Public Programs

We engage with the broadest community possible—from first-generation students and scholars in every discipline, to local residents and anyone interested in making sense of our complex world. We work across boundaries to connect all parts of our campus to the Humanities and to collaborate with partners outside of the university.

The Humanities can help us build a more just and equitable society. From the way that History prompts us to examine lessons from our past to the critical lens that Feminist Studies gives us to examine our present and reimagine our future. In today’s era of misinformation, big data, and fragile democracies, this kind of training is more important than ever. The Humanities matter for the future we want to build and a Humanities education is essential for producing informed and engaged citizens.

Our public programs bring leading thinkers in the Humanities to our community through Signature Events, like Questions That Matter and the Baskin Ethics Lecture. Every year we focus on an Annual Theme to provide a range of Humanities insights on a timely and significant topic. Thousands of people around the world join our annual Deep Read to participate in critical conversations and reflections around an acclaimed book by a living author. We support public humanities and community-engaged research projects with partner organizations that have a meaningful impact on students and community members. Our Public Fellows Program connects students in the Humanities to projects with organizations in mutually beneficial ways. Research projects like Watsonville is in the Heart, Nido de Lenguas, and the Okinawa Memories Initiative have been collaboratively co-developed at THI by UCSC Humanities scholars and community partners to make significant community contributions. We are a hub for the Humanities working across boundaries.