Next-Generation Applied and Practical Humanities
In a discussion of the future of the humanities in general, University of Texas at Austin historian Steven Mintz identifies four possible areas to promote the sustainable development and growth of the humanities (see Reimaging the Humanities for the 21st Century. New ways to think about the humanities in a time of crisis, Inside Higher Ed, October 15, 2020 ). One area is the traditional humanities concept of “how to live”. The humanities foster an appreciation of artistic endeavors, an understanding of history – and not simply the knowledge of facts, events, people, and dates – a grounding in philosophy and ethics, and the ability to render aesthetic judgements. A second area is the critical humanities, which employ postmodern thought for analyzing and critiquing the presuppositions and biases that underlie the behavioural, physical, psychological, and social sciences. A third area is the global humanities, representing concerns that are universal to humanity, integrated within comparative perspectives. The global humanities are characterized by inclusion and promoting a diversity of cultural and artistic expression, as well as different philosophical viewpoints.
Directly related to the digital humanities is the fourth area identified by Mintz: “next-generation applied and practical humanities”. This area addresses applied areas in the humanities, including archival management, museum studies, and cultural artifact and historical preservation, among others. According to Mintz, a potential future of this area is the translational humanities, in which skills learned and knowledge gained through the humanities, including experience in research and interpretation, knowledge of media literacy, and teaching experience, can be combined with design skills and subsequently applied to areas outside of academia (Mintz). For example, Mintz mentions the study of emerging media, and critical engagement with new questions and concerns raised by the use of artificial intelligence, data science and data analytics, as well as the high impact of social media. Such work can prepare students to design and develop a new generation of user interfaces employing user experience design and human-computer interaction, as well as an engagement with animation, robotics, extended reality (virtual and augmented reality), serious games, and interactive learning technologies (Mintz).
As stated by Steven Mintz: “Then, too, we must reaffirm the signal importance of the humanities’ great contributions: a methodology that emphasizes analysis, interpretation, evaluation and contextualization and a focus on peoples’ minds — their perceptions, emotions, hopes, dreams, fears — and modes of expression.” The humanities, of which digital humanities is a part, will “be at the center of what it means to be an educated person” (Mintz).