Center for Humanities at Virginia Tech

Don't miss all of the free music, performances and events this summer, as part of Blacksburg's Summer Arts Festival!

Summer Arts Festival 2026 offers free performances and events Presented by the School of Performing Arts and the Town of Blacksburg, the festival features music, theatre, film, and interactive arts experiences that highlight regional talent and foster community connection.

Implementing the humanities often looks different than how academia defines the humanities. Here is an interesting new report on how the state humanities councils put the "public humanities" into practice.
https://www.amacad.org/publication/understanding-public-humanities-through-state-and-jurisdictional-humanities-councils

www.amacad.org

The Center for Humanities supports humanities scholarship in a variety of ways; one way being the awarding of several stipends in the support of faculty research.

It is our pleasure to announce our first 2026 Summer Stipend recipient, James R. Jewitt! James's manuscript, entitled, "A Venetian King Solomon: Andrea Loredan’s Art Collection and Palace in Renaissance Venice", is the first book-length monograph to critically reconstruct the collection and display of art objects acquired by the Venetian nobleman Andrea di Nicolò Loredan (1450–1513). It argues that the nobleman cultivated collecting and display practices equating him with the legendary Old Testament King Solomon, renowned as a patron of the arts and architecture since antiquity. Congratulations, James!

Did Humanities just become a buzz word? Here are two more articles highlighting the growing importance of the humanities in an AI-driven world.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/fact-check/is-humanities-social-sciences-becoming-obsolete-in-education/

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/humanities-skills-are-essential-for-responsible-ai-development

Is humanities & social sciences becoming obsolete in education? Humanities and social sciences appear to be declining in the current education ecosystem because the meaning of “education” has shifted toward economic productivity, technology, and employability. So, the question arises what has changed in employability...

Distinguished Fellow, Rishi Jaitly, and 11 other members of the new Human-Centered Futures Council lead efforts to fuse the humanities with technology, preparing students for careers in our ever-changing world.

Creative directors, CEOs, and tech leaders shape future liberal arts courses The new Human-Centered Futures Council is advising the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences on courses that fuse the humanities with technology and offer insight into how students who study the liberal arts are prepared for careers in day’s artificial intelligence-driven world.

What A.I. can’t do — yet — is the stuff that makes us human: empathy, emotion, psychology, critical thinking. “What a piece of work is a man!" Perhaps learning to be a well-rounded human with emotional skills has never been more important.

Opinion | What A.I. Kant Do Could we English majors have a future after all?

Congratulations to the center's director, Paul Quigley, on the feature of his new book publication in The Wall Street Journal!

‘The Man Behind the Cane’ Review: A Prelude to Brutality Preston Brooks hailed from a South Carolina county where honor and manhood were judged by one’s willingness to use violence.

Attention Virginia Educators (secondary and primary)!

Upgrade your summer with an opportunity to attend a PAID PD session at Virginia Tech this summer:

"Teaching History with Chatty Geeps: A Technocurious Approach to Generative AI in the History Classroom" at Virginia Tech on July 13-16, 2026 (15 hours of continuing education)

Are you interested in learning more about using GenAI as a meaningful part of social studies instruction? Join us this summer for a 4-day workshop! Participants will engage in inquiry-rich, hands-on experiences structured around three phases: (1) historical inquiry foundations grounded in sourcing, contextualization, and corroboration; (2) GenAI-supported searching and analysis of primary sources; and (3) reflection and application through the design of Custom GPTs and other instructional materials.

Participants will be eligible for a $500 stipend for attending, and lunch will be provided.

Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeb9mrrz2qYVjxyyhK0hgGj6lklK4_XMGyob4EmO7CP9jaFdQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=115124650636996586505

Learn more about the presenters at www.genaiinhistoryeducation.com

Please join us in congratulating the Institute of Leadership in Technology's graduating Class of 2026!

It is an honor to be involved in the nation's first Executive Degree in the Humanities at Virginia Tech!

Each fellow drew on the very best of the humanities this past year to grow a curious, capacious and clear-eyed approach to leadership in an AI-ascendant era that demands centering lifelong learning. Congratulations, '26 🎓 And Let's Go Hokies! 🦃

The Center for Humanities is grateful to everyone who participated in our brand new "Dialogues Across Disciplines" community outreach class this week.

Philosopher Gil Hersch and behavioral psychologist Samantha Harden spoke on the theme "What is the Good Life and How Do I Live It," bringing together their disciplinary expertise to address one of humanity's most compelling questions.

The Center plans to offer "Dialogues Across Disciplines" with a different topic each year, in partnership with Blacksburg's Lifelong Learning Institute.

Many thanks to Dr Harden and Dr Hersch, and to our terrific LLI students for a fascinating conversation!