@momo2x2018 at #2: Yes, I sense that Prof. Wild was actually very happy to make this announcement. Never miss an opportunity to push the humanities! Those who are into Hum will probably be thrilled and those who aren’t will probably be relieved to at least get their feet wet a bit before plunging in. It’s actually a good idea and seems to be oriented to actual “humanities” (Wild mentioned that he’s selecting a “timely book” to tie in with the “timeless themes” they will be encountering in Hum). That’s actually smart. In today’s highly charged climate of chucking the old, it’s worth taking a step back to reflect on why it would or wouldn’t make sense to read “time-tested” texts that have so far endured through many social and political upheavals. At the very least, the decision to embrace a humanist “rebirth” will at least be based on reason and not ignorance. More directly, this summer’s Covid-environment might be seeing many rising first years without definite plans and a bit more free time to read and reflect. And I’m pretty sure that several have questions about how a seminar-style like Hum can even “remotely” work in a partial or even fully remote environment. This summer reading assignment and the community-building that will hopefully result should set their minds at ease there.
By the way, Prof. Wild was correct that the Spring 2020 remote environment worked pretty well for Hum. Of course, many Hum III participants, like my son, were humanities enthusiasts to begin with. It’s possible that a NON-enthusiast would whither in such an environment. But I don’t think so. My son opted for Hum III and also did Sosc. III this spring so can provide feedback as to what it was like to attend two seminar-intensive courses completely remotely and with seemingly little preparation at that time for that format. In all, he thought it was fine. There were disadvantages but also advantages to the new format. Most importantly, neither the reading list nor the opportunity for good discussion was compromised. The profs seemed particularly eager to experiment with new formats of dialogue that perhaps wouldn’t make much sense in a “normal” environment but were very well-suited for remote learning. The best practices from this “experiment” will be incorporated into the Hum pedagogy going forward now that they have had the chance to see what worked and what didn’t. Prof. Wild even hinted that some of this new pedagogy will be indefinitely incorporated into the course sequence because it’s just a new and better way than what they were relying on before.
So in sum, it’s possible to blend ageless thoughts and texts with newer, technology-driven delivery methods. Many of the Hum and Sosc instructors seem pretty young, comfortable with the college-age crowd and quite comfortable with using technology for dialogue and conversation; it probably also helps that “digital humanities” is a “thing” now in the field. So Hum this fall might be “wild” - and not just because Prof. Wild himself says so.