The humanities department at UM spread its wings in the year-long event, “Taking Flight: The Year of the Humanities and the Arts at the University of Miami.” A member of the congressionally-appointed American Academy Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences, UM President Donna E. Shalala announced that the 2012-2013 academic year be marked by a continued emphasis on the humanities through special guest scholars and performers. “The humanities and the arts are an integral component of life at UM, creating a vibrant mosaic of perspectives that enriches our students’ educational experience in countless ways,” she said in a press release. The Center for the Humanities, a division of the College of Arts & Sciences, coordinated the year’s events. Mihoko Suzuki, director of the center, and a faculty board helped choose speakers that relate to the humanities but are also relevant to a variety of disciplines. “All of the speakers are very much interdisciplinary,” she said. The first major category of events was the annual Stanford Distinguished Professors lecture series. “Taking Flight” included five professors instead of the usual three to four, according to Suzuki. The first of this series highlighted Mark Juergensmeyer, a sociology professor at the University of [...]
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