Founded in 1986, the Humanities Institute presents a thematic program each semester on a topic related to the humanities. As part of Scripps’ tradition of interdisciplinary education, this program includes lectures, conferences, exhibitions, performances, and film series bringing prominent and younger cutting-edge scholars to campus.

Follow the Humanities Institute on Facebook and Twitter!

Latest Program

Ignorance in the Age of Information

In the 2018–19 academic year—and teaming up with Scripps Presents in the fall semester—the Humanities Institute will present a series of events, lectures, and workshops on Ignorance in the Age of Information. Information is more accessible to more people than ever. Yet, one of the central concerns in the public consciousness today is that we seem especially susceptible to deceit and manipulation via our sources of information, including both the internet in its various forms and more traditional news media. This year, the Humanities Institute will focus on this concern, regarding both content (like “fake news” and other misinformation), and form (like the “echo chamber” or “filter bubble” of social media news feeds). What is the problem, exactly, and how is it new or especially worrying for our society? What facilitates it, technological factors or social and political ones? How has our current epistemic environment affected our ability to think together and trust each other? Will this situation feed (and will it change) our tendency to see conspiracies, or hope where there is none, or will it lead to greater and more evolved critical reasoning?

• view events

Upcoming Event

Public Lecture: Latif Nasser

October 9, 2018
6:00-7:15 pm
Balch Auditorium
Scripps College

The history of science is stranger than fiction—Latif Nasser, director of research at Radiolab, should know. His research on such wide-ranging topics as culture-bound illnesses, snowflake photography, and 16th-century automata has turned up all manner of intriguing and insightful revelations.

This program is presented in partnership with the Scripps College Office of Public Events.

Register for free tickets.