There is a serious crisis in the humanities in U.S. universities.
Departments are closing or merging departments all over the country:
- histories
- literatures
- sociologies
- gender, race and cultural studies programs
The authorities claim it doesn't bring in money. Therefore, it is not needed.
One of the most striking examples is Montclair State University. There, students held a symbolic funeral for the humanities. They brought flowers, read farewell speeches and placed a tombstone with the names of the 15 departments to be closed.
It was a protest against the administration's plans to phase out the usual faculties and replace them with generalized «schools.» For example, the «School of Human Stories and Creativity».
Such protests by USU students are supported by faculty members as well. They believe that the crisis is not real. It was created artificially in order to turn universities into business structures.
The administrations of universities respond differently. They are sure that the number of students in the humanities is falling. Therefore, the programs should be «optimized».
For example, the administration of the University of Portland fired 15 professors of humanities disciplines. All for lack of money. Later, a court ordered them to be reinstated. But the situation shows how fragile the position of these areas is.
Causes of the crisis
First, the state has been cutting funding to U.S. universities for years. Especially those that depend on the budget.
Second, politicians have increasingly labeled the humanities as «dangerous» to democracy. Especially under Trump.
Third, consulting firms that analyze everything through the lens of the market come to the aid of administrations. They count how many students there are, how many graduate salaries, how many «competitors» there are. In doing so, they ignore what cannot be measured in numbers. For example, a person's ability to reason, empathize, or defend justice.
Students and professors insist that the future of liberal arts education is not about money. It is about the future of the entire society.
If nothing changes, humanitarian education may remain only in prestigious private universities for rich students. And everyone else will be offered to study only «useful» professions.
