humanities

Humanities Professors Discuss Implications of Sustainability

By |

Cornell humanities professors and students discussed the present and future implications of emphasizing sustainability on Thursday as part of the “Big Ideas in Humanities” series. Prof. Karen Pinkus, romance studies, identified inconsistencies in sustainability’s usage and definition. She said the goal of sustainability is to meet “the needs of the present, without compromising the abilities of future generations to meet their own needs.”

She explained that this view of sustainability introduces the future as something that must always be considered in the present, yet operates within its own timeframe. “The time of sustainability is certainly out of joint with geological time,” Pinkus said. “The time of sustainability fails to synchronize with the temporality of carbon based life forms compressed underground.”

Prof. Sara Pritchard, science and technology studies, discussed her research on light pollution and the campaign for dark night skies.

Featured in Category

Endowment Chairman Praises Humanities at Cornell

By |

“We are literally drowning in issues that have fundamental philosophical significance and are swirling around us all day, every day,” said William D. Adams, chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities. “I think we would all be helped if we had recourse to some of those philosophical discussions which could take place.”

Columns

LEUNG | Defending the Humanities

By |

I will begin by acknowledging that I’ve always struggled with math and science courses. I don’t know whether it was my difficulty with the subjects that led me to hate them, or my hatred towards the subjects that caused me to suffer. Either way, these courses were never my forte. When I was in elementary school, I looked forward to art class the most. I waited for the time of day when I was free to draw or paint or sculpt.

Columns

ZUMBA | The Hierarchy of Studies

By |

By SARAH ZUMBA
“Oh, cool! Do you wanna be a teacher?” is one of the questions that I am personally tired of hearing. I am  asked this by other students, people I’m first meeting and even at the dentist’s office. Once I make it known that I’m an English major, this is more often than not the response I receive from whomever I’m speaking with, and from discussions with other English majors, I know I’m not alone. This is one example that demonstrates a grander issue regarding the way certain studies are typically viewed.

News

Arts and Sciences Posting Seeks Candidate From ‘Underrepresented Group’

By |

A Sept. 10 job posting from the College of Arts and Sciences for an assistant professor position has taken an unorthodox approach with its broad description that seeks candidates from underrepresented groups and does not specify the exact department the candidate will work in. “[The college] is seeking to hire a tenure-track assistant professor in some area of the humanities or qualitative social sciences,” reads the job description. “We are especially interested in considering applications from members of underrepresented groups, those who have faced economic hardship, are first-generation college graduates or work on topics related to these issues.”
Recognizing the unconventional nature of the job posting, Gretchen Ritter ’83, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, called it “an unusual experi­ment on the part of the [college].”
“This faculty advertisement aims to attract a broad range of applicants across numerous fields in the social sciences and humanities,” Ritter said. “In the context of this and all of our searches, we want to create the broadest, strongest pool possible, and one that includes applicants from all backgrounds.”
The position’s description has piqued the interests of academics online.