The humanities fulfill many purposes, including the moral formation of learners and the fostering of virtues that lead to human flourishing through “narrative, aesthetic, and performance traditions of cultures across time and around the world” (Pawelski, 2022, p. 209).
The learning sciences also seek to foster human development through the systematic study of the cognitive, sociocultural, and emotional processes that influence deep learning. Such processes include the critical analysis and evaluation of ideas and arguments; dialogic inquiry; the conceptual integration of knowledge; metacognition; and personal reflection. Because “inquiry in the humanities is less fixated on the quest to find and retain a single objective answer, but values interpretation, reflection and embraces differences and diversity,” it has much to offer the field of the learning sciences (Sawyer, 2022).
The learning sciences use interdisciplinary approaches and contextually responsive research methods to explore questions of how learning occurs in real-life settings, informed by findings from fields such as anthropology, cognitive science, computer science, design studies, educational psychology, instructional design, neuroscience, and sociology. The interdisciplinary nature of the learning sciences and its focus on deep understanding, connected learning, and the design of innovative learning environments and experiences has much to contribute to the study of the humanities. However, the humanities rarely factor into research in the learning sciences, and findings from the learning sciences are seldom foregrounded in the pedagogies of the humanities.
The primary purpose of this research group is to facilitate the innovative integration of these two fields in ways that enrich research and teaching in both disciplines. Additional purposes include strengthening faculty’s research expertise and diversifying the research methods they utilize and supporting M.A. graduate students in study design, data collection, and data analysis during their programs.
For more information or to join this group, please contact Cherice Montgomery (Spanish & Portuguese).