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 28th annual Humanities Day will take place on October 27, 2007. Faculty representing a wide range of disciplines within the Humanities will present on topics such as the historical influence of Czechs in Chicago, the deterioration of the English language, Greek tragedies and social conscious, and the backwardness of Russian culture. This year's keynote address, Painting as a Way of Life: The Blind Orion of Nicolas Poussin, will be delivered by Richard Neer, the David B. and Clara E. Stern Professor of Humanities, Art History, and the College. Professor Neer will discuss the relation of a 17th century French painting to early modern ideas of selfhood, skepticism, and science. Additional programming highlights include faculty-guided exhibition tours at the Smart Museum of Art and the Oriental Institute, performances by the New Budapest Orpheum Society, and a screening of the black and white classic Rififi (1955, Jules Dassin).

Headquarters for Humanities Day 2007 will be located in the lobby of Stuart Hall, 5835 S. Greenwood Avenue. Registration packets and information can be picked up beginning at 9:00 a.m. Free parking is available at the Ellis Avenue Parking Garage, on the southeast corner of 55th Street and Ellis Avenue. For a complete schedule of events for Humanities Day 2007, program descriptions and registration information, please click here.

Past Humanities Day Schedules

Humanities Day 2006
Humanities Open House 2005