Here we wish to further discuss how an updated academic profile should be designed for the humanist within the knowledge society, and especially within the evolving framework of The European Higher Education Space (EHES). It will therefore be necessary to reflect upon the overall factors which should determine a profound and unavoidable rupture with the traditional concept of “specialist in Humanities” which prevailed during the 20^th century.

As recent as ten years ago, the academic formation of humanists consisted basically in converting students into experts in the contents and competences related to the specific disciplines of the sector. Today, however, excellence in teaching will not be determined by something as basic as adding the appropriate technological competences to traditional knowledge. Neither can an advance towards European convergence and towards integration into the digital era be reduced to an attempt to conciliate objectives and methodologies with the concrete needs of an ever-changing job market. In this talk, we will point out the fact that the changes which are taking place in post-modern societies are of such import that they affect the very foundations of academic formation. And, in the field of Humanities, these effects are especially profound.

Indeed, the world has been changed enormously by the great social paradigm which accompanied the birth of both Internet and the Information and Communication Technologies and which can be seen in the globalization of multicultural and multilingual society and the needs that its sustainable development generates. This global change has provoked a deep identity crisis for traditional humanistic degrees, while at the same time their professional horizons have been greatly and most welcomely broadened. With this in mind, we believe that the humanistic sector is among the most favored within the society of knowledge, and at present we can only glimpse at its unprecedented professional possibilities. As proof, we will analyze the consequences of two premises: the reinforcement of the role which culture plays as a factor for determining economic growth, competitiveness and employment, along with the resulting surge in social demand for intelligibility and socio-cultural management.

The knowledge society generates new social practices that connect different cultures, formalize and link knowledge that must be promoted and managed, and cause information exchanges that should be empowered and regulated in order to favour inclusion and global solidarity. All these statements are closely linked to the desires for growth in a society that faces new and difficult obstacles: the exponential growth of knowledge, the lack of quality in digital contents; the progressive widening of the digital gap, along with threats to linguistic diversity and culture throughout the world. We are convinced that the degree-holder in Humanities could be especially well prepared to take on these new challenges in the knowledge society. And now, the question is: How?

Proposal for Educating Humanists in the Digital Era. (Concepción Sanz Miguel)

Proposal for Educating Humanists in the Digital Era.
(Concepción Sanz Miguel)