Humanists readily understand the “value” of what we teach, study, and write. We too often forget that this is less obvious to many of our neighbors, and have not developed a deep and wide advocacy movement to promote humanistic thinking and work. The AHA, like other scholarly societies, participates in Washington-based coalitions that offer a strong voice on Capitol Hill and relevant agencies, such as the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and even the State Department. But this is not enough at a time when politicians and business leaders across the country have sharply attacked humanistic and social science disciplines as not only frivolous (an old charge as pertaining to the humanities) but also a waste of taxpayers’ money and students’ time. The AHA encourages all of our members to enter this conversation, locally, regionally, or nationally. We offer below what we hope is only the beginning of our colleagues’ contributions. Please write, and send us the link.

Defending the Humanities

Florida May Reduce Tuition for Select Majors, New York Times, Lizette Alvarez

A Dangerous Assault, Inside Higher Ed, Carol Geary Schneider.

Pricing Out the Humanities, Inside Higher Ed, Colleen Flaherty.

In Defence of the Humanities, Guardian, Matthew Batstone.

Defending the Humanities, Inside Higher Ed, Peter Burian.

Defining the Value of the Humanities

The Liberal Arts, Economic Value, and Leisure, Inside Higher Ed, Johann Neem.

The Shrinking Humanities, Inside Higher Ed, W. Robert Connor.

The Fire That Never Goes Out, Duke Magazine, Richard H. Brodhead.

Why Investing in the NEH is Vital: A Plea to Congress, Perspectives on History, James Grossman.

Why Humanities? A blog providing “a comprehensive list of resources on the current crisis and initiatives that have sprung to the defense of the humanities.

The Pope and the Liberal Arts, Plain Dealer, Elizabeth A. Lehfeldt

The Value of the Humanities, Perspectives on History, by James Grossman.

Humanities and the Curricula

A College Education Is About More Than a First Job, Huffington Post, Hunter R. Rawlings III and Lillian Aoki.

The Humanities Ph.D. at Work, Chronicle of Higher Education, Megan Doherty.

Don’t Judge a College’s Value by Graduates’ Paycheck, New York Times, Drew Gilpin Faust

Defining Learning Expectations, Inside Higher Ed, Anne Hyde.

An Ocean of Presumption, Phi Beta Kappa Society, John Churchill.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.