Invitation to Participate in an NEH Spotlight on Humanities Grant!

Humanities faculty at Evergreen have a unique opportunity to participate in an NEH funded program to develop teaching materials that engage students in critical and ethical use of generative A.I. Contact the Learning and Teaching Commons to learn more or express your interest.

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“Developing a Public Liberal Arts Humanities Curriculum:
Empowering Students to Navigate an A.I. World”

Faculty based in the “humanities” as defined by the NEH[*] are invited to indicate interest in being part of an NEH grant at your institution during the Academic Year 2024-2025.

This grant will offer a great CV line and a modest stipend ($550) to four humanities faculty on each of five COPLAC Campuses[†] to participate in exploring what humanistic approaches offer for responding to and engaging with generative A.I. in a thoughtful way that prepares our graduates practically, ethically, and critically for what they will encounter in a rapidly changing workplace.

Expectations:

1. to participate in a “learning community” on their home campus in Fall 2024, which may involve meeting monthly during the academic year (approx. 3-4 required meetings), first discussing a shared reading on generative A.I. and articulating the particular value humanistic, qualitative methods and ways of knowing bring to engaging with A.I.;
2. to develop a course unit, module, and/or assignment for a class they teach (currently or in future) that engages students in working with, critiquing, or analyzing the affordances, limitations, or ethical implications of working with generative A.I. Due by Spring 2025. Monthly meetings to exchange ideas or discuss how the unit is working (approx. 3-4 required meetings), and final preparation for presentations in May.

Additional Options:

• May 2024 (date TBD) two-day funded workshop for two members from each campus at Innovate Springfield (Springfield, IL) to share our outcomes in real life and debrief on the experience.
• An opportunity to connect with colleagues at other COPLAC institutions working on the project via zoom to build connection and mutual support (1X semester on zoom, included in 3-4 meetings).
• Participants are encouraged where possible to teach the new unit/module/assignment in Spring 2025 and share real classroom experience.

Principle Investigators:

Emily Todd, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Eastern Connecticut University

Miriam Wallace, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, University of Illinois, Springfield

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“The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study and interpretation of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.”

[†] Eastern Connecticut University; Evergreen State College; University of Mary Washington; Northern State University; University of Illinois Springfield.