Summary: Joint Statement on COVID-19 and the Key Role of the Humanities and Social Sciences in the United States
August 2020
The MLA Executive Council joined with leaders of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and other academic organizations, libraries, and research centers in a statement emphasizing the continued importance of the humanities and social sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- We affirm that humanistic study
- compels us to grapple with complex questions
- furnishes us with diverse perspectives
- provides skills for sustaining democracy and building a better society, as well as skills sought by employers
- We acknowledge that the economic consequences of the pandemic have placed immense pressure on institutions of higher education.
Colleges and universities have announced hiring freezes, reductions in numbers of contract and adjunct faculty, cuts to funding for research, and eliminations of departments and programs.
- We strongly urge institutions to uphold the importance of the humanities and social sciences.
- We respect the autonomy of colleges and universities, and also urgently remind institutions of the necessity of humanistic education.
- As stewards of humanistic scholarship, we offer our support to colleges and universities as they determine the best path forward in difficult and uncertain times.