Thea Pitman

"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts

"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe

AHGBI, led by Professor Sarah Wright, opposes the University of Nottingham’s move to suspend—and effectively close—all Modern Languages degrees. SRUK/CERU, led by Dr Carlos Soler Montes, has also raised concerns.

AHGBI urges immediate reconsideration.

#SaveNottinghamLanguages

Front cover of book showing Indigenous person (Brendo Tupinambá) against background of dark green leaves.

Delighted to see one of the images from the ORIGEM project showing Brendo Tupinambá and taken by photographer Laryssa Machada on the front cover of @lonelyplanetesp.bsky.social Brazil 2025. Original project funded by @universityofleeds.bsky.social more information at origem.hotglue.me.

University of Nottingham considers axing language and music degrees Total of 48 degrees could disappear from Russell Group institution, with falling revenues and rising costs blamed

'Nottingham will be the only Russell Group university not to teach modern foreign languages degrees if it approves plans to close a swath of courses including Spanish and French as well as music and dozens of others.' 1/3

Fears Lancaster University job cuts would hit city's businesses Lancaster University is seeking to cut 400 full-time posts as part of efforts to save £30m.

'The prospect of hundreds of job cuts at Lancaster University could damage the city's economy, students have warned.'

'Could'? Surely 'will'.

@extinctionleeds.bsky.social is an interdisciplinary doctoral training programme focusing on topics relating to extinction and its meanings, histories and legacies.

Watch the whole🎬👉 media.leverhulme.ac.uk/video/extinc...
@katatrepsis.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social

University of Nottingham students fight 'insane' cull of courses Traitors composer Sam Watts is among those against plans to cut University of Nottingham courses.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sign the Petition Stop the removal of Modern Languages courses at the University of Nottingham!

Please consider signing against this nonsensical absurdity! c.org/vGgNqmXhNx

Kemi Badenoch wants to end ‘rip-off degrees’ – but I wouldn’t have created Horrid Henry without mine | Francesca Simon I studied Old and Middle English. Although I didn’t know it, I couldn’t have chosen a better subject to train me to become a children’s author, says author Francesca Simon

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

UT AUSTIN WANTS TO EIMINATE ITS BLACK STUDIES, LA LENO STUDIES, & GENDER STUD STUDIES DEPARTMENTS Tell them you non t stand for it! President Jim Davis: president@utexas.edu Provost William Inboden: provost@utexas.edu Interim Liberal Arts Dean David Sosa: david_sosa@austin.utexas.edu @UTAustin @UTAustinCOLA #EducationalLiberty #SaveUT

Spread the word! #SaveUT!! UT Austin admin are working to eliminate vital departments and censor what profs can teach. If you haven’t yet written to UT Austin admin, please do do do. The more voices of protest and support the better. An attack on one is an attack on all!

New Post: Think Like a Linguist: It’s time for a national conversation about the value of languages  www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/10/14/t...

Just to be clear, an English degree - learning to critically assess texts - is actually one of the most dangerous for people such as Badenoch.

An educated population, able to bring hundreds of years of context to statements in a dawning age of AI slop and attention-seeking dishonesty is also vital.

Maintenance grants only for priority courses ‘deeply concerning’ Using financial incentives to influence student choice risk undermining Labour’s widening access goals, critics fear

“Prioritising a narrow set of disciplines could mean we lose talented arts, humanities and social sciences graduates who help drive innovation and tackle huge societal challenges. Student choice is vital.” bit.ly/3KAReIQ

Opening section and abstract of RHS blog post: 'The value and provision of history and the humanities: it’s time for a political response': "This week the government’s Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, announced the return of maintenance grants for students in greatest need. While we welcome recognition of the financial pressures and impediments many student face, it’s clear that this is a policy with nothing for the arts and humanities, including history. However, as Lucy Noakes, President of the Royal Historical Society, explains here, these pressures are equally acute for students in the arts and humanities. Moreover, as a new British Academy report on ‘Cold Spots’ shows, choice—in subjects including history—is being further eroded for many as the provision of higher education contorts to the financial crisis facing UK higher education. If the government is serious about choice, social mobility and access to education it needs to appreciate that provision of many degree subjects is now at considerable risk in a growing number of regions across the UK. For students to have greater choice and access we need the environments in which choices are made to be fair, balanced and accurate. For this we require political leadership to help us address structural failings and false narratives."

