Twenty-first International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Dillard University of New Orleans is the oldest Historically Black College in Louisiana. Initially founded as a liberal arts college, it also houses the oldest African American nursing program in the country. Since then, at Dillard, as in many universities, there has been a shift among students’ majors from the humanities to STEM. There is also a more pronounced divide between the fields of study than originally existed. Scholars in the sciences have long been armed with the knowledge necessary for those of all majors by the reading of great works of literature, or transformative texts. Solid writing and speaking skills are vital to students of all majors, yet more often students in the sciences try to avoid literature and writing classes, to focus on only their scientific pursuits. History tells us that those who focus only on abstract formulas have made poor decisions that have changed the course of human history, and the future of society depends not only on scientific advancement but on scientists and scholars who understand moral, ethical, and ideological forces that shape humanity’s future. Reading great books opens a window for historical and aesthetic values for students’ understanding of thoughts and ideas about human nature that shape humanity’s future. For example, epidemiologists can study the causes and effects of the recent COVID epidemic, but they can also learn historically from Camus’ “The Plague,” and Boethius’ “The Consolation of Philosophy.” In fact, the humanities disciplines are vital to all scholars.