By Max Lewontin. For humanities departments that are still struggling with the lingering effects of the 2008 recession, it appears no news is the best news.
That’s one of the chief conclusions of a report released on Monday by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The report stems from a survey of the state of the humanities across 13 disciplines...
The new survey results build on a previous one conducted during the 2007-8 academic year. This time around, the academy added five new disciplines to its look at the humanities: classical studies, communication, folklore, musicology, and philosophy. More...

ACA's first European Policy Seminar after the summer break is on Liberal Arts (and Sciences) education in Europe. It will provide an introduction into the philosophy and the main features of Liberal Arts education, amongst them the college system, undergraduate research and (small) size. The seminar will also present and analyse varied examples of successful Liberal Arts programmes in different European countries. Its aim is to also to clarify the concept of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the core idea behind such education.
Liberal Arts education originated from Europe and it was based on the seven liberal arts – artes liberales – which comprised those focusing on language (grammar, rhetoric and logic) and those with mathematical elements (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and theory of music). The idea behind artes liberales was that education should, above all, lead to a well-rounded and – free - person. Thus the seven liberal arts were the foundation for any further training and specialisation. More...