This week the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, announced the return of maintenance grants for students in greatest need.

In a new blog post, RHS President Lucy Noakes considers the state of access to history and the humanities in UK HE bit.ly/3KP5WMe #Skystorians

@artsandhums.bsky.social

Harmony Labs - Humanities Unbound Mapping public attitudes about the humanities in media culture

"The best way to get audiences to care about the humanities is by making humanities content they like. Early testing shows how engaging with videos that show the practice of the humanities can move some audiences to support the humanities." bit.ly/3KuZ32K

Friends, I'm currently writing up a methodology chapter and would love your help. Are there any recent projects that use AI or large language models (LLMs) as a direct entry point into Latin American literary texts? I'd be delighted to spotlight innovative work I may have missed. Feel free to share!

@stephdennison.bsky.social @slaslatam.bsky.social @juanpabloferrero.bsky.social

Anunciamos o programa “Descolonizando a Publicação Científica com Pesquisadores Afro-Brasileiros e Indígenas”. Uma serie workshops e mentoria para acadêmicos em início de carreira. Em breve, lançaremos uma chamada para participantes! Financiado pela @britishacademy.bsky.social.

'Warriors and Weavers: The Poetics and Politics of Indigenous Appropriations of New Media Technologies in Latin America' by Thea Pitman on a purple background.

'Warriors and Weavers: The Poetics and Politics of Indigenous Appropriations of New Media Technologies in Latin America' by @theapitman.bsky.social is popular this week. Read it #OpenAccess via MLO: bit.ly/Pitman-MLO

Debates in US Latinx DH | Debates in the Digital Humanities Transforming scholarly publications into living digital works

#CFP for Debates in Digital Humanities edited by Gabriela Baeza Ventura, María E. Cotera, Annemarie Perez, and Carolina Villarroel. Deadline for 500-word abstracts, including proposed title and short bio: May 15, 2025. dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/page/debates...
#digitalhumanities #usLdh

Wonderful to see this in print! Congratulations, Lou!

Modern languages departments are neither colonial nor obsolete Advanced linguistic and cultural skills remain essential for deep insight into how people see themselves in the world, say five modern languages academics

A response: www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/mode...

'My university course made me who I am - now it's being cut' Universities are cutting jobs to make financial savings, with students and staff bearing the brunt.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

@extinctionleeds.bsky.social PGR Trina Flesher in action here.

A photograph of Jonathan Roberts (second from left) with his supervisors, enjoying a glass of fizz and a cake.

Congratulations to #Extinction Studies PhD student (now Dr) Jonathan Roberts on successfully defending his thesis yesterday on "Biological and Social aspects of human #hookworm #infection and eradication". Many thanks to @rohandroy.bsky.social for being a thorough and constructive external.

Jonathan's brilliant work has, like the rest of the @extinctionleeds.bsky.social projects, absolutely zero respect for the niceties of disciplinary boundaries. It's a wonderful exploration of the social, cultural and biological aspects of hookworm eradication. History, philosophy, epidemiology.

Thanks for coming @wlukewindsor.bsky.social !

The deep cultural cost of British university job cuts | Letters Letters: Arts and humanities are being hit hardest by cuts in higher education, write Prof Thea Pitman and Prof Emma Cayley, and Dr Ronan McLaverty-Head and another letter writer comment on cuts at Ca...

'The deep cultural cost of British university job cuts" bit.ly/4gnDCuE

An excellent letter, in today's @theguardian.com, by the co-chairs of @artsandhums.bsky.social, a collective of subject specialist organisations representing and advocating for arts & humanities subjects in UK HE. #skystorians

The Arts and Humanities Alliance have written an open letter to Bridget Philippson, Secretary of State for Education, on the recently announced cuts across the sector. We are concerned that these measures disproportionately affect our disciplines and call for an urgent government review.

Quarter of leading UK universities cutting staff due to budget shortfalls Up to 10,000 redundancies or job losses feared as institutes undergo restructuring

Quarter of leading UK universities cutting staff due to budget shortfalls

Up to 10,000 redundancies or job losses feared as institutes undergo restructuring

www.theguardian.com/education/20...