The $35,000 grant will go towards research and development of a Digital Innovation program in the College of Arts and Letters.
Charlotte, N.C. / April 14, 2021 - Johnson C. Smith University has been awarded a $35,000 Humanities Connections Planning Grant by The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to research and develop a Digital Innovation (DI) program. One of 225 humanities projects across the country announced, JCSU’s plan is to develop a new program to integrate the technical knowledge of Computer Science and Digital Communications with habits of mind fostered by the Humanities — especially those found in Philosophy (e.g., Ontology) and Ethics.
“We are excited to have been selected by the NEH for this opportunity,” said Dr. Matthew M. DeForrest, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Letters. “The future of technological development requires people with skills that cut across disciplines in order to avoid having biases coded into systems. Just knowing how to code or engineer will no longer be enough. We need people who are aware of the implications of their designs — whether it is for the user experience or to prevent the unconscious biases that have led to facial recognition software less able to serve people of color.”
The program development, which will begin this summer, is intended to design a program for humanities majors who want a technical background and a minor for those in the STEM fields who want a more unified humanities background that focuses on the particular challenges they will face.
“NEH is proud to support these 225 new projects, which embody excellence, intellectual rigor, and a dedication to the pursuit of knowledge, even as our nation and the humanities community continue to face the challenges of the pandemic,” said NEH Acting Chairman Adam Wolfson. “We look forward to the contributions these projects will make to our understanding of ourselves and our society through exemplary humanities research, publications, documentary films, exhibitions, and undergraduate programs.”
