UGA Humanities Council
The University of Georgia Humanities Council is designed to weave humanities practices into the culture of campus, and to make visible and valuable the diversity of these practices to our learning community.
The Humanities Council is supported by the Office of Research, the Office of the Provost, and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, with the participation of more than 30 colleges, schools, departments, and units across the university.
The council organizes the university’s Humanities Festival, which takes place in March of each year.
Humanities research adds to our knowledge of the world, as scholars investigate differences between cultures and communities around the world and across time, consider the ways art is made and received, or unveil the undercurrents that have shaped history. Humanities education encourages students to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. And, as the humanities offer insight into nearly every aspect of life, they have been considered a core element of a well-rounded education since ancient times… Put simply, the humanities help us understand and interpret the human experience, as individuals and societies.
– From the National Humanities Center
The humanities comprise those fields of knowledge and learning concerned with human thought, experience, and creativity. By exploring the foundations of aesthetic, ethical, and cultural values and the ways in which they may endure, be challenged, or transformed, humanists help us appreciate and understand what distinguishes us as human beings as well as what unites us… Humanists study the diverse means by which human beings in every age and culture explore, understand, and change their world. The humanities enable us to think about and think through the issues that confront us as global citizens of the twenty-first century.
– From the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)
Members
Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development – Mary Frances Early College of Education
Co-Chair
Baldwin Professor in Humanities; Director – Willson Center for Humanities and Arts
Professor of Spanish Literature and Department Head – Romance Languages
Professor of Romance Languages and Linguistics; Interim Director – Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute
Eidson Distinguished Professor in American Literature; Director – Institute of Native American Studies
Albert Berry Saye Professor and Associate Dean – School of Public and International Affairs
Professor of English; Associate Academic Director – Willson Center for Humanities and Arts
Professor of History; Associate Dean – Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Professor and Department Head – Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies
Professor of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies; Director – African Studies Institute
Associate Director and Department Head – Germanic & Slavic Studies
Program Specialist – Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO)
Assistant Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies – Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Professor of Romance Languages; Associate Academic Director – Willson Center for Humanities and Arts
Associate Professor of History; Director – Center for Asian Studies
Mission and Membership
The University of Georgia Humanities Council was formed in 2022 to elevate humanities research and practice at UGA and to bring visibility to the diversity and value of humanities as part of campus culture.
Context
Humanities research, teaching and practice extends across the University of Georgia, and the communities the university serves. The creation of a Humanities Council is designed to bring together students, faculty and leaders across campus in order to highlight, share and encourage humanities innovation through a series of actions that will include the creation of an annual humanities month. The Humanities Council meets monthly and its membership is described below.
The necessity of the humanities has always been the subject of discussion. The humanities at the University of Georgia have deep foundations in excellence, in teaching awards, research grants, publications, and distinguished fellowships. The Humanities Council will help share this success with our international partners, and will contribute to national discussions on the future of our society.
Definitions
Humanities research adds to our knowledge of the world, as scholars investigate differences between cultures and communities around the world and across time, consider the ways art is made and received, or unveil the undercurrents that have shaped history. Humanities education encourages students to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. And, as the humanities offer insight into nearly every aspect of life, they have been considered a core element of a well-rounded education since ancient times… Put simply, the humanities help us understand and interpret the human experience, as individuals and societies. https://action.nationalhumanitiescenter.org/what-are-humanities/
The humanities comprise those fields of knowledge and learning concerned with human thought, experience, and creativity. By exploring the foundations of aesthetic, ethical, and cultural values and the ways in which they may endure, be challenged, or transformed, humanists help us appreciate and understand what distinguishes us as human beings as well as what unites us… Humanists study the diverse means by which human beings in every age and culture explore, understand, and change their world. The humanities enable us to think about and think through the issues that confront us as global citizens of the twenty-first century. https://www.acls.org/faqs/acls-faq/
Membership and Structure
Given the diversity and breadth of humanities disciplines and practices across the university community the Humanities Council has been designed to have an inclusive and effective membership, with opportunities for members to rotate on and off through nomination by the directors of centers and institutes, and by colleges. These nominations represent as far as possible a diversity of humanities perspectives.
All nominees from a subject area or unit serve terms of two years, subject to the conditions below.
The Humanities Council may appoint sub-committees to address questions of mutual interest as they arise. These sub-committees may invite members to participate who are not members of the Humanities Council. The Humanities Council can also invite ad hoc members to attend meetings on special subjects, or areas of general concern.
Regular updates on the Humanities Council will be managed by the Willson Center and coordinated with university wide communications. These will be issued once per semester and feature faculty and students, events and reports on the work of the council.
The Humanities Council will be managed by the Willson Center, in partnership with the Office of the Provost.
All calendar, web and communications tasks will be managed by the Willson Center.
The Humanities Council is co-chaired by the Office of the Provost and the Willson Center.
Student member(s) may be added to the list below, after discussion.
The members consist of:
- Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
- Associate Provost for Global Engagement
- Associate Dean(s) for Humanities units, Franklin College
- Representative of the Morehead Honors College
- Two representatives of UGA Libraries, in digital humanities and archives
- Representative of the GMOA
- Representative of SPIA
- Representative of the Law School
- Representative of CED
- Representative of Grady College of Journalism
- Heads of humanities units, Franklin College
- Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development, College of Education
- Director of the Institute for African American Studies, Franklin College
- Director of the Institute of African Studies, Franklin College
- Director of the Center for Asian studies, Franklin College
- Director of the Institute for Women’s Studies, Franklin College
- Director of the Institute of Native American Studies, Franklin College
- Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute, Franklin College
- Representatives of the Willson Center
- Two student members, selected by a process similar to that of the Arts Council
- Ad hoc members as required
Membership responsibilities
- To advocate for the humanities at individual, unit, college and university level.
- To share the work of the Humanities Council with colleagues and to encourage the sharing of ideas for development and opportunity for the humanities with the council
- To help build the Humanities Festival
- To attend and publicize the Humanities Festival
- To share knowledge of humanities initiatives nationally and internationally with the Humanities Council
- All nominees for membership, for subject areas and for units, will serve two year terms. In agreeing to serve, nominees will commit to regular attendance. Members can be substituted, or replaced, if membership does not fit with their existing responsibilities.
Aims
- Create a Humanities Month each spring to highlight and synchronize programming and success. This festival will be used to highlight current and emerging strengths in research and teaching.
- Educate UGA audiences in the value of a contemporary humanities education by highlighting innovation in teaching, outreach and research, and by sharing national data on trends after graduation.
- Provide a central focus for discussion of humanities development and grant-making, especially with regard to university-level developments, such as AI, the relevance of institutionally supported metrics and the aspiration to become a member of AAU.
- Share plans and create actions for impactful humanities strategies with regard to data and outputs, specifically with a view to creating a vision for a humanities-informed university.