TO THE EDITOR:
Last week, the College of Arts and Sciences launched a new initiative called Carolina’s Human Heart: Living the Arts and Humanities, which will showcase the relevance and diversity of the humanities over the upcoming year. The humanities need to be highlighted and interrogated, as these disciplines contextualize our lives and teach us about world culture, modes of thought, and about ourselves.
Carolina’s Human Heart will spark creative collaborations and dialogues on campus through events such as lectures, conferences, performances and exhibitions.
Of particular note, writer of “The Ethicist” column for the New York Times, Kwame Anthony Appiah, will discuss ethics in the humanities on Thursday, Sept. 15, as the inaugural speaker in the new Chancellor’s Lecture in Ethics series.
I believe that the humanities empower and inform us to act as local and global citizens. UNC has needed a platform through which to promote the arts as agents of social change on campus. Carolina’s Human Heart does just this by focusing on six themes within the humanities: social justice, an enlightened citizenry, tolerance and understanding, global engagement, food and the environment, and storytelling. I encourage the student body to attend the various events which will be presented throughout the year, seeking out probing discussions and creative interruptions in your lives that reach beyond the classroom. Visit the initiative’s website at http://celebratehumanities.unc.edu for more information and to learn about upcoming events.
Meredith Miller
Senior
Art history and history
