Georgia Tech Event Explores Role of the Humanities in a Technology-Focused World

Posted April 7, 2025

A few years ago, Carnegie Mellon University began offering courses on a single subject taught by an interdisciplinary roster of faculty members.

During one such “Grand Challenges” course on climate change, taught by an engineer, a rhetorician, and a politician, students concluded that it wasn’t the science that was interesting, said Richard Scheines, dean of CMU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“They could see that the action was really on the humanities and social science side,” he said.

Scheines spoke at “The Future of the Humanities at Georgia Tech: A Workshop,” an event organized by liberal arts school chairs at Georgia Tech and held on April 4 at the Technology Square Research Building. The event explored ways leading universities, including Georgia Tech, are reshaping the humanities for our technological age.

Georgia Tech faculty presented some of their groundbreaking research. Meanwhile, scholars from CMU, MIT, the University of Texas-Austin, the University of Kansas, and Virginia Tech, alongside representatives from funders such as the American Council of Learned Societies and Schmidt Sciences, discussed ways to empower humanities and social science research.

The consensus? In an age of unparalleled anxiety about the accelerating march of technology — particularly artificial intelligence — finding ways to foster interdisciplinary collaboration intentionally is crucial. So, too, is the need to clearly articulate the inherent value of the humanities and social sciences and to help employers identify candidates with the right kinds of skills.

“Students are told not to pursue a degree in English because it doesn't lead directly to a career. The humanities don't teach job readiness, they say. And that's fine. People are allowed to be wrong,” said Allegra Smith, an assistant professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication.

A key consideration in enhancing humanities and social sciences research and employment outcomes, panelists said, is ensuring buy-in from across campus for interdisciplinary research that recognizes the unique value humanities and social sciences scholars and graduates can bring.

For instance, MIT recently created a new humanities center after years of trying. Agustin Rayo Fierro, dean of MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, said the participation of MIT’s engineering dean was crucial.

“Forging a coalition with the other sides of the Institute really allowed us to do things at a scale that we could not have otherwise,” he said.

The center is hardly insular: staff intentionally reached out to faculty from across campus looking for potential connections. The result? An avalanche of 47 applications seeking $6.7 million in support against $2 million in available funding.

At CMU, Scheines’ college is using seed grants to help faculty in STEM fields pair up with humanities and social sciences scholars who are “looking for interesting problems to apply them to.”

Paul Quigley, director of the Center for Humanities at Virginia Tech, agreed that making humanities central to campus collaboration is key.

“One of the things I think you can do is to make the humanities center... well known on campus as the place to come for people who are seeking collaborators,” he said.

James Shulman, vice president and chief operating officer of the American Council of Learned Societies, said he sees another avenue for success: finding ways to make universities increasingly relevant to the communities where they are located.

“Universities embedded in their communities, and working with their communities, people are going to care, and employers are going to care,” he said. “And I that’s where our clearest path to being valued again is.”

Ultimately, helping faculty in the sciences and engineering, prospective students, and their parents understand the value of the humanities and social sciences is key, Smith said.

"Most of it comes down to something that the humanities do best: changing narratives,” Smith said.