How the Humanities Lost Their Way—and How They Can Be Revived
Date & Time: September 15th, 2026 @ 11:45 AM
Location: Senate Chambers, FSU Student Union
Join us for a thought-provoking lecture with Mark Bauerlein as he explores how literary theory reshaped the humanities and asks why the field has experienced decades of decline since its rise in American universities during the 1970s. When literary theory hit American universities in the 1970s, it looked like an exciting advent for the humanities. Since then, however, humanities majors have plummeted. What happened? Why did the critiques coming from France and Germany coincide with a slow but steady material deterioration of the fields? The answer is that theory destroyed the foundations of higher learning, and the professors are still committed to the project. There is an answer, though, and it doesn't come from inside the campus. Legislators can save the humanities--if they will.
Free lunch begins at 11:30am, event spans 11:45am-12:45pm.
