioned to pursue innovative solutions to contemporary issues. In recent years, some of the NHC programs that have addressed these issues include the Responsible AI project and the COVID-19 Oral History project.