By Harvey J. Graff (NHC Fellow, 2013–14) Interdisciplinarity―or the interrelationships among distinct fields, disciplines, or branches of knowledge in pursuit of new answers to pressing problems―is one of the most contested topics in higher education today. Some see it as a way to break down the silos of academic departments and foster creative interchange, while … Continued
In this account, William Leuchtenburg shares the story of a seemingly routine exchange with literary scholars in the late 1970s which spurred him to new insights about the ways iconic figures from the past influence those who succeed them, whether they be poets, or composers, or U.S. presidents. Eventually, he would share these insights in … Continued
How can teachers help students draw connections between humanities and STEM subjects? In this podcast, Omar Ali, professor of history and Dean of Lloyd International Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Andromeda Crowell, who teaches science at Orange High School in Hillsborough, NC, discuss similarities in the ways historians and scientists approach the process of discovery. They also consider how digital technologies have made it easier for students to think and act like researchers, regardless of discipline, in a classroom setting.