President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act into law on September 29, 1965, establishing both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This legislation came as a result of the work of three educational organizations: the American Council of Learned Societies, the Council of Graduate Schools in America, and the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa—all of which are co-sponsoring the Democracy and the Humanities Symposium, along with the Council of Independent Colleges, the Maryland Humanities Council, and the National Humanities Alliance.
Loyola University Maryland is delighted to host “Democracy and the Humanities,” a two-day Symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Friday, Sept. 25 – Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015.
Featured speakers include:
- William Adams, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities
- Danielle Allen, Professor of Government and Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University
- Richard Brodhead, President of Duke University
- Alan Wolfe, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and Public Life at Boston College
On Saturday, Sept. 26, representatives of the three founding organizations will offer a panel presentation on “Founding and Supporting the Endowment,” exploring why the NEH mattered fifty years ago and why it still does so now. Today the NEH is one of the largest supporters of humanities programs in the United States, providing funding to strengthen teaching and learning in schools and colleges, to preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources; to facilitate scholarship and research; and to create and advance opportunities for lifelong learning.
The Symposium will also feature panel discussion sessions exploring the humanities’ connections with the sciences, technology, democratic citizenship, current politics, and more. These sessions will feature many members of the Loyola faculty as well as distinguished guests, including Robert Augustine, Sandra Bermann, Patricia Bizzell, David Bromwich, D. Graham Burnett, Scott Casper, John Churchill, Lisa Dolling, Timothy Eatman, Richard Ekman, Neil Fraistat, Matthew Gold, George Greenia, Donna Heiland, Paul Jay, Stephen Kidd, Lynn Pasquerella, Kenneth Sacks, John P. Sarbanes, Christopher Scalia, Phoebe Stein, Sarah Werner, Steven Wheatley, and Kathleen Woodward.
This event is FREE and open to the public. Seating, however, is limited, and attendees are encouraged to register for individual sessions by clicking on this tab.
Click here to learn more about the Symposium, including the full schedule of events and information about all the participants, accommodations, directions to Loyola’s campus, and parking.
The Democracy and the Humanities Symposium is being co-sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies, the Council of Graduate Schools, the Council of Independent Colleges, the Maryland Humanities Council, the National Humanities Alliance, and the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
For questions about the program, contact Paul Lukacs. For questions about logistics, contact Kristen Fisher.
From: H-DC