Humanities Chairs 'Pessimistic' About Departments' Future

"Chairs told researchers that they are perceived as "a necessary evil" or "troublemakers" by institutional leaders. One chair described their department as "persecuted." Another asked: "Where's the respect for my expertise?""

"According to federal education data included in the report, the number of humanities majors peaked between 2010 and 2015 at about 240,000 bachelor's degree completions and has since steadily declined. Many humanities students opt for double majors, the report showed, though students with a humanities discipline as their primary major were more likely to have a second humanities major than students in any other primary major category."

"Relatively small class sizes-which one chair called the "humane scale of classes"-are a strength of humanities, several chairs said. Students often remark that their humanities course is the first time they received detailed feedback on a paper, one chair noted. Administrators, however, sometimes see the class sizes as a failing, according to the report."

""[Our] human-scale, 'inefficient' pedagogical practices [are in fact] incredibly valuable [and] efficient in all sorts of ways in creating real knowledge and self-understanding and civic value," an"

Humanities department chairs express concern about political interference, declining enrollments, and student skepticism about humanities degrees. Chairs report being viewed as a “necessary evil” or “troublemakers,” with some describing their departments as “persecuted” and questioning respect for their expertise. A report based on interviews with 30 chairs at varied institutions links these anxieties to political and economic pressures. Federal data show humanities majors peaked between 2010 and 2015 at about 240,000 bachelor’s completions and have declined since. Students often choose double majors, and humanities students with a humanities primary major are more likely to add another humanities major. Chairs cite small class sizes and detailed feedback as strengths, while administrators sometimes treat small classes as a weakness.

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