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Humanities at BSC

049.JPGBSC 's rich and varied array of Humanities programs goes beyond traditional education to bring our students and community together to explore, learn and grow. Join us on campus for a concert, a gallery exhibit, a reading, a conversation or a three-day symposium that combines all of those things. Join us and find your beyond through the Humanities. 

 
NEH GRANT STRENGTHENS HUMANITIES FOCUS 
Last year Bismarck State College was awarded a Challenge Grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to establish an endowment through the BSC Foundation promoting Humanities excellence. Now in its second year, the Bringing Humanities to Life project includes a faculty fellowship program, humanities programming, and a long-term planning process.

BasquiatTayo.pngThe first faculty fellowship recipients were Dr. Danny Devlin, assistant professor of Theater, and Dr. Perry Hornbacher, professor of History. Fellows received stipends for Spring semester to pursue research and professional development involving the Humanities. In the Fall semester, the fellows teach what they’ve learned to the community at large, positioning our faculty as a resource for lifelong learning for the communities we serve. This program will continue for five years, is available to all full-time faculty of any discipline on campus, and is currently accepting proposals for two new fellows.

The grant also strengthens BSC’s capacity to offer humanities programming. This fall we brought in Dr. Scott Samuelson, professor of Philosophy at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, to conduct a three-hour philosophy drop-in sessions for students and a professional development workshop for staff and faculty on the art of conversation, helping us to foster meaningful conversations in and beyond the classroom.

Our campus is also working in close partnership with the N.D. Humanities Council to offer humanities programming in the community. “Think and Drink” is a facilitated conversation on various topics, the first being “the paradox of suffering.” “Think Outside,” is a series of outdoor adventures combined with lifelong learning, the first of which is in the badlands and is a philosophical exploration of the sense of place.

The committee is also tasked with longterm planning for Humanities excellence at BSC once the endowment is established at the five-year mark. The goal of the NEH is capacity-building. A strong foundation in the Humanities is critical for a thriving democracy, fulfilling personal and professional lives, leadership and citizenship, and for the kind of employees that employers desire and demand in today’s workforce. This project helps BSC step up to that challenge and provides us reliable funding to make it happen.