Folklore has traditionally been excluded from the definition of the humanities. The value of folklore to the humanities is in providing an opportunity to view the tension between tradition and creativity, an appreciation of oral power, and an appreciation of cultural diversity. (JMF)

The NEXA program at San Francisco State University seeks to span the gulf between the humanities and the sciences by offering interdisciplinary team-taught courses on concepts and issues in the liberal arts. Providing a rigorous and challenging curriculum for highly motivated students, the program is gradually finding a niche within the confines…

The National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C., a major center of intellectual thought that has been established through a predominantly private effort, is described. The creation of a national center for the humanities, site selection, applicant selection, and the endowment campaign are discussed. (MLW)

Maintains that the works of popular culture present a means of understanding the philosophy of the times and function as tools for identifying and perpetuating the world that they reflect. (FL)

The author defends the statement made in SO 505 260 by pointing out that creationists falsely allege that a choice exists between creationist and evolutionist theories. Even in the late 1960s, schools in the West and Northwest showed religious films and avoided use of the word "evolution." For journal availability, see SO 505 260. (AV)

The concept of relevance in the humanities is addressed by this author, who says the key is to give primacy to teaching, grounded in respect for the variety of human experience. The humanities are discussed in several social and political contexts. (Editor/LBH)

Humanists must be aggressive in promoting their chosen fields without giving way to current dissatisfaction, suggests the author. A new federal program, the "State-Based" Program, has been established under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Humanities to encourage humanists to meet with the public to discuss specific issues.…

Describes the development and implementation of an educational program designed to teach the humanities to those living in poverty and thus help them responsibly enter the public world. The pilot program, focusing on philosophical thought and reflection, successfully helps many of its students rise above poverty and improve themselves. (GR)

Examines whether the Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) could enhance retrieval during individual name searching of humanities databases. Results demonstrate that the LCNAF has utility in name searching of humanities databases, and it could provide the humanities scholar and search intermediary with authoritative information about the…

Based on the results of a two-year study conducted by the Getty Art History Information Program of online searching by humanities scholars, implications are drawn for the design of information products. Topics include characteristics of humanities scholars; design and content of databases; indexing vocabulary; and interfaces and command languages.…

Explores the importance of college student attitudes towards the social-humanities disciplines. States it is necessary to: (1) improve the status of the social-humanities sciences; (2) teach the social-humanities; (3) change the social-humanities paradigms for content and target orientations; and (4) improve the teaching methodology for…

Argues that empirical questions about laws governing human activity do not have definite answers, but certain conceptional questions do; and many conceptual questions do not have definitive answers. Focuses on John Wilson's views on philosophy and moral education. Explores the implications for educational research. (CMK)

Examines the survey results that studied college students' attitudes toward choice of profession, studies, and humanities education at the Bauman State Technical University (Moscow, Russia). Determined that these students were more willing to undergo career changes and were preoccupied with how their learning will be applied. (CMK)

Discussion of electronic information products for the humanities focuses on users in Italy. Databases are discussed; a user survey of La Sapienza University Arts Faculty is described; an example of research using two databases, FRANCIS and Philosopher's Index, is given; and Italian products and projects for the humanities are reviewed. (15…

Describes an examination of the information seeking behavior of humanists in a small, interdisciplinary group. The findings include when and how these scholars employ online databases, reference librarians, archivists, special collections librarians, formal bibliographies, and other information sources. Further research is suggested and the…