Humanities Day

Humanities Day (formerly known as Humanities Open House) was initiated in 1979 by a group that included the Dean of the Humanities Karl Weintraub (1973-83) and the Director of Special Events Annette Cronin. This day-long celebration of the Humanities scholarship within the Division takes place each autumn on a Saturday in late October. Humanities Day offers alumni and other friends of the University access to leading scholars and artists through a free program of lectures, film screenings, art exhibitions, tours, and live performances.

The 31st annual Humanities Day took place on October 24, 2009 with well over six hundred alumni and friends visiting campus to attend lectures, discussions, screenings, tours, performances, and exhibitions. Faculty representing a wide range of disciplines within the humanities presented on topics such as the art proposed for the 1972 Munich Olympics, an ethnography of Iraqi Jews, how to read a poem, the effects of colonization on language, and an exploration of an edition of the Canterbury Tales significant in the history of the humanities at the University.

David E. Wellbery - Chair of the Department of Germanic Studies and the LeRoy T. and Margaret Deffenbaugh Carlson University Professor in the Department of Germanic Studies, Comparative Literature, Committee on Social Thought, and the College - delivered this year's exciting keynote address that asked, "Who is Faust?" In front of a packed audience in Mandel Hall Wellbery traced the legend of Faust not only through the lens of Goethe, but also discussed Faust's influence in the work of individuals such as Beethoven, Marlowe, and Mann. You can view a video of Professor Wellbery's keynote address below:

The proposed date for Humanities Day 2010 is October 23, 2010; we hope that you will join us next year for another exciting celebration of the humanities at the University of Chicago.

Past Humanities Day Schedules

Humanities Day 2009
Humanities Day 2008
Humanities Day 2007
Humanities Day 2006
Humanities Open House 2005