Arts & Humanities

The humanities embrace the complexity of a rapidly changing world and inspire us to seek to understand it. The humanities ask difficult questions. They call our attention to our past and to the experience of people, cultures, and ways of thinking that are different from our own. They invite us to imagine, create and perform. They give us tools for analysis and interpretation, and the power to express what we see and feel. The humanities offer us pathways to deeper understanding and, with it, the possibility of richer, more meaningful and productive lives.

The humanities at Cornell live at the heart of the liberal arts mission of the College of Arts & Sciences and are central to the university’s research and educational aspirations.

What Makes Us Human?

The A&S Humanities Podcast

The latest thinking from across the disciplines.

Season Five: What Do We Know About Inequality?

Arts and Humanities News

Milstein program offers events on data privacy, virtual reality

Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity 2/26/2021 By | Kathy Hovis

Pioneering philosopher Richard Boyd dies at 78

Philosophy 2/24/2021 By | Linda B. Glaser

Two people working in a farm field — John Munson/Cornell University Nfamara Badjie (left) and Moustapha Diedhiou weed the fields at the Badjies' rice farm in Ulster Park, NY

Black farming and food security topic of next Rural Humanities webinar

Rural Humanities 2/24/2021 By | Susannah Deily-Swearingen

Music duo contributes to new album

Music 2/23/2021 By | Kathy Hovis

Transformative Humanities

The Transformative Humanities project asks Cornell faculty to talk about their own life-changing encounters with great works in the arts and humanities and how these works have transformed their scholarship and their lives. Here are their contributions.

Erber on Sakai's "Question of Japanese Thought"

Transformative Humanities 4/12/2016 By | Pedro Erber

Hutchinson on Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"

Transformative Humanities 4/28/2016 By | Ishion Hutchinson

Peraino on "The Odyssey" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"

Transformative Humanities 4/28/2016 By | Judith A. Peraino

Salvato on Woolf's "Orlando"

Transformative Humanities 4/25/2016 By | Nick Salvato

Strogatz on Camus and Sartre

Transformative Humanities 4/23/2016 By | Steven Strogatz

Khatchadourian on the Naqsh-i Rustam Monument

Transformative Humanities By | Lori Khatchadourian

Bachner on Butler's "Gender Trouble"

Transformative Humanities 4/12/2016 By | Andrea Bachner

Saloff-Coste on Chastel

Transformative Humanities 4/12/2016 By | Laurent Saloff-Coste

Kennedy on Vergil's "Aeneid"

Transformative Humanities 3/29/2016 By | Bill Kennedy

Brann on "The Cairo Geniza"

Transformative Humanities 3/29/2016 By | Ross Brann

Fleming on Paul's "Life of the Cheerful Schoolmaster Maria Wutz"

Transformative Humanities 3/29/2016 By | Paul Fleming

Rooks on Morrison's "The Bluest Eye"

Transformative Humanities 3/29/2016 By | Noliwe Rooks

Norton on Bradstreet and Frost

Transformative Humanities 3/29/2016 By | Mary Beth Norton

Adelson on Kluge's "Plugging Up a Child's Brain"

Transformative Humanities 3/29/2016 By | Leslie A. Adelson

Manne on Williams' "Moral Luck"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Kate Manne

Culler on Hopkins's "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Jonathan Culler

Boyarin on Benjamin's "Illuminations"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Jonathan Boyarin

Cutting on "The Sound of Music"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | James E. Cutting

Farred on Heidegger's "Was Heißt Denken?" (What is Called Thinking?")

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Grant Farred

Castillo on Glickman's "Una tal Raquel"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Debra A. Castillo

Schwarz on Joyce's "Ulysses"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Daniel Schwarz

Robinson on Millais' "Ophelia"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Cynthia Robinson

Roby on "The Mynas Codex"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Courtney Roby

Bunn on Agee and Evans's "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men"

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Austin Bunn

Richards on Bach's Passacaglia in C minor

Transformative Humanities 3/28/2016 By | Annette Richards

Big Ideas in the Humanities

The Big Ideas project brings together scholars from various disciplines to discuss emerging themes in the humanities. In the spring of 2016, during the New Century for Humanities celebrations leading up to the Klarman Hall Dedication, the College organized a series of panel discussions to address some of these common themes. The following features expand on these discussions to show how faculty from across the college are exploring these subjects.