Welcome to Week Ten! As we reach the finish line of a busy fall term, the intensity and sense of purpose on campus is palpable, as everyone focuses on the work that needs to be done to bring the term to a successful conclusion.
I just returned yesterday from a conference at Vanderbilt, co-sponsored by Times Higher Education, on the theme “Liberal Arts and Innovation in the Digital Age.” As you can imagine, AI was a prominent topic, with a focus on how it impacts not only the day to day work of education, but also the potential shifts in work and careers that our students will see in the future.
A provocative keynote address by Ian Bogost, “How to Solve the Computer Science Problem,” followed up a much-cited article he wrote in The Atlantic last year about the challenges to liberal arts curricula created by the overwhelming tide of students turning to majors in computer science. A philosophy major, comparative literature Ph.D. and media studies professor who works with and writes on technology, Bogost called for a radical rethinking of interdisciplinary partnerships between computer science and other disciplines. He suggested that the limitations or ethical failings of current technology often reflect the fact that systems are designed by people with technical knowledge but no “domain expertise,” and suggested that liberal arts institutions are uniquely qualified to produce graduates whose deep knowledge of specific fields is fully integrated with their fluency in technology.
Along the same theme of interdisciplinarity, a group of scholars and administrators from Durham University in the UK offered an interesting presentation on their new program of “Transformational Humanities,” an approach that creates interdisciplinary courses of study in areas like digital humanities, environmental humanities, and medical humanities. I also enjoyed a presentation from Jad Abumrad, founder of Radiolab and professor of communications at Vanderbilt, who spoke compellingly about the importance of storytelling in conveying the value and impact of liberal arts education.
I had been invited to speak, along with Council of Independent Colleges President Marjorie Hass, on the topic of “Liberal Arts in a Time of Crisis.” Our wide-ranging discussion focused on the convergence of persistent questions about the value of liberal arts with current political narratives about the elitism or irrelevance of higher education. I spoke about the ways in which attacks on higher education have often focused on institutions, so that our mission of educating students has gotten lost in critiques of specific policies or individual presidents. I suggested it was critical at this moment in time to not be drawn into a defense of colleges and universities on those terms of debate, but to focus instead on the broad impact of the education we offer on students and on society.
Best wishes to all for a good end of term and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday!
Featured in Carleton Today, November 21, 2024